Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 18, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain-

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

(Philippians 1:21).

Paul’s epistle to the Philippians can be titled, “The Epistle of Living Joy.” He employs such words as joy, rejoice, rejoicing, rejoiced, glad, and gladness. Bearing in mind that when he wrote this epistle he was in prison in Rome, it is even more remarkable.

Paul was joyful in Christ wherever he was. He chose to rejoice, live for Christ, and serve Him. He didn’t just make the best of his circumstances, he triumphed in them and over them. He used every opportunity to preach the gospel even while in prison for his faith. Paul’s motto was, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He wasn’t afraid to die, nor was he afraid to live either. He was conflicted though: to depart and be with Christ in heaven or to remain on earth longer which is better for the saints.

Paul knew how glorious heaven was and how much better it is than earth. He knew however that his earthly stay was not in his hands nor when he would be called home to glory. None of us can chose our time to go, either at the Rapture or at death.

• For to me, to live is Christ – Paul chose to live Christ and to live for Christ every day and in every way. His life was content with what he had, where he was, and what he was doing to further the kingdom of God. He wrote to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Paul’s priority was living for and serving Christ. This should be our priority as well. Most of us are not in full time ministry as Paul was, but there are so many ways to serve the Lord and live for him at work, at school, at home, out doing errands, or wherever we are. “To live is Christ,” is not just a motto but a lifestyle.

• And to die is gain – There are so many wonderful things about heaven as mentioned in the Scriptures, but the greatest of all is being with Jesus forever. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, Paul describes his experience of being caught up into the third heaven, into Paradise. We don’t know how long he was there or when this took place, but it was enough to make him long to go there permanently. To him, death was really a gain.

Thus, to live is Christ and to die is gain. We win both ways. Our time on earth is so short compared to our life in heaven which is forever. We must live now for the Lord freely, fully, and fore mostly. We must choose to rejoice in Christ in our circumstances and live victorious lives. Opportunities to serve the Lord abound everywhere on a daily basis. Let us tell the Lord, “Here I am Lord, use me today to be a blessing.”

Have a blessed day living for Jesus and serving Him. Stay safe and healthy.

-August 17, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Glory In The Lord In Everything-

“But ‘he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’ For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”

(2 Corinthians 10:17-18).

In Paul’s day he encountered many false teachers who whose doctrine was false and lifestyle was just as bad. They boasted in themselves and their accomplishments. They weren’t glorying in God but in themselves. They didn’t consider Paul to be an apostle and attacked him every chance they had.

Paul could have become so consumed with defending himself from their assaults that he didn’t get anything done for Christ. He chose rather to preach the gospel and teach the Word. He sought to build up, they were trying to tear down. Paul quotes from the prophet Jeremiah, who himself had many enemies because of his strong stand for the Lord and against the evil that was going on around him.

Jeremiah wrote, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the mighty man in his might, nor the rich man in his riches; But him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For I delight in these things.’”

So often man robs God of His glory by taking credit for what God has done. As believers we must remember God gave us our talents, skills, abilities, and gifts. He enables us to accomplish our jobs, tasks, and ministries. He brings forth the results. Thus, we need to be humble and give God all the glory. We are so blessed to know the Lord, live for Him, and serve Him.

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.” We can’t do some things without the Lord, but absolutely nothing. On the other hand, with Him and in His will, with can do all things. Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

It is not all about us, but all about Christ. It isn’t a matter of commending ourselves but whether He commends us. So many spend their lives trying to please others instead of seeking to please God. His opinion of us is what really counts. May the Lord help us glory in Him and strive to please Him in all things.

Have a blessed day abiding in Christ and giving Him all the glory for everything we have and accomplish. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 16, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Cleansing Ourselves From The Filth Of This World-

“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

(1 Corinthians 7:1).

There has been no change in the heart of man or in this world since the fall to the present days. There is moral defilement everywhere. We saw it in the days of Noah, in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, and in the days of the Roman Empire, and everywhere in between.

As believers saved by the grace of God, we are called to a life of personal holiness. There are two aspects we must be concerned about: being separated from the world and being set apart for the Lord. These two things go together as one. The Greek word hagios is translated as holy, separated, sanctified, and holiness.

When Paul writes of “having these promises,” he is referring back to 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. God has promised us that He is our Father, we are His children, and He dwells with us and is with us.

It is our responsibility to cleanse ourselves from the spiritual, moral, and physical filthiness of the world. We are constantly being bombarded with evil on TV, radio, the internet, movies, magazines, and other worldly things around us. We as believers have two natures, the old sinful nature with a propensity to sin, and a new nature with a propensity to righteousness and holiness. The Holy Spirit dwells within us and guides us, convicts us, and helps us to be victorious.

There are things we must do to avoid the filth of the flesh and spirit. We must be wise in what we are involved with and who we are involved with. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness.”

Paul then tells us what we are to do: “perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” This is the aspect of being set apart for the Lord. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” The Holy Spirit uses the Holy Scriptures, to make us His holy vessels.

Being holy covers our thoughts, words, and actions. It starts in the inside and affects us on the outside. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their obsessive concern for the outward appearance without the inward reality. It is not easy being holy in an unholy world. We must say no to the world and yes to Christ. It will not make us popular but we will be pleasing to God.

May the Lord help us to be in prayer and in the Word daily, making good choices, associating with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and witnessing and testifying to the unsaved. People are watching our lives and listening to our words. They need to see a difference in how we live.

Have a blessed day walking in holiness with the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 15, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Jesus Died And Rose To Save Us And Make Us His People To Live For Him-

“If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

(Romans 14:8).

When Jesus was born into this world, He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He fulfilled the Scriptures perfectly and died on the cross for our sins and rose again. By receiving Him as our Lord and Savior, we made alive together with Him. He bought us with His own precious blood. Our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life.

We are no longer under Satan’s control, sin’s control, or the flesh’s control. We now belong to Jesus. We now live to the Lord and die to the Lord. For the believer, the fear of death is gone. We know that when we die, we will go to be with the Lord forever. If the Rapture happens before we die, we will go up to heaven without dying. Either way we we will be the Lord.

Our mission in life is to live for the Lord. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” We have much to do for the Lord, and the time is short. Each day we have life, we have the blessed privilege to live for Christ and to serve Him. None us of us knows when our time will come to leave this world and go to be with the Lord.

Let us live for the Lord fully and serve Him completely, one day at a time. We represent our Savior in this lost, dark, and sinful world. We are ambassadors for Christ, lights shining in the darkness, servants of the most high God. We must always live for the Lord and not for ourselves. Our greatest joy is to be pleasing to Him.

Have a blessed day living for and serving Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 14, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

(Revelation 3:19-20).

In the book of Revelation, there are seven churches. Each one existed in John’s day. These seven churches also represent the various times in the history of the church. The Apostle John wrote this book along with the Gospel of God, and three letters, first, second, and third John.

When John was old and banished to the island of Patmos for his faith in Jesus Christ, he wrote the Revelation of Jesus Christ. At this time, the apostle received a direct revelation from our Savior. Revelation 1:19 says, “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.”

The Seven churches are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The Lord Jesus speaks with specific words for each one. They are found in Revelation 2 and 3. Today’s text is directed to the last of the seven churches, Laodicea. The faithful church Philadelphia exists side by side with the lukewarm church Laodicea.

The message to Laodicea is to be zealous and repent. Our Lord rebuked them for being lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, and for being proud and self-reliant. He described their spiritual condition as saying that “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.” It is a sad and dangerous thing when those who name the name of Christ have this disposition. The opposite was really true, Jesus called them “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”

We as believers today need to walk closely with Lord, depend fully on Him, obey His Word, and show His light and love in this the dark, sinful world. We must be on guard against spiritual pride and the feelings of superiority over others. Verse 20 is so often applied to the gospel to the unsaved, and it is applicable to that purpose, but it is written to those religious people who the name of Christ but do not follow His teachings or walk in His ways. Their religion is stiff, stale, and off track.

Jesus stands and the door and patiently knocks at one’s heart, seeking to come in and have fellowship. The door knob of the heart is not on the outside but on the inside, He will never force His way in. He has given each person a choice to receive Him as Lord and Savior and give over the controls of one’s heart to Him. My heart, your heart is a throne. There is only room for one to sit on that throne, Jesus or you and me.

In our world today, so many think they are so intelligent, educated, talented, and self-sufficient that they do not need Jesus. They feel they can make their own decisions, control their own destinies. They are on a path that leads to death and destruction. We need Jesus! We need Him to be in control, to guide us, direct us, and help us. We cannot make it on our own! When we open our hearts to Him, He will lead us in the right way, the straight and narrow way that leads to everlasting life. We must choose to open our lives to Him, fully and completely. He will only reign over surrendered hearts.

Have a blessed day of inviting Jesus into your life and giving Him full control. He is patiently knocking. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean