Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-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

-September 7, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-The Goal Of Every Person: To Be Perfect In Christ-

“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

(Colossians 1:28).

In the and around the church in Colosse there were false teachers who did not believe that the Son of God really died on the cross. Therefore Paul presents Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Head of the church. He is preeminent in all things.

Paul’s goal in his ministry was to present every man perfect in Christ. The word perfect here means to be complete or mature. Ultimately every believer will be conformed to the image of Christ. Every believer should be growing in Christ daily. Positionally, each believer is perfect in Christ, but practically we have a long ways to go to be mature and complete in Him.

Paul wrote to the Romans, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn of many brethren” (Romans 8:29). Our spiritual growth to maturity does just happen. We need sound biblical teaching and godly examples to follow.

Paul and others preached the gospel and taught the Word to the saints. Paul wrote in our text, Him we preach, warning and teaching every man with all wisdom…” Warnings are given to help us to avoid sin, pitfalls, and dangers around us; teaching helps us to learn to grow and know how to apply God’s Word to our lives. Paul loved the saints in all the churches and always prayed for them.

Paul wanted the very best of each believer “that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” It took a lot of prayer, preparation, and perseverance.

We cannot just rely just what we hear on Sunday mornings, we must read and study the Word during the week, spend time in prayer, and serve the Lord. In Acts 20, Paul warned the elders in Ephesus upon his departure, of false teachers that would rise up, like savage wolves not sparing the flock. He had taught them as much as he could for three years. He told them, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).

God isn’t finished with us yet. We are His masterpiece, He is the Artist, and He is working in us and on us daily. He never gives up on us. He is our Teacher, we are His students.

Have a blessed day learning and growing. Then we can be a blessing to one another and to the lost around us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-September 6, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday, happy Labor Day-

-Our Labor Is Not In Vain In The Lord-

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

(1 Corinthians 15:58).

Today is Labor Day, a day our nation and Canada celebrate our workers, most of whom have the day off. There are some people though that do have to work, and many of them really deserve a day off. Labor Day marks the unofficial end of the summer.

For us as believers , we labor hard for our Lord Jesus Christ. Twice in today’s verse Paul uses the phrase “in the Lord.” We work for the greatest Master. Paul reminds us how hard the work of the Lord is. It is a spiritual work, and as a result we are opposed by the devil. We must be dedicated and determined to complete it while we live on this earth. There will be plenty of time to rest in eternity.

We may retire from our secular employment, as I have, but we never retire from the Lord’s work. Our work for Jesus and His kingdom will never be in vain. The words “in vain” is defined as, “without success or a result.” In the case of the Lord’s work, we are responsible for putting forth the effort and doing our best; the Lord brings forth the results. Paul points out three things we must do: be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord.

• Be steadfast – To be steadfast means to stand firm or resolute for our Lord. There is no room for giving up. The word steadfast is defined as, “resolutely or dutifully firm or unwavering.” It reminds me of our police officers, firefighters, other first responders, and our armed forces. We owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude for all they do to protect and defend us. Are we as steadfast in our service for our Lord?

• Be immovable – When we think of something that is immovable, we think of a great boulder. It would take many strong people to move it. Being immovable in Christ is relying on His strength and power, and not relying our own. In our world of political correctness and going with the flow, we stand out for our commitment to Christ and His Word. The world wants to squeeze us into its mold, Christ wants us to transform us into His image. We can either be conformed to this world or be transformed by the power of God.

• Be always abounding in the work of the Lord – There is a huge difference between merely working and abounding in the work. The word abounding is defined as, “very plentiful, abundant.” It is term associated with farming. Farmers work hard from dawn to desk so that we can enjoy their fruits and vegetables. We too benefit from our pastors, preachers, teachers, missionaries, Sunday School teachers, and other servants of the Lord. We should always support them in prayer and stand by them.

May the Lord help us to labor in the work of the Lord, trusting in our God to bring forth the results. We must always be steadfast, immovable, and abounding in the work of the Lord. The Lord will reward us for our faithful service at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Our labor for Christ is never in vain.

Have a blessed day laboring for our Master with all your spirit, soul, and body. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

“

-September 5, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-The Greatest Virtue Is Love-

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians chapter 13 is often called “The Love Chapter.” The Apostle Paul begins by describing the importance of love, then detailing how love works in our lives, and how everything else lasts at best only in this life. Love is eternal. Love is by far the greatest attribute, the greatest of the fruit of the Spirit, the greatest virtue.

There are three different Greek words for love in the NT: Eros, meaning physical love between a husband and wife; Phileo, meaning the love between friends; and Agape, meaning God’s love. It is the latter that is in view in our text today. It is a giving, self-sacrificing, and eternal love. It is the love that comes from God and is not based on human merit and requires no reciprocity.

In John 3:16, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” In Romans 5:8, Paul said, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” And John tells us in 1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

In each of these verses God’s love is expressed in actions, not just words or emotions, though they are involved also. 1 John 3:18 says, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” Because we are God’s children and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we can show the love of Christ to others.

The reason why love is greater than either faith or hope is that only love will last for eternity. When we get to heaven, we will see the Lord and be with Him and one another forever. There will no longer be a need for faith to believe and hope to look forward to. But even in our world today, love is still superior to any other virtue or quality. It is involved in our relationship with God and with other people, both saved and unsaved.

Paul shows us what God’s love is, what it looks like, and how wonderful it is. He describes what love is and what it is not in verses 4-8a. Love suffers long (or is patient); love rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things; love never fails. Love does not envy, parade itself, is not puffed up; love does not behave rudely, seek its own, is not provoked; and love thinks no evil, and does not rejoice in iniquity.

God’s love supersedes all other loves. It is deep, immeasurable, and beyond our understanding. Paul tried to measure it human dimensions but could not. He wrote in Ephesians 3:17-19, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

There was never a greater expression of love than at the cross of Calvary. Jesus loved the whole world and laid down His life to save us. He made the most tremendous sacrifice to save His lost and sinful people. May the Lord help us to love others as He loved and loves us. Truly we can say with Paul, “…but the greatest of these is love.”’

Have a blessed day showing Christ’s love wherever we go, to whomever we meet, in sincerity and truth. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean