Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 28, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-The Most High God Regards The Lowly-

“Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar.”

(Psalm 138:6).

Psalm 138 is a Psalm of David. It is entitled, “The Lord’s Goodness to the Faithful.” In David’s day, as today, there is a very small group of believers who are walking with God and serving Him. In Scripture, they called the righteous, the saints, the saved, the humble, the children of God. God looks down from His throne in heaven and beholds both the saved who are His people, the apple of His eye, and the unsaved that He also loves and desires to be saved.

David calls these two groups the lowly and the proud. James wrote of this contrast, “But He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). We never want to be proud and have God resist us. We need His grace.

He also said in James 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lifted you up.” We see here in our text that God regards the lowly; but knows the proud afar off. There is a sharp contrast between the two and how God deals with each group.

• Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly – Our God sits on His throne in heaven, ruling over the universe. He is called the most High God. When Jesus ascended back to heaven after His death, burial, and resurrection, He sat down at the right hand of the Father, the place of majesty, glory, and honor. When Isaiah had his vision of God in Isaiah 6, he wrote, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips; for I have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” No one who has seen the glory of the Lord by faith or by sight is ever the same again. We see God for who He is, and our own sinfulness and vileness.

God regards the lowly. Another word for lowly is humble. In Psalm 136:23 in speaking of the Lord it says, “Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever.” Solomon recognized this in Proverbs 16:19 when he wrote, “Better to be of a humble spirit with lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Mary, the mother of Jesus said, “For he has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call be blessed” (Luke 1:48). She also said in Luke 1:52, “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.”

• But the proud He knows from afar – God knows and loves those who are lost, unsaved; He continues to reach out to them until their last breath. He loves the sinner but hates their sin. That is why God sent His Son to die for our sins. Knowing the proud from afar does not mean He has given up on them. Everyone who comes to Christ must humble themselves before the Lord, confess their sins, believe that Jesus died for them, and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

Only the Lord can break the hardest heart. He turns the heart of stone into and a heart of flesh as it tells us in Ezekiel. Only God can changes lives. The proudest man can become the most humble man through the cross of Jesus Christ.

May we live humble, lowly lives with contrite hearts. David wrote in Psalm 51, his penitential psalm, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.”

Have a blessed day living in a humble lowly way before God. He will regard you, He will exalt you. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 27, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-The Lord Has Done Great Things For Us-

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.”

(Psalm 126:3).

Psalm 126 was written by an unknown author. The title of this Psalm is “A Joyful Return to Zion.” After Israel had left Egypt God brought them into the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. They lived in the land until they were taken into captivity because of their disobedience, rebellion, and idolatry. The Babylonian captivity lasted 70 years and then God’s promise of their return to their land was fulfilled. The people of Israel had great joy upon their return to their land.

Psalm 126:1-2 describes their tremendous joy, “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter; and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’” Not all the Jews returned from captivity but there were quite a few who did. Their joy was expressed in singing and holy laughter. They thanked the Lord for what He had done for them.

We as believers in Christ today are filled with joy for what the Lord has done for us. We can say with the psalmist, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.” We should thank and praise God for all the great things He has done for us. Like the Jews of old, we do not deserve any of God’s blessings. They all come to us by the grace of God.

There are three things we should remember about the great things God has done for us: everything we have is from God, everything we accomplish is because of God, and everything we do is for God. We need to thank Him daily for the abundance He has given us.

Fanny Crosby, the great hymn writer of years gone by, wrote about 8,000 hymns. Her blindness did not stop her, in fact, it inspired her more. Four times in her wonderful hymn, “To God Be the Glory, she uses the phrase, “great things.” It is like she was reading our verse when she wrote it.

Her words are so encouraging: “To God be the glory — great things He hath done! So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, who yielded His life an atonement for sin, and opened the life gate that all may go in. Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; but purer and higher and greater will be our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.”

When God does great things for us we are glad. We cannot contain our joy! God, the Greatest Giver gives us the greatest gifts and blessings. James wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). He saved us from our sins and gave us all spiritual blessings in Christ. He has also given us physical, mental, emotional, social, material, and financial blessings. We are so incredibly blessed!

Let us then rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for all the great things He has done for us. We can never thank Him enough! May we lift up our praise all of our days!

Have a blessed day praising and thanking God for the great things He has done for us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 26, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Serving Together As Members Of the Body Of Christ-

“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”

(Romans 12:4-5).

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the body, the church, and each believer is a member of His body. God’s desire is that each of us serve together as one body in unity and diversity. All members are important to the proper functioning of the body. We all have a role to play in the growth and edification of the body.

We find the teaching on the body of Christ and the utilization of one’s spiritual gifts in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. It makes it easy to remember that way. Spiritual gifts, which are many can be categorized as speaking gifts and serving gifts; the analogy of the body of Christ is likened to a human body, where Christ is the head and we are each members of His body. Just as a human body needs each member to function properly, so too, we need each other in the service of the Lord.

We do not all have the same function, and because of that there are many members in one body. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:15-17, “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body?’ And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body?’ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?”

It is God who has placed us in the body by His sovereign will to serve Him together. 1 Corinthians 12:18 says, “But now God has set the members, each one of them in the body just as He pleased.” Each one of us is just as important as the others; and just as needed. The whole key to the proper functioning of the body is love.

Paul also told us, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). The goal is for the leaders to lead m, train and equip the saints for the work of the Lord not just do the work by themselves (See Ephesians 4:11-12).

How are we functioning in the body of Christ? Are we using our spiritual gifts to serve and encourage each other? Are we avoiding an attitude of superiority or inferiority toward each other? We are to serve Christ together as one in harmony and love. I need you, and you need me, all together as a symphony. Christ is the conductor and we play our parts, as long as we serve Him with willing hearts!

Have a blessed day serving the Lord together in love. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 25, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Through The Word There Is Great Peace With No Stumbling –

“Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.”

(Psalm 119:165).

Psalms is the longest book in the Bible with 150 chapters; having the longest chapter, 119, in the Bible with 176 verses; and the shortest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 117 with two verses composed of 30 words. Today’s text follows the theme of Psalm 119, which is the Word of God.

There are two prominent aspects to our verse: great peace and no stumbling . It is through the Word of God. These timeless truths are so needed in today’s world. In our turbulent times we find strength, comfort, encouragement, inspiration, guidance, and help in the Bible.

• Great peace have those who love Your Word – Peace is such a blessing in a world of conflict. As believers we have peace with God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. In addition, there is great peace through the Word of God. God is faithful to teach us and show us just what we need to hear daily. He knows what we will go through today and prepares us through His Word and and prayer.

You will notice the psalmist inserts the words, “those who love Your word.” It is very fitting that we love the Word, which is “God’s Love Letter To Man.” The Christian song, “Written In Red,” by Jensen Gordon says, “In letters of crimson, God wrote His love on a hillside so long, long ago. For you and for me, Jesus died and love’s greatest story was told. Down through the ages, God wrote His love with the same hands that suffered and bled. Giving all that He had to give a message so easily read.” The chorus says, “I love you, I love you, that’s what Calvary said. I love you, I love you, I love you written in red.”

Jesus made peace through the blood of His cross. Someone once said, “Know Jesus, know peace; no Jesus, no peace.” He the the Prince of Peace who gives us peace. And oh what a peace it is! It is a deep, abiding peace.

• And nothing causes them to stumble – The word stumble is defined as, “Trip or momentarily lose one’s balance; almost fall.” We have all had awkward moments when we have stumbled and nearly fallen. We get embarrassed and feel like we have two left feet. At times we may have even fallen. God does not want us to stumble or fall spiritually, morally, or ethically. He holds us up by His grace.

Jude concludes his short epistle with these encouraging words, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding great joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now a forever. Amen.” It wonderful to know that this our portion in Christ. He is with us to keep us from stumbling.

Psalm 121:3 promises, “He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.” What assurance that He is watching over us 24-7 whether we are awake or asleep.

May the Lord encourage us with these two pillars of truth today: great peace and no stumbling. Our hearts are steadfast and our footsteps sure in our Lord Jesus Christ we will endure. When we love the Word, we have His peace and nothing causes us to stumble.

Have a blessed day of great peace with no stumbling. We can walk like mountain deer on high places without fear or in trepidation. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 24, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-God Hears And Answers Prayer-

“I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”

(Psalm 116:1-2).

The authorship of Psalm 116 is unknown. It is a rich a beautiful psalm. Today’s text is on the subject of prayer. Prayer, along with the Word of God, is vital to our faith and walk with the Lord; like breathing, we cannot live without it. As young man I learned that God hears and answers prayer. He calls upon us to pray in faith.

The psalmist says, “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.” The definition of the word supplicate is, “to ask or beg for something earnestly or humbly.” When we pray to the Lord we are going to the One who has the power to help us.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” The Lord wants us to come boldly and confidently to Him. We can never prayer enough and should always keep on praying. God will answer our prayers according to His will and timing with either a yes, a no, or a wait.

John tells us in 1 John 5:14-15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that be if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

We must pray in faith, in Jesus’ name, according to His will, and that God will be glorified. We cannot have any unconfessed sin in our lives. We pray for our needs, the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ, our family, our country, and so much more. Right now we need to pray for Afghanistan, the Americans there trying to get out, the Afghanis who supported us trying to get out, and all the believers there. It is an urgent situation. There are needs everywhere from the floods in Tennessee to the East Coast where the hurricane turned tropical storm Henri wreaked havoc. The pandemic is still raging worldwide with this Delta variant.

The psalmist said, “Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” Prayer is also a great weapon in our spiritual warfare against the devil and his evil forces.

When God answers our prayers we should thank Him. God’s answers and miracles build our faith and encourage us to keep praying.

Have a blessed day praying and thanking God in advance for His answers as well as after He answers. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean