Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-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

-September 9, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-The Well Rounded Christian Life-

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

(1 Corinthians 16:13-14).

We all need to be encouraged to walk closer to the Lord and be victorious. One of the keys to victorious living is to be balanced and consistent. As we grow in our walk with Christ, we learn the Word and gain experience in applying God principles to our lives. Paul gives us five important things to do: watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong, and let all we do be done in love.

1. Watch – To watch is to be on the alert at all times. The devil never takes a day off in his attacks against us. There are temptations everywhere from the world and the flesh. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

2. Stand fast in the faith – We must stand in the faith and overcome all obstacles and hindrances that are in our way. Faith overcomes fear. John wrote, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world —our faith” (1John 5:4).

3. Be brave – Another word for brave is courageous. We as good soldiers of Christ need to be courageous in the face of sorrow, pain, illness, adversity, and hardship. In Joshua 1:9, the Lord said to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” What a promise!

4. Be strong – It easy to tell someone to “just be strong,” but it is hard to muster our own finite strength. We need the Lord’s strength that comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” We must put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the wiles or schemes of the devil.

5. Let all that you do be done in love – It is one thing to love those who love us, are kind to us, and treat us well; it is quite another to love our enemies. Jesus said, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). May we love everyone, and return good for evil.

Herein is the challenge for each of us today: watch, stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong; and let all we do be done in love. The Lord will help us to be well rounded Christians.

Have a blessed day following the example of Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-September 8, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Teach Us To Do Your Will O Lord-

“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.”

(Psalm 143:10).

David wrote Psalm 143 and it is a prayer to the Lord. It is his earnest appeal for guidance and deliverance. Today’s verse is his request that God would teach him to do His will. Knowing and doing God’s will is one of the most important things in the Christian life. David wrote, “Teach me to do Your will…” He always sought the Lord’s will before going out to battle.

When Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, the second request of the prayer found in verse 10 was, “…Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s will is always vital in our prayers. Jesus proved that in the Garden of Gethsemane before His betrayal and arrest.

Jesus prayed three times to the Father that the cup of His suffering and death may be removed. Matthew 26:39 says, “He went out little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’”Verse 42 says, “Again a second time, He went away and prayed a second time, ‘O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.’”

Paul prayed three times that the thorn in his flesh be removed; the Lord did not take it away but gave Him the sufficient grace to handle it. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” We can always rest knowing God’s will is always best.

There are four important steps to the will of God: to seek it, know it, accept it, and do it. There is no room for discussion, debate, or deliberation. David, Paul, Moses, and countless others in the Scriptures found this out. It is such an important lesson for all of us to learn and practice. Our wills are so strong but we must learn to surrender to His good and acceptable and perfect will.

Being in the center of God’s will is always the best place to be. David calls it, “the land of uprightness.” Meteorologists tells the most calm, peaceful place is in the eye of the hurricane. This is so true of the trials and storms we go through. When we pray to Him and thank Him, He gives us the peace that passes all understanding. Even when all around us is turmoil and trouble, we can rest in Jesus. I would rather be in the storm in the will of God than in the calm outside it.

We should always pray, “If it is Your will O Lord” and “Your will be done.” There is such peace, comfort, and rest in God’s will. Let’s remember to seek it, know it, accept it, and do it.

Have a blessed day learning and doing God will. He will lead us and guide us. Stay safe and healthy

In His grace,

Dean