Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 5, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-God Daily Loads Us With Benefits-

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Our God is the God of our salvation! And to God belong the escapes from death.”

(Psalm 68:19-20).

David, the writer of Psalm 68, experienced God’s goodness and generosity on a daily basis. Despite this he also went through many troubles and trials. God knows the exact combination of blessings and trials we need to grow and be encouraged. If we had all blessings and no trials, we would become lax, self-sufficient, and we not grow. If, on the other hand, we had all trials and no blessings, we would be overwhelmed.

David blesses the Lord. David thanked the Lord for everything, great or small; good or bad; easy or hard. We should follow his example. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:20, “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Everything we experience has a purpose, though we may not see it at first. Even in the toughest times we can find something to thank God for.

Our generous Heavenly Father has given and will give so many benefits and blessings. They are too many to count! David says that He daily loads us with benefits. Psalm 103:1-2 tells us, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”

When Joseph told his brothers to bring his father Jacob to Egypt, Pharaoh sent carts full of food and supplies to sustain him and the rest of his family for the journey and for them to ride on. The Lord always provides all we need and more for our journey through this world. God knows what we need even before we ask Him.

We are so blessed and we should be so thankful. We should never take the blessings without thanking the Blesser. If we can thank God for the little, we can thank Him for the much; but if we cannot thank Him for the little, we won’t be able to thank Him for the much. God’s blessings are everywhere around. Though He loads us with so many benefits and blessings, we can consider them, carry them, and count them.

David also mentions his escapes from death. Through his life, God protected his life from lions and bears, from Saul and Absalom, and from all his enemies. I know of times when when protected me from death, and there are plenty of other times I do not known about but will learn of them in heaven. God goes before us, He goes with us, and He is for us.

Blessings are benefits as are trials. Let us praise and thank Him for all our daily benefits, all the good things we have in Christ. Often trials are blessings in disguise. The singer and song writer Laura story wrote and sang, “‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops, what if your healing comes through tears, what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near? What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?”

Have a blessed day thanking God for every blessing that He showers upon us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 4, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-God Is Our Strength And Portion Forever-

“My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

(Psalm 73:26).

Psalm 73 is a psalm of Asaph. Asaph was a Levite, the leader of the singers who sang songs of praise to God. He is said to be either the author or transcriber of twelve psalms: Psalms 50, and 73-83. The church musicians we have today are like the spiritual children of Asaph.

In Psalm 73, the writer finds himself in the mire of faulty thinking of how the wicked prosper. It isn’t until verse 17, when he says, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.” After this point he realizes how blessed he is to have the Lord and a personal relationship with Him. The last verses of this psalm, 23-28, describe how blessed he was. It is easy for us to see so many of the unsaved around us prospering. They are rich, successful, healthy, and seemingly happy. But that is the fallacy of it all: they aren’t happy at all. So many of the so called movers and shakers in this world are empty inside, have no peace, and are searching for fulfillment. They will never find it outside of Christ.

Today’s verse tells us, “My flesh and my heart fail…” There are times when we get discouraged spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. We even get tired, exhausted, and drained under the weight of the this world. Psalm 84:2 says, “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” It is at these times we need the Lord the most.

In the latter part of our verse, the psalmist states the clear contrast, …but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” When we spend time with the Lord in the Word and in prayer, He gives us the right perspective and the strength to carry on. God is our portion forever. Every believer has all of Him, all His promises, and all His blessings. Proverbs 10:22 says, “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.”

Sometimes we need to take a step back, and count our blessings in order to appreciate all that we have in Christ. We are so richly blessed. Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!”

Let us rejoice that God is our strength to face whatever comes our way; and He is our portion for each and every day. May we turn our eyes on Jesus. The hymn writer Helen H. Kennel expressed it well, “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.”

Have a blessed day walking with Jesus, in His strength and favor. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 3, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-God Sees And Values The Heart-

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

When God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint King Saul’s successor, He sent him to Bethlehem to Jesse to choose one of his eight sons. One by one, they passed before Samuel, and one by one God rejected the first seven. There was one left, the youngest, David, a shepherd boy who was out in the fields caring for the sheep. As soon as he came in, God revealed His choice of David.

1 Samuel 16:12 says of David, “So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good looking. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, and anoint him; he is the one!’” David was short, and not impressive from a physical standpoint. Throughout Scripture, the ones God chose to use were not the most gifted, talented, educated, or impressive in the eyes of man. Someone once said, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”

God does not see or value what man sees or values, for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart; man only values the present, God sees the future potential. God looks at our hearts, our character, and how He can teach and train us, so that He can fill us and use us for His glory. God uses those who are humble, with a contrite and willing heart, and are completely dependent on Him. Thus, all the glory goes to God.

The Olympics are going on in Tokyo, Japan. Many of the greatest young athletes in the world are competing for their country and for themselves. The Olympic motto is, “Faster, stronger, higher.” These great athletes are so physically impressive. In a few days after the Olympics end, they will hold the Paralympics at the same site.

To me, these physically challenged athletes have even more courage, grit, and determination than those whom we are watching right now; their life stories are even more impressive. They are well worth watching.

Only God can see the heart, the true man or woman. David is called, “A man after God’s own heart.” The hymn writer Mary E. Maxwell wrote, “How I praise Thee, precious Savior, that Thy love laid hold of me; Thou has saved and cleansed and filled me that I might Thy channel be. Channels only, blessed Master, but with all Thy wondrous pow’r flowing through us, Thou canst use use us every day and every hour.”

Let us then be those who hearts are fully surrendered, committed, and dedicated to our Lord Jesus Christ. We may not be the most impressive in the eyes of the world, but we will be in the eyes of God.

Have a blessed day serving the Lord with all your heart and pleasing Him. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 2, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Be Doers of the Word Not Just Hearers-

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).

James, the half brother of Jesus, became a great teacher of the Word and leader in the early church. His writings are practical, convicting, and encouraging to every believer in Christ. He told like it is, and held nothing back. In our society today, he would be considered opinionated and not politically corrected. We need more men and women like James today!

James describes two types of people in the church: hearers and doers. The former come to church, hear the messages, read their Bibles, but make little progress in their relationship with Christ. They hear the Word but don’t obey it and practice it. They have big ears but small feet, meaning they don’t put it to use in their lives. It goes in one ear and out the next. The Word doesn’t reach the heart nor the feet. They are undersized underachievers.

Those who are doers of the Word are the opposite. They hear the Word, take it to heart, obey it, apply it to their lives, and use it to help others. This is what we should all must strive for daily: to be sponges of the Scriptures, absorbing the truth and using the water of the Word to refresh others. The late preacher and teacher J. Vernon McGee used to say, “this is where the rubber meets the road.”

Experts on communication and education tell us that you don’t really learn something until you practice it and are able to explain to others so they can understand it and do the same thing. Are you merely a hearer of the Word or are you a doer?

May the Lord convict us and challenge us in our walk with Christ. We can only fully grow to full maturity if we are doers of the Word. The Word we must ascertain, the Word in our hearts must remain, and the Word we hear we must retain. When we do, we will be effectual doers not just forgetful hearers.

Have a blessed day putting the Word into practice. Let’s be doers not just hearers. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-August 1, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-The Lord Is Our Hiding Place-

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:114).

“You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7).

It is so awesome to know that the Lord Himself is our hiding place. As kids many of us had secret hiding places we could go to, either by ourselves or with close friends. As we grow up, we longer have them; but we still have close friends that comfort and encourage us in difficult times. The Lord has called His friends and wants us to flee to Him our hiding place.

When we come before the Lord in prayer and seek His Word, we find comfort in the uncomfortable, strength in our weakness, and encouragement in our fear. All the world may seem against us, but we know that God is for us. David wrote, “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” We do not see the Lord with our physical eyes, but we do by the eyes of faith.

In the days of the prophet Elisha, the Syrians surrounded the city of Dothan where Elisha was staying. They sought to kill him because he kept revealing their battle plans to the king of Israel. When his servant saw the vast army approaching, he cried our to Elisha, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. At Elisha’s request, the Lord struck the whole Syrian army with blindness and Elisha led them to the king of Israel in Samaria.

The Lord surrounds us and preserves us today. He is our hiding place. We can face the most difficult trials and troubles knowing the Lord is with us to help us. There is a beautiful song by Selah that says, “You are my hiding place, You always fill my heart, with songs of deliverance whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. I will trust in You, let the weak say I am strong, in the strength of the Lord.”

May we turn to the Lord as our hiding place, then there is nothing we cannot face. There is no need to fear or be troubled, our Savior guides us through the night with His light, He gives us strength for every fight, so that we can walk by faith and not by sight.

Have a blessed day clinging to the Lord our hiding place. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean