Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-June 9, 2021-

Good morning happy, Wednesday,

-Two Ways, Two Destinies-

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

(Matthew 7:13-14).

Jesus’ teaching was very clear and to the point. Today’s verses are part of the Sermon on the Mount. Our Savior speaks of two gates, two ways, and two destinies. The world postulates that there are many ways to heaven, which is absolutely untrue. There are but two ways: God’s way and man’s way. They can also be described as two roads through two gates.

Every person has to make the choice which road or way they will choose. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate.” Every person born into this world is a sinner and is on the broad road that leads to destruction. Anyone who rejects Christ has made their choice to follow that road, enter that gate. Those who choose to not choose are really choosing eternal death in hell. Jesus said, “there are many who go in by it.”

There are so few who choose to receive God’s offer of eternal salvation. To do so, one must see his need of a Savior, acknowledge and confess one’s sins, believe that Jesus died for their sins, and receive Him as their personal Lord and Savior. It is a narrow road through a narrow gate that leads to eternal life. Jesus said, “there are few who find it.” The way is narrow and difficult, because one must humble themselves to follow Jesus.

When God created man, He gave him a free will. God never forces anyone to be saved. He does however desire that every person be saved and spend eternity with Him in heaven. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” To repent is to turn around, away from our sins and toward God. The eternal clock is ticking. We are living in the Age of Grace. For individuals that will end at death or the coming of Christ whichever comes first. There no second chances after that.

The greatest invitation God made to man is found in John 3:16, “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.” Jesus is the one and only way to God and eternal life. In John 14:6, He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Which road are you on? Which gate have you entered? The right choice is to enter the narrow gate and go on the narrow road that leads to eternal life! Man’s way is to reach out to God to do good works and earn his way to heaven. Every religion in the world outside of Christianity believes that. In the Christian faith it is God reaching out to man, having accomplished our salvation on the cross. Man thinks he is ok and deserves God’s favor and to go to heaven. The opposition is really true: no deserves to be saved and go to heaven. Christ died in our place, bearing our sin, to make eternal life possible by His mercy and grace. Mercy means God doesn’t give us what we deserve: eternal death in hell forever; but grace gives us what we do not deserve forgiveness, eternal life in heaven, and all the blessings He has for His children.

Have a blessed day in the narrow road which is difficult with few on it. It is following Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He knows the way because He is the way. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 8, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

Walking In God’s Strength On High Places-

“The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”

(Habakkuk 3:19).

The prophet Habakkuk was one of the minor prophets. He had a burden for his people and cried out against their sin. He prayed for revival. As he concludes his short book of three chapters, he realizes that his strength comes the Lord.

The same is true of us today: our strength comes from the Lord. He writes, “The Lord is my strength.” The word Lord God in the Hebrew is “Jehovah Adonai.” It is the plural of “adon,” meaning Lord, master, or owner. We belong to the Lord. He is our Master, our Lord, our King.

David wrote in Psalm 118:14, “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.” The Lord gives us strength to face all the challenges of life. Things do not always go our way. There are losses, difficulties, sorrows, pains, and trials. In Habakkuk 3:17-18, the prophet rejoiced in the Lord in spite of economic losses: fig trees not blossoming, vines and olives trees being fruitless, fields that are unproductive, and flocks and herds that are cut off and just there any longer. He was not rejoicing in these circumstances but in the Lord. Paul wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Habakkuk rises above his circumstances, as Paul did in his day. He said, “He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” Twice he uses the expression, “He will.” He praises God for His promises.

Mountain deer climb high above the ground. Their feet are especially adept for climbing without slipping. They climb higher and higher. It is the same with us today. The Lord helps us to rise above our circumstances and see things from His prospective. Everything that comes into lives is ordered and allowed by God; He works all things together for our good.

Perhaps you are experiencing some very hard times during this pandemic. We can thank God for His love and care; He has preserved us from death and met our needs through it all. We are walking on our high hills in His strength.

Have a blessed day in God’s strength in your high hills. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 7, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-When We Are Overwhelmed, The Lord Gives Us The Overwhelming Victory-

“O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

“And he said, ‘Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord, ‘Do not be afraid nor be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s’. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.’” (2 Chronicles 20:15; 2 Chronicles 20:17).

Jehoshaphat was a good king of Judah who honored God and did right in the sight of the Lord. In the previous chapter, he commanded his people to fear the Lord faithfully and with a loyal heart. The devil is never happy when we take a stand for Christ, live for Him, and serve Him. Our greatest trials often follow our greatest victories. The enemies of the Lord came against King Jehoshaphat, and all Judah and Jerusalem with overwhelming force composed of the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the people of Mount Seir.

The King prays to the Lord for His help and deliverance, saying, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” The king humbled himself before the Lord in complete surrender and dependence. Our God is greater than our enemies, greater than our problems, and greater than our needs. He alone can give us the victory. We can also say to the Lord, “we don’t know what to do but our eyes are on You.” Keep your eyes on Jesus!

God sent him the message through the prophet Jahaziel assuring him of the victory. He says, “The battle is not yours but God’s. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. God did the same thing for the Israelites at the Red Sea. When we are overwhelmed, the Lord takes over and gives us the overwhelming victory.

Here in our chapter, the people of Judah sang praises to God as they went out to face their enemies. The Lord caused the enemy forces to fight against each other, and they all died. Only God can do such wonderful miracles for His people! Instead being overwhelmed, they saw God’s overwhelming power.

Let us remember the battle is not our’s but God’s, we just need to pray and trust in Him to work. There is nothing too hard for the Lord, nothing impossible. The greater the problems, the greater the victory! The more impossible the odds, the more glory goes to the Lord.

Have a blessed day trusting, praying, and seeing God work in incredible ways! Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 6, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Rooted And Grounded In The Love Of Christ-

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.”

(Ephesians 3:17-19).

Paul wrote this wonderful epistle to the Ephesians, which is such a blessing to all believers in Christ. Today’s verses are part of his second prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. The first prayer is found in Ephesians 1:15-22. He prayed for their spiritual understanding and growth.

Our faith is rooted and grounded in His love and enables us to be filled with all the fullness of God. This speaks of our connection to our Savior and His love. No matter what happens to us in this life, nothing can change His love for us. Even if we fail or fall short in some way, He loves us and provides for us.

Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He never changes and neither does His love. He gives us stability in an unstable world. We are rooted in Christ the vine, which gives us life and nourishment; and grounded in Christ the rock, which gives us strength and encouragement.

Paul wrote in Colossians 2:6. “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”

Paul also prays that we would be able to comprehend the width, length, depth, and height of the love of Christ which passes knowledge. How can we know something that passes knowledge? God’s love is unfathomable, incomprehensible, and unlimited. Even so, we strive to know more of it and experience it to its fulness. We don’t have to fully understand the sun, but just take in its rays; we don’t have to fully understand oxygen, but just breathe it into our lungs; and we don’t have to fully understand how our eyes and ears work, just see and hear.

Our Lord Jesus demonstrated His love for us on the cross. He died for us, bore our sins, endured the wrath and judgment of God that was our due, and finished our salvation. We can’t measure His love for us: its length is as far as heaven is to earth, its width is as far as the east is from the west; its depth is deeper than the deepest sea; and its height is higher than the highest mountains. Still it is even more than these, but our human minds can’t comprehend it.

Let us thank God for His love for us and that He has rooted and grounded us in so great a love that nothing can move us or sway us. The hymn writer Edward Mote wrote, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

Have a blessed day rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 5, 2021-

-Fearing The Lord With Faithfulness And Loyalty-

“And he commanded them saying, ‘Thus you shall act in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and with a loyal heart.”

(2 Chronicles 19:9).

Israel was split into two kingdoms during the reign of King Rehoboam: Israel and Judah. Israel was composed of ten tribes and Judah of two, which was comprised of Judah and Benjamin. In Israel, called the Northern kingdom, the people forsook the Lord, worshiped idols, and all their kings were evil. In the Southern kingdom, there were some godly kings and they did seek the Lord for various periods of time, but then they too turned to idols. The Lord brought both kingdoms into captivity because of their sin.

Jehoshaphat was one of the good kings. He lead reforms in Judah and directed the people to seek the Lord and trust in Him. The Levites in Israel left the Northern kingdom under King Jeroboam to go to Judah because of all the evil things going on, as did other godly people in Israel.

When there is spiritual decline, we must leave and go to where the Lord is honored, and where the Word of God is followed and obeyed. We should sit idly by while our church is not preaching the gospel and teaching the Word. We must leave and find a Bible believing church.

King Jehoshaphat of Judah not only suggested or encouraged those in his kingdom to follow the Lord, he commanded them. He told them, “Thus you shall act in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and with a loyal heart.” He not lead merely with words but by example. In 2 Chronicles 20:18 it says, “And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.” He and the people took a stand for the Lord by bowing before the Lord and obeying and honoring Him.

In our days, there are so few men of God who are standing for Christ and the truth. There is so much compromise, and so many churches have watered down the message of Scripture. As in the days of old, there is a small remnant of churches and believers fully committed to Christ. God sees the hearts of all people and He wants us to follow Him with true commitment and steadfastness.

Fearing the Lord is reverencing Him, putting Him first, seeking and doing His will, walking with Him, and serving Him. Faithfulness and loyalty are rarely seen in today’s world. The Lord desires that we follow Him consistently day after day, no matter what the circumstances. Jesus must be Lord of all or He is not Lord at all. We may be in the minority, but we will be on God’s side.

May the Lord help us to stand for Him, on His Word, and live godly lives. We cannot compromise our beliefs. Let us fear the Lord and have faithful and loyal hearts.

Have a blessed day following Christ and being examples to those around us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean