Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 1, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Not Thinking Of Ourselves More Highly Than We Should-

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each a measure of faith.”

(Romans 12:3).

For every believer there is a fine balance of how we think of ourselves. On the one hand, we are children and sons of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. We have a very high and blessed position in Christ. On the other hand, we are sinners saved by grace and everything we have has been given to us from above. God’s mercy did not give us what we deserve and His grace gave us what we did not deserve.

It is easy to think of ourselves too highly. Pride is a sin we must always be in guard against. Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another praise you, and not of your own own mouth; a stranger and not your own lips.” Pride comes naturally, humility must be learned. When we think of ourselves too highly, God has a way of bringing down and humbling us.

Paul says we should think soberly. It is so important to put the Lord first, others second, and ourselves last. The acronym J-O-Y has always blessed my heart: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. If we keep this perspective, our lives will be properly balanced. If we don’t, it so easy to get off track and out of focus.

The true measure of a man or woman is: what do they think about God, others, and themselves? Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each of you esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

When we think correctly, we will live correctly. Jesus said in Luke 14:11, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” We have nothing to be proud of, for everything we have is from the Lord and God has used so many people in our lives to get to where we are today. Let us give the Lord all the glory.

Have blessed day putting Jesus first, others second, and ourselves last. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 30, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Chosen Vessels For Jesus-

“But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.’”

(Acts 9:15-16).

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus to the Lord Jesus Christ was one of the most drastic, dramatic, and delightful in the history of the church. While on the way to Damascus, with letters in hand from the chief priests to arrest and bring back believers to Jerusalem. He really believed that He was doing God’s will to quench this new way.

It is amazing how God turned things around so completely that Saul got saved and became the greatest apostle, the Apostle Paul, and servant of Christ. He was the greatest preacher, teacher, missionary, church planter, and leader the church has ever known. The Lord Jesus describes him as, “a chosen vessel.”

Ananias was also chosen to take him in, pray over him, and introduce to the believers in Damascus. It is easy to see why Ananias was skeptical over Saul. How could one who hated Jesus so much and was so against Him, change so radically to be His great proponent? Only the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit can accomplish this!

Paul was a living example of his own words in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” When Christ changes your life, you are never the same again! Before we are saved we are vessels of the devil; after we get saved we are vessels of Christ.

Paul’s mission, like ours today, is to bear the name of Christ. The Lord revealed to Ananias that Paul would, “bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” This is exactly what Paul did for the rest of his life. Nothing could stop him, he was on fire for the Lord until the day he was martyred for the sake of Christ. Acts 9:20 says of him in Damascus, “Immediately he preached the Christ, (or as it can be translated, Jesus the Christ) in the synagogues that He is the Son of God.” So many believers loved Paul, yet many Jews and false teachers hated him.

This brings us to Acts 9:16, “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Vessels of Christ will never be popular among the masses due to their commitment and zeal for Jesus Christ. Jesus warned us that we would be hated as he was hated, and persecuted. Jesus said in Matthew 5:12-13, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Persecution takes many forms from physical abuse to false accusations, put downs, and other harsh treatment.

Paul was a chosen and clean vessel for the Lord. The Lord used him in a mighty way to touch so many lives. The Lord has chosen us also to be his vessels in this world. We are channels through which the Lord works in the power of the Holy Spirit. The hymn writer Mary E. Maxwell wrote, “Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me, a clean vessel in Thy hand; With no pow’r but as Thou givest graciously at Thy command.”

May the Lord use us as His vessels to spread the gospel and teach the Word. We must be emptied of self and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Have a blessed day serving the Lord as His chosen and clean vessels. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-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