Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 13, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Saved By Grace, Created For Good Works-

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

(Ephesians 2:9-10).

There is no way verses nine and ten can be separated from one another. We are saved by God’s matchless grace, completely apart from our works. Once we are saved, however, good works follow as a result. Some may ask how our works really work? If our works cannot save us, what role do they have in our lives? Works are the result of the Holy Spirit in dwelling us and empowering us to do good to others in Jesus’ name.

From verse ten we see that God created us in Christ Jesus for good works. Good works demonstrate how God changes our lives from being self oriented to be being Christ and others oriented. Doing good to others flows from our relationship with Christ.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” This is our part to shine the light of Christ in this dark, sinful world. It has such a powerful impact on the unsaved as well as on the saved. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:10, “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” When the opportunity is present, good works should be prevalent.

Christians need to be prepared to do good works to help others. Paul instructed Titus to encourage the saints in Crete, to do good. They were to be, “ready for good works, to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs.” The people of Crete had a very bad reputation for “always being liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons.” They needed Titus to teach them, train them, and prod them. We need the same teaching, training, and prodding today.

May the Lord help us to fulfill our destiny in doing good for others. It will not always be easy since those we do good to don’t always appreciate it. Even if others don’t thank us, Jesus will be glorified and others will be impacted. Doing good is easy to understand, but much harder to do!

Have a blessed day going good for others in Jesus’ name. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 12, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Praising God For His Daily Mercies And Faithfulness-

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.”

(Psalm 89:1).

This psalm was written by a relatively obscure man named Ethan, the Ezrahite. He, like Moses and Solomon wrote just one psalm each. David wrote about half of them, then as we have mentioned before, there were others written by Asaph, the sons of Korah, and a number were written by anonymous writers.

Ethan the Ezrahite was a contemporary of King Solomon. He was a very wise man but he couldn’t compare to Solomon whom God gave tremendous wisdom. 1 Kings 4:29-31, says of Solomon’s wisdom, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand of the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men — than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in the surrounding nations.” Ethan was among the wisest in Israel.

Throughout this beautiful psalm, Ethan, who was one of the singers, praised God in song. My friend at church, Allan and his wife named their son Ethan. The man Ethan Allen was a leading figure in the days of the Revolutionary War. Ethan the Ezrahite was greatly affected by God’s mercies and faithfulness.

• “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever.” – Every day the Lord showers His mercies upon us. Three times Ethan uses the word mercy in this psalm. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” God’s mercy does not give us what we deserve, which is judgment, condemnation, and an eternity in hell because of our sin. He has shown rich and abundant mercy and grace through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross to atone for our sins.

• “With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” – Ethan uses the word faithfulness six times in this psalm. Just as God’s mercies come to us every morning with each new sunrise, so God’s faithfulness is there at the end of the day to remind us of how the Lord has blessed us, helped us, provided for us, and protected us for that day as He always has in the past and always will in the future.

The Lord is so good to us in His mercies and faithfulness. One of the greatest and most consistent geysers in the world is called “Old Faithful,” located near Calistoga, California. In the early days of the National Geographic Society, Old Faithful was declared one of only three “faithful geysers” in the world because of its regular eruptions. God is even more faithful than “Old Faithful.” He never fails in His promises and His continual working in our lives.

Let us praise God for His mercies and faithfulness to us and to all generations. The hymn writer Thomas O. Chisholm wrote, “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father! There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not: as Thou has been Thou forever wilt be. Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. Amen.”

Have a blessed day praising God for His daily mercies and faithfulness. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 11, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-The Word Of God Is Better Than All Riches-

“Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes more than fine gold” (Psalm 119:127)!

“I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies, as much as in all riches” (Psalm 119:14).

Psalm 119 is focused on the Word of God in nearly every one of the 176 verses. Psalms is the longest book of the Bible with 150 chapters, and this psalm is by far the longest in psalms and in the entire Bible. The author of Psalm 119 is unknown, but its effects are well known in the lives of God’s people.

In Bible days as well as today, money and riches are more than commodities, but are hoarded, saved, and loved more than almost anything. The rich want to be richer and the poor want to be rich, and those in the middle strive to gain more and more. You would think that gold, silver, precious jewels, money, and other riches would last forever, but they don’t. When we die we leave it all behind!

Not so with the Word of God, for it lasts forever. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Why is it that people do not put more value in it? The devil causes people to strive after empty and vain things instead of eternal things. The psalmist saw through to the true value of what means the most. He rejoiced in the Word of God and loved all God’s truth more than all the riches of this world.

The hymn writer Rhea F. Miller wrote, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold, I’d rather be His than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands, I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand. Than to be the king of a vast domain or be held by sin’s dread sway; I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.” Having Jesus and His Word is more precious and valuable than all all the riches of this world put together.

May the Word of God be our joy every day and in every way. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path as it says in Psalm 119:105. It is sweeter than honey to the taste as it says in Psalm 119:103. Let us read it, obey it, and apply it to our lives. May we study it, mediate on it, and memorize it. We are the richest people on earth because we have the true riches in Christ.

Have a blessed day loving the Lord and His Word and being guided by it. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 10, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-God Has Our Back-

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

(Psalm 46:1).

Psalm 46 is a psalm of the sons of Korah, who were Levites who served in the tabernacle and later in the temple. There are eleven of these psalms: 42, 44-49, 84, 85, 87, and 88. These beautiful psalms reflect a spirit of thanksgiving and humility before our great and awesome God.

There is a modern expression that certainly fits how God cares for us that says, “You have my back,” meaning that someone is always watching over us. It may be a friend, family member, or fellow believer. Even as loving and conscientious as they may be, they can fail us; God never fails us. This is evidenced by today’s verse: He is our refuge, strength, and help. He has our back always, 24-7, 365.

A refuge is a place of safety, security, and solace that we can flee to or dwell in. God is our refuge. We can come into His presence at anytime we are afraid. He will comfort and encourage us as no one else can.

He is also our strength in our times of weakness, sickness, and injury. We have all experienced times when we thought we could not go on, but the Lord gave us the strength to keep going. Runners have an expression that is called “a second wind.” They start to feel better and can keep on running to the finish line.

God is also our help in times of trouble. He interferes for us and intervenes on our behalf. In the days of the prophet Samuel, he took a stone and named it Ebenezer, meaning “stone of help.” He told the Israelites who faced the Philistines in 1 Samuel 7:12, “…Thus far the Lord has helped us.” God helped them subdue the Philistines and take back the territory they had taken from them.

Thus, God is our constant refuge, strength, and help. He always has our back. He sees what we cannot see, knows what we cannot know, and hears what we cannot hear. Who else is better qualified and able to protect us, guide us, and help us. Even if one doesn’t have anyone in life to have our back, God is always there for us which is far greater than anyone else.

The great hymn writer Isaac Watts wrote, “O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home! Under the shadow of Thy throne still may we dwell secure; sufficient is Thine arm alone, and our defense is sure.”

Have a blessed day turning to the Lord for refuge, strength, and help especially in times of trouble. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 9, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-We Are Very Important To The Lord-

“Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of the them is forgotten before God. But the very number of hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

(Luke 12:6-7).

In Jesus’ day sparrows were among the smallest and least expensive birds. The Jews, especially the poor ones, could afford them to use in their sacrifices. One could buy one for two copper coins. Jesus often used earthly things to teach spiritual lessons. He reminds His listeners that none of these tiny birds are forgotten by God.

If God cares for these tiny sparrows, how much more He cares for us His children? He said, “But the very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” We are His special treasure, His children, His people. We who have believed in Jesus and received Him as Lord and Savior, are precious to Him. He is concerned with what concerns us. If He counts the number of hairs on our heads, He is intimately involved in every area of our lives; from the big things to the small things, yes, in all things.

There are several noteworthy things that the Bible says about God’s care and concern: He writes us on the palms of His hands, He collects our tears in His bottle, He cares for us, He meets our needs, He gives His angels charge concerning us, no good thing will He withhold from us, no weapon can be formed against us, we are the apple of His eye, and He counts the hairs of our heads, just to mention a few.

We should always thank Him for what He has done for us; and not fear worry, or be anxious. The hymn writer Civilla D. Martin wrote, “Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you; beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you. Through toil when your heart doth fail, God will take care of you; when dangers fierce your path assail, God will take of you. All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you; nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you. No matter what may be the test, God will take of you; lean weary one upon His breast, God will take care of you. The chorus says, “God will take care of you, through every day, o’er all the way; He will take care of you, God will take care of you.” He has given us so many great and precious promises.

Let us remember today just how important we are to God. He loves us so much and cares for us more than anything else in His vast universe. What comfort and assurance we have in Him!

Have a blessed day and hold your heads high, we are children of the King. We are so important to Him. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean