Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-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

-July 31, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-God’s Invitation For Man’s Salvation –

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe on His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

(John 1:12-13).

When you plan an event, you want everyone to come. You carefully prepare all the details from the food, drink, and schedule. You send out an RSVP to all those invited. Usually, you are limited by space and or money who you can invite. If some can’t come, you invite others.

God devised His plan of salvation even before He created the world and well before man sinned. In God’s plan, He planned to send His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of every person. He invites everyone to accept His offer of salvation, not just a few.

William R. Newell in His beautiful hymn, “At Calvary,” wrote, “O the love that drew salvation’s plan! O the grace that brought it down to man! O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary.” Only God could devise such a great plan of salvation!

But sadly, so few take advantage of God’s offer of salvation, though it is free, and they would need to believe and receive the gift of eternal life. John 1:10-11 says, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” Praise God for words of our text, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” God in righteousness and justice could have let us go our own way in sin and be lost forever but He loved us too much to do that.

It definitely saddens the heart of God when men and women reject Him and His offer of eternal life and forgiveness. On the other hand, there is great joy in heaven when one soul is saved. In Luke 15, Jesus told three parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost or prodigal son. Luke 15:10 says, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The new birth that Jesus told Nicodemus about in John chapter 3 shows that salvation is completely from God. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” To receive Christ one must repent of his sins, believe that Jesus died for him on the cross and rose again, and receive Him as his Lord and Savior.

When one is born again, it is “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” God will never force anyone to believe and receive His offer of salvation. Each person must make his or her own decision. What will you choose? It is a life or death choice: to be with Christ in heaven forever or to be lost in hell forever.

Have a blessed day rejoicing in Christ for a wonderful salvation. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-July 30, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Lead Us To The Rock That Is Higher-

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

(Psalm 61:2).

David is the author of Psalm 61. The title of this psalm is, “Assurance of God’s Protection.” It is so encouraging and uplifting. He uses such words as rock (v.2), shelter (vs. 3-4), strong tower (v.3), tabernacle (v.4), and wings (v.4). All of these words speak of God’s strong help and protection in our lives.

Today’s verse speaks of Jesus, our Rock. He is no small stone but a great boulder; He is the Rock of our salvation. In science, it is often said “the irresistible force meets the immovable object.” There are many irresistible forces in this world that come against us us daily, but none can get by our rock. David calls on the Lord from the ends of the earth when his heart is overwhelmed.

The word overwhelm is defined as, “bury or drown beneath a huge mass; defeat completely.” This is how David felt under the immense weight of his circumstances. He knew that going to the Lord for help was his only hope. Psalm 62:5-7 says, “He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.”

We face many troubles and struggles in this world, which seem overwhelming to us. This why we can and must run to the Rock which is higher than us. The Lord does not always deliver us from our pain, sorrow, loss, illness, injury, or trouble, illness, He is always with us in them to bring us through them. God has done both for me at various times in my life. Just yesterday I was involved in a car accident on the freeway where a car hit quite hard from the rear. My car was badly damaged but I was not hurt. The angels of God protected me. Cars are things that can be repaired or replaced; people cannot be.

Our prayer, like David’s is, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” David wrote in Psalm 60:11, “Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless.” Let is not be overwhelmed by our troubles but be overcomers through Jesus Christ our Lord.

There is a beautiful hymn, “Jesus Never Fails,” written by Arthur A. Luther that says, “In life’s dark and bitter hour love will still prevail; Trust His everlasting power — Jesus will not fail. Jesus never fails, Jesus never fails; Heaven and earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails.” Let us come to Him our rock for His providence. He is the Rock that is higher than us, the immovable object of our faith.

In His grace,

Dean