Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 21, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-It Is Better To Give Than To Receive-

“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

(Acts 20:35).

Paul spent three years preaching and teaching the Word in Ephesus. He established a strong and effective church. His protege Timothy later served in Ephesus for many years. Acts 20:17-38 represent Paul’s last words to the elders at Ephesus before he left them. There is no record he ever returned there again.

Paul was a tremendous example to the saints and leaders in Ephesus. In his final words he mentions that he served the Lord in humility with tears and trials, kept back nothing that was helpful, taught the Word publicly and from house to house, testified to both Jews and Gentiles, did not shun to proclaim the whole counsel of God, did not covet anyone’s silver or gold, and worked to support himself and those who served with him. What a life he lived with such dedication, commitment, devotion, and sacrifice.

We as believers today, like those in Ephesus, and throughout the ancient world, have quite an example to follow in Paul. He also warned the elders that after His departure, false teachers will come in and they must be ready to defend the faith, standing on the Word of God. He exhorts them to do two important things: support the weak and remember Jesus’ words that it is better to give than to receive.

• You must support the weak – Paul uses his example for them to follow, “I have shown in every way, by laboring like this, you must support the weak.” Weakness among God’s people can be in various forms: spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, financially, or materially. Paul wrote in Romans 14:1-2, “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one who believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.” He also said in Romans 14:5, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike.”

The devil always tries his utmost to divide Christians. We have different controversial issues today such as whether to drink wine or not; and since the pandemic, to wear masks or not, and whether to be vaccinated or not. Love should always prevail. Romans 13:8 says, “Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore Love is the fulfillment of the law.”

• Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is better to give than to receive.’ – These beautiful words of Christ are not found anywhere in the four gospels. Paul said that Jesus said them, and obviously they were widely known by those who were alive in the days of Christ. The last verse in the Gospel of John says, “And there also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world could not contain the books that would be written. Amen” (John 21:25).

This principle of giving and receiving is so important in Christianity. Jesus is not denigrating receiving but is exalting giving as being more blessed. We know this from many Scriptures as well as from our personal experience. It feels to good to give to others in need. Jesus taught a lot about giving. When we open our hearts and our pocket books, there is no end to all the blessings that will result. The Christian life is all about giving. Sometimes it hard for us to receive. Whenever there is giving in love, there should also be receiving with thanksgiving. Receivers must let givers get their blessing of giving. One day, givers will become receivers, and receivers will one day have their opportunities to be givers.

May the Lord help us to support the weak, show love and patience; and to remember it is more blessed to give than to receive. This will help us all to live in unity, love, and fellowship.

Have a blessed day supporting and giving to those in Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-July 20, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Walking In The Light As Jesus Is In The Light-

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

(John 1:7).

The Apostle John wrote five books in the NT: the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation. He is affectionately known as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” Jesus loved each of His disciples, but the relationship He had with John was the closest. John reclined on Jesus’ bosom.

In 1 John, he describes God as the God of light, love, and life. He wrote in 1 John 1:5, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.” The other John, John the Baptist came to bear witness of Jesus. John 1:6-8 says, “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of this Light, that all through Him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.”

Jesus said in John 8:12, “…I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” The moment we get saved, we are called out of darkness into His marvelous light. Paul wrote, “Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:12).

Now that we are saved, we are children of light who walk in the light as He is in the light. We, like John the Baptist, bear witness of Christ, the true Light of the world. Jesus told His disciples whom He sent out into the world, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

In is a great privilege and huge responsibility to walk in the light as children of light, bearing the light, and pointing others to Jesus. Jesus is like the sun and we are like the moon. The sun shines on the moon and gives it its light. Without the sun, the moon is completely dark. Sin is the only thing that can affect us from walking in the light. When we sin, we must confess it and ask for God’s forgiveness. This restores our fellowship with God so we can continue walking in the light. When we sin as believers, we do not lose our salvation, but our closeness to the Lord. This is why John wrote in 1 John 1:6, “If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” Our sin not only affects our fellowship with God, it also affects our fellowship with one another. That is why we can rejoice “that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

If you have ever been to a Christian concert or large gathering at a football stadium, and they turn all the lights off, and each Christian holds a candle, you know how awesome that is! Each of us is a light in this world for Christ. The song writer wrote, “This little of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

Let us never underestimate our lights. We may just be one person in this dark world, but when we shine our light for Jesus, He can use us to light the whole world. May we walk in the light as our Savior is in the light; we will have fellowship with the Father and Son through the Holy Spirit, and with one another.

Have a blessed day walking in the light as children of light, pointing people to Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-July 19, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Claiming God’s Promises In Difficult Times-

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

(Isaiah 41:10).

Today’s verse is one of the most encouraging and inspiring in the whole Bible. It gives us such hope. It is one of my favorite verses. There are five promises in this verse given by the Lord to us His people. The Lord has told us two vital things: “fear not,” and “be not dismayed.” Only the Lord can tell us this and we can have perfect confidence and assurance in Him.

The Lord not only assures us, but He gives five reasons why we should have peace in the midst of such hard times. These reasons are in the form of five promises backed by God. We find a plethora of promises throughout the Bible and we can claim each one of them. God always fulfills His promises.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:18-20, “But God is faithful, our word to you was not yes and no. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us — by me, Silvanus, and Timothy — was not yes and no, but in Him was yes. For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him are amen, to the glory of God through us.” For every problem, there is a promise, for every trouble, there is a promise, and for every need, there is a promise.

1- I am with you – What better reason not to fear and be dismayed, than having the Lord with us. He promises us in Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

2- I am your God – The Lord Jesus Christ is our personal Lord and Savior. He indwells us through the Holy Spirit. He calls us by name and knows each one of us inside and out. He loves us so much and cares for us.

3- I will strengthen you – What confidence this brings us when we face incredible difficulties, sorrows, and losses. God strengthens us spirit, soul, and body. The Lord said to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect through weakness.”

4- Yes I will help you – The Lord never turns away from our cries for help. He is never too busy to rescue us in difficult circumstances. When Peter was about to sink in the Sea of Galilee, he prayed a short, urgent prayer to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” The Lord reached out His hand and caught Him, and the wind ceased. We need the Lord’s help daily.

5- I will uphold you with My righteous right hand – There is nothing stronger than God’s right hand. The song is so encouraging, “He’s got you and me brother, in His hands, He’s got you and me sister, in His hands, He’s got you in me brother in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands.”

May the Lord encourage us today that He is with us, He is our God, He strengthens us, helps us, and upholds us. We need not fear, when Jesus is near.

Have a blessed day trusting in the Lord no matter what you are going through. He is always there for us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-July 18, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Learning The Ways, Will, And Word Of The Lord-

“Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on you I wait all the day.”

(Psalm 25:4-5).

David, the writer of Psalm 25, was a student of the Lord. God Himself was his teacher; He learned the ways, paths, and truth of the Lord. He was humble and never stopped learning. He did not just know of the Lord or about the Lord, He knew the Lord in a close and personal way.

For us to grow in Christ, we must learn from Him through the Holy Spirit. We should always be like sponges soaking up the water of life, which is the Word of God. The world is our classroom, the Bible is our curriculum, and the Holy Spirit is our teacher. It is a school we will never graduate from until we enter heaven.

There are three things we must learn to be successful and be good students: God’s ways, paths, and truth. God does not grade us on a curve, and allows us to learn at our own pace to ensure we are grasping it and practicing it. He tests us to make sure we have learned and are growing in our lives. These tests come in the form of trials.

• God’s ways – God is a consistent teacher who never changes, just as His Word never changes. God’s ways are how He works in our lives. His principles of faith, obedience, and trust are essential to our growth and development. He is not mysterious in revealing His ways to us. We just need to obey His commands, follow His principles, and claim His promises.

• God’s paths – This speaks of God’s will for our lives. When we pray we should ask that we may walk in His paths and be on God’s plan. We get into so much trouble when we do our own will. It is said that about 90% of God’s will for our lives is already revealed in His Word; the other 10% relates to our specific situations, just as what job to accept, who to marry, what church to attend, which ministries to be involved in, and other things He wants us to do. We need to seek God’s will and do it.

• God’s truth – God leads us in His truth; to be truthful and stand on His truth is so vital. Our word should be our bond; if we make a promise or commitment, we should do it. The truth never changes, lies always change. When we tell the truth, we do not have to cover ourselves with one lie after another and remember who we said what to.

Let us go then go forward today, learning God’s ways, paths, and truth. The Lord is our teacher, we are His disciples; He is our Lord and we are His followers. School is in session year round. Let us wait on the Lord all the day. How are you doing in class today?

Have a blessed day in God’s School, learning, following, and doing His will. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-July 17, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-The Gospel Is The Power Of God To Change Lives-

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

(Romans 1:16).

Everywhere Paul went he preached the gospel, the good news, to the Jews and to the Gentiles. The man who once severely persecuted Christians became the greatest preacher of the gospel. He wrote to the Romans, “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and unwise” Romans 1:14). His mission was the Great Commission.

Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. The Lord Jesus sent His followers into the world to spread the message of salvation to everyone. Jesus said in Mark 16:15-16, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

The message of the gospel has never been popular among the masses, not because it does not work to change lives, but because people would rather continue in their sins, follow their own path in life, and believe that they can get to heaven by good work. One must see their need in order to be saved, repent of their sins, and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

As a result of Paul’s preaching, he was imprisoned and then executed for his faith. Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He knew that the gospel was the power of God to salvation. The word power here in our text is Greek word dunamis, from which we get our English word dynamite. Only Christ can save a person and change their lives for now and for all eternity.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” For those of us who have been saved, we can attest to the great change He has made in our lives. We have experienced the new birth, to live a new life, and to have a new nature. Our sins are forgiven, we have eternal life, and will go to be with the Lord in heaven forever. The gospel is the cure for our sins. It is the spiritual vaccine that is 100% effective.

The gospel is still being preached today all over the world. Souls are still being saved and lives are still being changed. God uses us to share the message with those who are unsaved with a sense of urgency and a heart of love. The gospel is the best and most important news in the world. Let us proclaim it.

Have a blessed day sharing the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. God will do His work to save souls. Stay save and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean