Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 23, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-A Worthy Walk, A Fruitful Life-

“That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

(Colossians 1:10).

Paul expresses his desire by praying for the spiritual growth in the lives of the saints in Colosse in Colossians 1:9-12. Today’s verse is so practical encouraging. He shows how important it is to live a worthy and fruitful life for Christ.

There are four prongs to this verse: walk worthy, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful, and increasing in the knowledge of God. These four things form a square adding up to a balanced Christian life. A balanced life leads to a stable life, which leads to a consistent life, which leads to a rich and full life.

• Walk worthy of the Lord – None of is every worthy of our salvation, yet we are called to live a worthy life in Christ. We represent Christ as His ambassadors. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:1, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” May who name the name of Christ be worthy of the Lord in our character, conduct, and conversation. We want others to see Christ in our lives and follow Him also.

• Fully pleasing Him – So many today try hard to please others, but when we please Christ that is what really matters. When we fully please Him, others we will be pleased also. It is not to say that we will not have opposition when we live for Christ and speak of Him, we will. Proverbs 16:7 promises, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

• Being fruitful in every good work – Jesus calls us to be fruitful, to bear fruit, and to bear much fruit. Fruitfulness in the NT has two aspects: personal growth and service, and public testimony and witness. The former involves our relationship with the Lord and the progress we make toward spiritual maturity and service toward others; the latter speaks of our soul winning for Christ in terms of sharing our faith, and bringing others to Christ. The former is mostly in view in our text.

• Increasing in the knowledge of God – It should be our life’s pursuit to know Christ more, in His attributes, His ways, and His will for our lives. The type of knowledge that Paul is referring to is more than head knowledge, it is heart knowledge. We not only want to know about Him, we want to know Him, intimately and personally.

These four things lead to a happy, fulfilled, and satisfied life. We will then be worthy, pleasing, fruitful, and knowledgeable. How are we progressing in our spiritual lives?

Have a blessed day walking in a worthy manner, growing, and pleasing the Lord, and being fruitful. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 22, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-God Freely Gives Us All Things-

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

(Romans 8:32).

What more could God give than the gift of His Son? Christ died on the cross for our sins, taking our place, dying the death we deserved. God delivered Him up to suffer, bleed, and die for us. God’s perfect will accomplished our salvation.

God did not spare His Son; He turned His back on Christ because He was bearing the vileness of our sins. In the case of Abraham offering up Isaac, God spared Isaac from death, and Abraham from carrying out, but He did not spare Christ for us. He loved us so much as to allow His Son to suffer for us. Jesus’ death on the cross was the greatest act of love and sacrifice in the history of the world. He not only died for His friends, He also died for His enemies.

Paul concludes that if God did not spare His beloved Son, He will freely give us all things. Our blessed Heavenly Father not only gives us all things but gives them freely. All things belong to us because we belong to Christ. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We are so rich in Christ.

There is a wonderful song that says, “Freely, freely, you have received; freely, freely give. Go in My name and because you believe, others will know that I live.” God sends us out to share the gospel and offer help and aid to those in need. When God asks us to do something for Him, do we do it freely? That is how the Good Samaritan acted toward the badly injured man on the side of the road. Two others before him, one a priest and the other a Levite passed by on the other side of the road, leaving the man to die. May we freely give and do good to others.

Have a blessed day remembering how much God has done to save us and to freely give to us; let us go and do the same for others. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 21, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-The Sovereignty Of God, The Futility Of Idols-

“But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.” Their idols are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands.”

(Psalm 115:3-4).

The subject of Psalm 115 is the Futility of Idols and the Trustworthiness of God. The author is unknown. There is only one true God, who is the living and almighty God. All other gods are idols, the works of men’s hands.

One of the attributes of God is His sovereignty. The word sovereign means to be in complete control of something. God is sovereign, which means He is in complete control of everything in the universe. Kings and queens are often called sovereigns, that is they rule over a country or empire. A example of this today is the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. They now have complete control over the country, which is very dangerous and scary.

Our God is a loving and good God. He is righteous, just, and fair. All His ways and decisions are perfect in every way. Today’s text tells us, “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. No one can question Him or thwart His plans. He doesn’t have to answer to anyone. He decisions are final, His authority is absolute.

There are two main aspects of God’s will: His perfect will, that which comes from Him, and His permissive will, which He allows. The devil is temporarily the god of this world. He is control of governments and unsaved people’s lives. Sin is everywhere and terrible things are happening. One day, Christ will come back to earth and take full control. The devil will be thrown into the lake of fire and we will reign with Christ forever.

As believers, we should trust God for everything, not doubting or questioning but submitting and obeying. The Lord knows what He is doing. He is in heaven, and is in control of the universe, the earth, and our lives. Whatever happens to us is for our good and God’s glory. Paul wrote, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We can count on this wonderful promise from God, along with the myriad of other promises in the Word of God.

All other gods are the silver and gold, the works of men’s hands. In verses 4-8, we see that these idols have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; they have noses, but they cannot smell; and they have feet, but they cannot walk. They are lifeless and useless. Verse 8 is very telling, “Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.” We have different idols today: money, possessions, pleasures, power, glamour, and fame. They are just as futile and useless.

What a sharp contrast to our God, who is living and loving. He is our help and one day we will see Him face to face in all of His glory. God fights for us, works on our behalf, and protects us. He is the King, the Sovereign of the universe, and we children of the King. Let us rejoice that He has saved us and He cares for us daily. We are on His side, and He is on our side, the victorious side.

Have a blessed day submitting to His will and authority, trusting in Him. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 20, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Focusing On The Lord As Our Priority-

“I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”

(Psalm 16:8).

Psalm 16 is another psalm written by David, who wrote more than half of them. This particular psalm has the title or heading, “A Michtam of David.” There are six psalms, all written by David, that are called michtams in the King James and New King James versions of the Bible. We know so little about this word, though many suggest it means atonement. Many scholars suggest the word comes from the Hebrew word, miktab , meaning “writing.” Some believe it may even come from the Hebrew word, katham, meaning “golden.” It would mean an engraving of gold, a great value, much like when albums went golden by how many records were sold. Now days we speak of them going platinum.

This psalm is especially beautiful and precious for every believer in Christ. In Psalm 16:3 David writes, “As for the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” David greatly loved the Lord and all the Lord’s people. This psalm like most every one of his psalms is very personal.

David says, “I have set the Lord always before me.” What does he mean by this? It simply means that the Lord is his continual focus and priority. David was king of Israel and was a very busy man, just as we are today. David took time to spend with the Lord and in His Word. He always sought the Lord’s guidance before going out to battle, and the Lord gave him victory in every one.

There were two times where David did lose focus on the Lord: when he committed adultery and murder in connection with Bathsheba, and when he numbered the people. In both cases God chastened him severely and the results were devastating to David and his family, and to all Israel as well. But for all his life, other than the aforementioned sins, he honored and obeyed God. He put the Lord first in his life and sought to please Him.

When David focused his life on the Lord and put Him as the priority of his life, he found strength in the midst of the hardest and harshest circumstances of life. He was confident that the Lord was with him at all times. He exclaims, “Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” He knew that he was never alone, God was with him. He claimed all the promises of God.

At times we feel we are all alone and the whole world is against us. We get discouraged when things seem to all be going wrong. We need to trust the Lord, focus on Him and what He has done for us, and is so doing for us. We will not be moved. We may get jolted, but we do not give up, fall apart, or lose heart.

The hymn writer Helen H. Lemmel wrote, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Stop and look to Jesus; He will show you His light and glory to guide through the darkest nights. Others may leave, forsake us, or turn against, but the Lord never will.

Have a blessed day with Jesus. Focus on Him, make Him and His work your priority. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 19, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Eternal Life Is In Jesus Christ-

“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12).

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).

Every person on earth must make the choice: receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or reject Him. There is no in between, no gray area. One either has Jesus and has life or does not. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). It is also very clear in Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The word life in verse 12 can be translated the life. You either have it or you don’t. God desires that each person receive the gift of God which is eternal life, but He will never force anyone to take it. No one will be in heaven against their will, and no one will go to hell without the opportunity to hear the gospel and be saved.

Once we receive God’s Son Jesus Christ we have eternal life. We are in the hands of Jesus and the hands of the Father. No one pluck us out of their hands. Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. No one can blot us out of God’s book. We have the assurance of eternal security in Christ. We have peace with God and no matter how much Satan attacks us to disturb us or create doubt in our hearts, nothing can change our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Do you have eternal life in Jesus Christ? If the answer is either no or you are not sure, please receive Him today! God wants you to have the faith and assurance of knowing that when you die or if the Rapture comes first, you will be with Him in heaven forever. With choice of Christ, comes the confidence in Christ, and certainty to be with Christ forever!

Have a blessed day in Jesus thanking God for your eternal salvation and security in Him. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean