Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-September 4, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Lessons From The Ant: Diligence, Preparation, And Hard Work.

“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise; which having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.”

(Proverbs 6:6-8)

There are a many animals and creatures mentioned in the Bible, but this is the only reference to the ant. We can learn some important lessons from this tiny creature. Solomon in his wisdom was able to bring these lessons to our attention.

Job who lived during the days of Abraham in the book of Genesis recognized what we can clean from the creatures that God created. Job 12:7-10 says, “But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among these does not know that the hand of God has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?”

God created all things and each one is unique and wonderful in its own way. When God directed Noah to build the ark, he was to lead them in two by two to keep them alive during the torrential rain and flood. Just as man repopulated the earth, so did all living creatures as well.

Of all God creatures, the ant, though not the smallest creature, is one of the smallest. Though small and not highly thought of by man, nonetheless has much to teach us.

Solomon writes, “Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider her ways and be wise.” A sluggard is a lazy person. The ant is the antithesis of laziness. The ant is in fact a great example of diligence. Solomon speaks much about diligence and the diligent throughout the book of Proverbs. Ants have been documented to be able to carry up to twenty times their own body weight. If a human could lift twenty times their own body weight that would be about 4,000 pounds!

Though we consider ants pests, we have to respect their hard work and resourcefulness. They have no captain or ruler, yet they get a lot done. They prepare their supplies in summer so that they will have food to eat in the fall. They are definitely not procrastinators!

Just think if we were as diligent, hardworking, industrious, and prepared as the ant what we could accomplish. We wouldn’t wait until the last minute to buy Christmas gifts, file our taxes, study for tests, or many other important things we do for our homes or jobs.

As believers in Christ, we should be examples of diligence in all areas of our lives. We can’t let laziness, indifference, or procrastination affect us, especially in the Lord’s work. We should be well prepared to work hard for the Lord with excellence. In other words, we should carry our weight, do our part to further the kingdom of God. Ants become giants by adding G-I (Great Intensity).

Have a blessed day working hard, preparing fully, and being diligent in all we do for the Lord. Let’s be ants for Jesus! Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-September 3, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Trusting In the Lord To Direct Our Paths-

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

(Proverbs 3:5-6).

We live in a confused, chaotic, and confrontational world. These are very difficult and troubled times. Today’s verses are very familiar to us and have been a great blessing to believers down through the centuries. We all want to make the right decisions and take the right paths which are what God has for us.

In order to be on God’s path, walking in the center of His will we must pray for His guidance and step out in faith, trusting Him even when we cannot see the way ahead. The heading in my Bible is “Guidance for the Young.” Yes, it is wonderful advice for the young ones, like those graduating from high school or college, and for young couples just starting out. But we know that it applies to every believer, young and old, on a daily basis.

King Solomon wrote most all of the book of Proverbs. It is a book of wisdom to help us live successfully and victoriously through both adversity and prosperity. There are three commands to obey, with a promise of His guidance and direction for those who do obey. This means that if we do our part, God will do His part. Our part is to, “Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding; and in all your ways acknowledge Him.” His part is, “And He shall direct your paths.”

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart – It doesn’t sound that hard but it is. We need to not only trust the Lord, but trust Him with every fabric of our being. In 2 Corinthians 5:7, Paul wrote, “For we walk by faith not by sight.” Instead, as mortal beings, we often do the very opposite: we walk by sight not by faith. We must trust the Lord fully on a daily basis for whatever circumstances may come. The key is to trust Him with all our heart.

• And lean not on your own understanding – Our own will, thinking, knowledge, and experience is really not going to help us. When we lean on our own faulty knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, we fall so often. We can’t see the future, we don’t know which path to choose. So often we make decisions without consulting the Lord and it turns out predictably bad at best and disastrous at worst. This is a warning to each of us. Proverbs 3:7 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.”

• In all your ways acknowledge Him – We must acknowledge the Lord in all things. The way to do this is to look to Him in prayer and through the Word of God. In Psalm 16:8, David wrote, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” The Lord wants us to be still before Him and listen to His voice. Jesus is Lord of all, He must then be my Lord in all.

• And He shall direct your paths – This is God m’a promise to us when we trust in Him with all our hearts, don’t lean on our own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all our ways. He will make our paths smooth or straight. We will be in God’s Will. Someone once said, “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.” God will direct our paths in His ways and according to His timing. God is not in a rush, only we are.

Have a blessed day and weekend, trusting in the Lord to direct your paths. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-September 2, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Do All To The Glory Of God-

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

(1 Corinthians 10:31).

Paul wants us to know that we can do anything and everything to the glory of God. This is true as long as we are not sinning. From the simplest task to the most complex; from the workplace to the home front; from church to running errands; from doing chores to helping others; all should be done to the glory of God.

What does it mean to do something to the glory of God? It means to thank Him for the strength and ability He has given us, do everything for Jesus and in His name, and give Him all the credit for what we accomplish. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:31 quoting the OT, “that as it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

We so often want to be acknowledged for what we do, but instead we should appreciate other’s compliments but always direct people to the Lord. It is always best to say, “Thank you, praise God!” In giving glory to God, we should say, “Everything I have is from God; everything I do is for God; and everything I accomplish is by God.” It really helps us keep everything in proper perspective.

Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The key to this verse is, “through Christ who strengthens me.” Jesus told His disciples in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Simply put, with Christ and in Christ we can do all things, without Christ or outside His will we can do nothing.

Today, we will do many things, big and small, spiritual or secular, significant or relatively insignificant, let’s do everything to the glory of God. Paul covered pretty much everything when he said, “Therefore whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” With this in mind, we find our days to go faster, smoother, and less complicated. Jesus will give us a song in our hearts, even praise to our God!

Have a blessed day doing all to the glory of God and thanking Him for everything. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-We Can Do It, But Should We?

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.”

(1 Corinthians 10:23-24).

The Apostle Paul had to deal with some difficult issues in his letters to the Corinthians, one of which greatly affected the early church: should one eat meat sacrificed to idols? There was liberty to do it, but it could have a negative affect on other believers. Paul addressed this controversy also in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10, as well as in Romans 14, in Galatians 5, and in Colossians 2. There were other issues of the day, but this one seemed to be the most important.

Paul is saying that we have freedom to do certain things, that in and of themselves are not wrong, but can be wrong if they harm or stumble others. Christian liberty goes as far as Christian love. We never want to stumble or hinder a brother or sister in Christ for whom Christ died. Paul wrote in Romans 14:14, “I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”

Nowadays, there is the controversy over drinking wine. It is lawful but not always helpful or edifying. It can stumble a young Christian who may see us drinking wine and think it is okay for them too and lead to terrible results. Our consideration when deciding to do something or not, is not just is it right or wrong but does it glorify the Lord and will others be helped, edified, and encouraged. If we can’t answer yes to all these things, we shouldn’t do it.

The law of love always trumps the law of liberty. During the new stages of the pandemic we have the issue of whether to wear masks or not and whether to be vaccinated or not. This controversy has even affected churches. Many have changed the discussion from medical considerations to civil liberty or political ones. Love and what is best for others should always rule the day.

So, to answer the question of the day, we can do it, but should we? The answer is often no if by doing it, it stumbles a weak or sensitive brother or sister. Paul concluded in 1 Corinthians 8:13, “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” There are choices we make every day, and there are times when we must sacrifice our personal liberty in order to be a blessing to others. If it is something questionable, we shouldn’t do it. It is always better to refrain than to cause another pain.

Have a blessed day living by the law of love in all we do and say and not letting our liberty stumble others. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 31, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Let Us Worship God Our Shepherd And Follow Him-

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:”

(Psalm 95:6-7).

Psalm 95 is a rich and beautiful psalm written by an unknown writer. Six times in this psalm, the psalmist uses the expression “let us.” He says, “Let us sing” (v.1); “Let us shout,” (v.1); “Let us come” (v.2); “Let us shout,” (v.2); “Let us worship and bow down,” (v.6); “Let us kneel,” (v.6). This represents one man’s call for worship to the congregation of God’s people. We commonly hear this expression in our churches today, “Let us pray,” “let us sing,” “let us take the bread and wine,” and “let us open the Word of God.” We gather together and worship together.

The psalmist refers to God as our Maker, and by inference as our Shepherd. God created us, saved us, and He cares for us. One of His titles is Shepherd. David wrote in Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” David was a shepherd before he was a soldier and a king. He found God’s care in every area and aspect of his life. A shepherd must feed, water, lead, and protect, and provide for the sheep. A shepherd has more than one sheep but cares for each sheep as it was his only one. In some parts of the world today there are shepherds still working with sheep.

Jesus is our Shepherd. He is called the Good Shepherd (John 10:11); the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20-21); and the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:2-4). We are His sheep. Sheep are dense and defenseless. They need constant care and supervision lest they wander off and fall prey to some predators. Being a sheep is not very flattering to our human egos, but when we are shepherded by Jesus it is uplifting and encouraging. We are fully dependent on Him. We hear His voice and follow Him. He leads us to the green pastures and still waters.

Sheep are very fearful creatures. The shepherd must constantly assure the sheep that they will be safe and secure. We too are by nature very fearful creatures. This is why the expression, “Fear not,” is found some 365 times, once for each day of the year. There are so many things that cause us fear, but our faith in Christ overcomes our fear. As someone said, “Never fear when Jesus is near.” Because He is always with us, there is nothing to fear. Maybe today something is troubling your heart or weighing heavily on your mind. Seek the Lord our Shepherd and give the matter to Him.

Let us worship and bow down to our Lord, our Shepherd today. May we stay close to Him and not stray in any way. He will feed us, guide us, care for us, provide for us, and protect us. We are His beloved sheep, He is our beloved and blessed Shepherd.

Have a blessed day following our Shepherd who loves us and cares for us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean