Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-September 14, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Let Others Praise You, Not Yourself-

“Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”

King Solomon was the writer of Proverbs. He was the wisest king ever as well as the wisest man ever because God gave him wisdom. He, and He his father David, were the only two kings to write books of the Bible. Proverbs is so practical and we can learn so many lessons from it.

One of the greatest lessons in Proverbs is humility. We are aren’t born with humility, we must learn it. In fact, we are born with pride and selfishness. When we are born again in Jesus Christ we begin to follow His teachings and live by the Word of God. Today’s lesson is: let others praise you not you yourself.

It is easy to brag about ourselves, what know and who we know; and of our accomplishments, successes, and victories. This leads only to an overinflated ego and pride which goes before a fall. Proverbs 25:27 says, “It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one’s own glory is not glory.” We need to remember to give all the glory, all the credit. Everything we have is from Him.

Paul wrote in Romans 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” God has made us His children, adopting us into His family, and giving us all things in Christ. When we look at ourselves it isn’t hard to see how much we don’t deserve anything, but God has given us everything.

Thus, we should always let others, friends, family, brothers and sisters in Christ, bosses, co-workers, and even strangers praise us. The only ones who shouldn’t praise us is us. No one likes to hear others singing their own praises! James wrote, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 5:10).

Moses is a great example of humility and meekness. God said of him, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). When God complements us it is the best!

May we let others praise us and not we ourselves. And even with that only God’s opinion really counts. When we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ we will be rewarded for what we have done for the Lord. Our works will be tested by fire, those done in humility and for the glory of God will endure, but those done for self will be burned up.

Have a blessed day thanking God and giving Him all the glory. Let us complement others not ourselves. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-September 13, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-We May Fall But We Must Rise Again-

“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.”

(Proverbs 24:16).

Just because we are saved doesn’t isolate us against the trials, afflictions, and sorrows of life that are common to man. Here in our text Solomon notes that, “A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.” When the OT speaks of a righteous man or the righteous, it refers to believers.

The difference between a believer and unbeliever is that the Lord is with us through our trials to encourage us to get back up when we fall. Adversity makes us stronger. Psalm 34:19 promises, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” It tells us about falling seven times but rising again. We must get up each time we fall.

It certainly reminds us of the series movies featuring the boxer Rocky Balboa. In each of his movies, Rocky took quite a beating in the fight and was knocked down several times before getting up and winning the fight by a knockout. Life is just like this for us, we will get knocked down but we must get up and come back.

Zig Ziglar said, “Getting knocked down is a given. Getting up and moving forward is a choice.” We learn so much from our trials, adversities, and afflictions. The Lord is with us through them all. We have the assurance that when we get up God will help us to regain and attain. David knew a few things about getting knocked down in life and getting up again each time. Psalm 37:24 says, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”

In the NT, Paul was knocked down many times but kept getting up and going forward. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:9-10, “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

The unbeliever, called the wicked, shall fall by calamity in this life, and especially in eternity to come. As Solomon urges us, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him” (Proverbs 24:17-18). Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us.

We as God’s people should be sympathetic and empathetic toward others who are hurting. The more we suffer, the more we can feel with others and encourage them. We should encourage others to get up after falling.

Job, of all biblical characters along with Joseph, was knocked down many times but got up each time. His end was better than his beginning because of the Lord. Joseph was in a similar situation and he came forth victoriously at the end.

Have a blessed day. We must get up each time we fall and trust in Jesus that is all. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-September 12, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Rejoicing In The Lord Always-

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice!”

(Philippians 4:4).

Paul wrote the epistle to the Philippians while in prison for his faith in Christ. Conditions in prisons in those days were deplorable. They were hot in the summer and cold in the winter; the smells were horrible, and the food and treatment by the guards intolerable. Yet, Paul spoke of joy, rejoicing, and gladness.

Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Twice in our verse he tells the saints to rejoice. He himself was an example of rejoicing in the midst of very difficult circumstances. He said in Philippians 1:18, “What then? Only that in pretense or in truth, the gospel is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” He then told the believers, “For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me” (Philippians 2:18).

The key to our verse today is found in the words, “in the Lord.” Rejoicing in difficulties, tragedies, and hardships makes no sense whatsoever outside of Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the reason we can rejoice, and rejoice always. We are saved from our sins, forgiven, and have eternal life. Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of life, we are children and heirs of God. We have peace with God and enjoy the peace of God. Our blessings are endless, our hope is eternal.

We can rejoice in all ways and at all times because God is working in our lives. He has a plan for us and is carrying it out for our good and His glory. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

No believer in Jesus should frown or be down. We must choose gladness over sadness; rejoicing over complaining. Someone once said, “Pain is unenviable, misery is optional.” When things are hard it is not easy to rejoice, but it is always the best choice! Our testimony before others, especially unbelievers, is brightest when they see us rejoicing in darkest of times.

May the Lord help us to rejoice in the Lord always. I learned a song when I was very young that said, “I can smile as I walk along life’s road, I can smile if I carry a heavy load, I can smile, because I walk with Jesus.”

Have a blessed day rejoicing in the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-September 11, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Looking Up To The Lord For His Help-

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

(Psalm 121:1-2).

Psalm 121 is one of the psalms of ascents, and was written by an unknown author. The heading in my Bible is, “God the Help of Those Who Seek Him.” How few in our country look to God for His help on a daily basis. Most try to make it on their own. Sometimes they think about God but only in times of great tragedy, sorrow, loss, or need. God gets blamed when things go wrong, but gets no credit when things go well.

Today is the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. Our country was struck by terrorists flying planes into the World Trade Center in New York City and at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Were it not for the courage and bravery of the passengers aboard the ill-fated Flight 93, a third plane would have struck the White House. We commentate and remember the lives of 2,977 of our fellow Americans who died on September 11, 2001. We then fought a war in Afghanistan for twenty years, and just recently pulled all our armed forces out of that country.

As we reflect on that horrific day in the history of our country, we remember where we were and what we were doing. We tuned in by television and saw the graphic images, the heroic acts of police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who died attempting to save others. One thing that came from this dark day was that brought our nation closer together. Suddenly, our differences and distinctions didn’t mean much, we were all Americans. On that first Sunday after 9/11, churches filled up as never before. People were scared and turned to God; unfortunately it didn’t last.

For those of us who are saved we continued to look up to the Lord for His help and still today, we look up to Him. We are finite creatures, we have many limitations, and are subject to many fears. We ask, could another attack happen in our lifetimes? We are vulnerable in so many ways. With that said, let us thank God for His help in the past and look up to Him for His help in the future.

Psalm 46:10 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” These words of promise, comfort, and encouragement are needed today more than ever. Here in our text, the psalmist wrote, “My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” God and God alone is the source of our help!

In this rich and beautiful psalm, the psalmist mentions the things God promises to do for us: He will not allow our foot to slip, keeps us, is our shade to protect us, and preserves us from all evil, and preserves our going out and our coming in. Psalm 121 is a psalm of promises.

There are lessons to learn from the past to help us in the future. It is a somber day, a day of remembrance and reflection. As believers we feel the pain and mourn the loss, and most of all trust the Lord and seek His help in everything. Let us look up to God our help. The great hymn writer Issac Watts said it well, “O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.”

Have a blessed day of remembrance and look up to God who helps us day by day. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-September 10, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Good Friends In Bad Times, in Good Times, At All Times-

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Friendship is not defined by good times only but rather by bad times also. When you have a friend, he or she loves you for who you are, and stands by you when no one else will. Solomon wrote, “there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.” When we have friends who are also brothers or sisters in Christ, we are doubly blessed.

Jesus is not only our Lord and Savior, He is our friend. He said in John 15:13-14, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” Jesus loved us and laid down His life for us. Jesus is our best friend; He never leaves us nor forsakes us.

To have friends we must show ourselves to be friendly. To have true blue friends, we must be a true blue friend to them. Friends provide us with a shoulder to cry on and also one to lean on.

When we choose godly friends, we will draw closer to Christ; but if we choose ungodly friends they will lead us astray. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:33, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’”

Have a blessed day thanking God for our friends and being a good friend at all times. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean