Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-June 29, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-God Perfects His Plan For Our Lives-

“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”

(Psalm 138:8).

God’s plan for our lives began even before the foundation of the world. He knew everything about us even before we were born. He knew we would be saved and be His children. This what the Bible calls God’s foreknowledge. Romans 8:29 says, “Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that we might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

God’s goal for us is to be like Jesus; His plan for us is working toward that end. Therefore all the trials we go through, all the difficulties, sorrows, miracles, and blessings are for our growth. God has begun His work in us and will perfect it. The word perfect means to complete it. David says, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.” Nothing happens to us by accident or by chance.

The Apostle Paul wrote a similar message in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Each of us is a masterpiece that God is working on until we go to be with the Lord. There are two things we must remember: He is not finished you yet and He is not finished with me yet. We must be patient with each other and with ourselves. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.

It is essential that we follow God’s plan, surrender fully to His will, and obey Him on a daily basis. We may not understand what God is doing, but we know that He is working on us. He is the Potter and we are the clay. The clay cannot say to the potter, “Why have you made me this way?”

We all look forward to the day we will be fully like Christ. 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” The hymn writer John Darby wrote, “And is it so—I shall be like Thy Son? Is this the grace which He for me has won? Father of glory, (thought beyond all thought!)—In glory, to His own blest likeness brought!”

May the Lord help us to say with David, “Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” We are the works of His hands, His special treasure. We are each unique, made just as God wanted us to be.

Have a blessed day in God’s plan. God is in the process of conforming us into the image of Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 28, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-The Character Of The Godly Person-

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.”

(Job 1:1).

The book of Job is one the oldest books in the Bible. Job lived during the time period of the book of Genesis; Job was a contemporary of Abraham. Job suffered so many difficult trials and God saw him through all of them and his end was better than his beginning. The theme of the book of Job is, “Why do the righteous or godly suffer?

Job was a man of faith who was targeted by Satan. God allowed these great trials and losses to build his faith and help him recognize his weaknesses and also God’s greatness and sovereignty. James 5:11-12 says, “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”

Job’s character was outstanding. He was blameless and upright, he feared God and shunned evil. He was such a godly man that God bragged about him to Satan. God included him, along with Noah and Daniel in his big three. When He was about to punish Israel for their sin and send them into captivity, He said in Ezekiel 14:14, ‘“ Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,’ says the Lord God.”

• He was blameless – Being blameless does not mean sinless. It has to do with a person’s outward life. There is nothing one can point to or find fault. He was still a sinner with a sinful nature like all of us. Psalm 119:80 says, “Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, that I may not be ashamed.” The early Christians were blameless before God and men, yet Nero blamed them for the problems of Rome and put them to death in huge numbers.

• He was upright – This means he was righteous, he was right with God, and he did was was right in God’s sight. In the Scriptures, especially the OT, believers are called the upright or the righteous. They obeyed and followed the Word of God, walking in His ways. Psalm 32:11 says, “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.”

• He feared God – This means he reverenced God, honored, and pleased Him. The attitude of heart guided the actions of his life. The term, “the fear of the Lord,” is found throughout the Bible. When we fear God, we live lives as if the Lord was right there with us, which He is. It says in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

• He shunned evil – This means he hated evil and avoided it in his life and led his family in God’s ways. After his sons and daughters feasted together, he would sanctity them and offer sacrifices for them in case they sinned and cursed God in their hearts. He separated himself from the world and was set apart for the Lord. He lived his life on a higher plane. Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

May the Lord help us to live this way all through our lives. Let us be blameless, upright, fearing God, and shunning evil. Like Job, we will experience trials of various kinds. It is so important to examine our hearts and ask God what He is teaching us from them. We need the patience of Job daily.

Have a blessed day living godly lives and enduring whatever God allows or sends our way. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 27, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-The Life Worth Living-

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

(Matthew 16:24-25).

Jesus came into this world to die on the cross for our sins. Through faith in Him and His finished work on cross, our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life. He died, He rose from the dead, and He ascended back to heaven.

The Christian life just begins at salvation. Just as salvation is a choice to receive Christ, following Him, living for Him and serving Him is also a decision we must make. The life of a disciple of Christ is one of self sacrifice, commitment, and dedication to our Lord and Savior. Through the gospels, Jesus calls His followers to this life that is worth living. He will never force us to come after Him, but He desires that we desire it. Jesus never promised an easy life, but an abundant and fulfilled life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

This more abundant life involves denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. There are no halfway disciples, we must go all the way. Denying ourselves, is to give up our own will, plans, and desires to follow Christ; to take up our cross, is to identify ourselves with Christ and His kingdom; and to follow Christ, is to do His will and serve Him, no turning back. This is the only life worth living.

Our Savior makes it abundantly clear that if we seek to save our lives, we will lose them. In thinking to live for ourselves, please ourselves, and seek an easy life life will never work. On the other hand, when we lose our lives, that is give up our personal desires and plans in order to live for Christ and serve Him, we will really save them.

Will you choose to come after Christ, take up your cross, and follow Him? It is really the only life worth living for and dying for. The apostles and the early Christians lived this way and they turned the world upside down!

We can do the same today we must be all in. It is the difference between sticking our toes in the water verses diving in. My Bible teacher Bill MacDonald commented on verse 25, “The Lord anticipates two hindrances to discipleship. The first is the natural temptation to save oneself from discomfort, pain, loneliness, and loss. The other is to become wealthy. As to the first, Jesus warned that those who hug their lives for selfish purposes would never find fulfillment; those who recklessly abandon their lives to Him, not counting the cost, would find the reason for their existence.”

Have a blessed day following Christ in full commitment today. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 26, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Love Your Neighbor As Yourself-

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

(Leviticus 19:18).

When Jesus was asked by one of the lawyers which was the greatest commandment, He replied in Matthew 22:37-40, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these hang all the Law and the Prophets.” These come from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

When you think about it, all the commandments, which are so many in the OT, can be boiled down to these two: to love God and one’s neighbor. Even the Ten Commandments fit into these two great commandments. Today’s verse is the second greatest commandment. It is so important how that we treat each other with love.

If we practice these two commandments, we would get along together so much better. Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan as a lesson on how to love one’s neighbor. Helping others in need is love in action. The old expression is so true, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

If we would just think of every person we meet as a friend and a neighbor, how much better would we get along! There is far too much selfishness and self seeking in this world. Jesus taught us to love one another and think of others as more important than ourselves. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

May the Lord help us to love each other as we love ourselves. It is especially challenging considering that none of us are perfect. There is no room for vengeance or the holding of grudges. Our love for others is based on God’s love for us. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Have a blessed day loving neighbors, friends, family, and our brothers and sisters in Christ as ourselves and as Christ loves us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 25, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-It Is Clear That God Is Near-

“‘Am I not near at hand,’ says the Lord, ‘and not a God afar off?’ Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?’ says the Lord; ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the Lord.”

(Jeremiah 23:23-24).

Three times it says in today’s text, we read the words, “says the Lord.” The Bible is the only holy book that has God speaking in the first first person. Here God asks a series of questions about where He is and what He sees. God is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere present.

For those who are saved, it is a blessing that God is near, and that He sees and ears everything we do and say. For those who reject Christ and do not believe, it is most uncomfortable. This contrast is shown in John 3:19-21, “And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

It is interesting to note how people have been trying to hide their sins ever since the days of Adam and Eve. After they had sinned against God, they hid themselves among the trees of the garden and covered their nakedness with fig leaves. God provided them with animal skins for their covering. He this instituted the blood sacrifice which carried on until Christ came as the Lamb of God and died in our place on the cross. The sin issue must be dealt with, otherwise people are lost and filled with shame and guilt.

We praise God that by believing in Jesus our sins are forgiven. We no longer do we try to hide ourselves from God and others. We, who were once far from God, have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ. See Ephesians 2:13. James wrote in James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

When people sin, they do it at night under the cloak of darkness. God calls them “secret places.” God sees them, no one can hide their sin from Him. He is everywhere and sees everything. The light of God’s truth is uncomfortable and convicting to those who do not know their Lord. It reminds us of when you pick up a rock, all these little creatures scurry to get back undercover in the darkness.

The same light is inviting to us but is uncomfortable to those in darkness. God is always near to us and guides us by the light of His Word. When we do sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us so that we can confess our sin and be forgiven. John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The nearness of God is our good. He wants the best for us always. May we walk in the light and be pleasing to Him. He promises to be with us always, even to the end of the age.

Have a blessed day and weekend walking with the Lord in the light and drawing near to Him. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean