Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-April 19, 2021-

Good morning happy Monday,

-What Is Highly Esteemed Among Men Is An Abomination In The Sight Of God-

“And He said to them, ‘You are those justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’”

(Luke 16:15).

When Jesus was on earth, the people who hated and rejected Him most were the Pharisees, the chief priests, and the scribes. They had created their own system of man’s traditions and outward religiosity that was so disturbing. Their religion was based on the outward appearance not inward reality. They fought our Savior every step of the way, all the way to the cross.

Jesus’ scorn and wrath fell down hard on them. They loved money, to be called Rabbi, to have the best seats at every event, to make long prayers that impressed people, and to tell others what to do without lifting a finger themselves. Jesus rightly called them self righteous hypocrites, and so they were. In so many cases their traditions contradicted the Scriptures. They judged others but refused to judge themselves.

Everything the Pharisees and their religious cronies said or did was to justify themselves before men and to impress men. Jesus as God come in the flesh, knew the thoughts and the intentions of their hearts. They often tried to catch Him in His words and actions in order to accuse Him before the Romans, but they failed miserably. They envied Jesus and viewed Him as a clear threat to their religious system.

Jesus said, “…For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” The lifestyle of the Pharisees ran counter to the ways of God. Not only were their ways evil in the sight of the Lord, but they also rejected God’s ways for their own. They believed their ways were actually better than God’s. They added so many things to the teachings of the law and the prophets.

Jesus rebuked them in Matthew 15:7, saying, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

For us as believers today, we must guard against man’s thinking and ways which are abominable before God. God loves people and cares for them, wants them to be saved, and to walk in His ways, pleasing and honoring Him. He looks beyond the outward appearance and sees our hearts. There is no room for hypocrisy, pride, or self righteousness. God has given us His Word to live by and He desires for us to love people, pray for them, and win them to Christ.

We cannot please man and God at the same time; we cannot serve two masters. May the Lord help us to live genuine and sincere lives before both God and men. Luke 2:52 said of Jesus, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

Have a blessed day seeking to please God and serve Him. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-April 18, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Faithful In Little, Faithful in Much-

“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”

(Luke 16:10).

Today’s verse shows the spiritual principle that in the service of the Lord, God evaluates His servants on the basis of faithfulness. That is not to say that results are unimportant, but that is His department, His responsibility. The Holy Spirit works in us and through us and brings forth the fruit, as long as we are clean vessels.

Bill Parcells, former great NFL head coach once said, “The best ability is availability.” He believed that the talent doesn’t matter if the player is not on the field playing the game. You can’t help your team win on the sideline, you must be playing. This is so true in Christian service. The devil wants to take us down and out of the Lord’s service. With so many scandals over the years from prominent Christian leaders and preachers, it is vital that we are faithful to the Lord in the little things and in the bigger things. When a man or woman is faithful to God in the little things, God will entrust them with bigger things.

Solomon wrote in Proverbs 20:6, “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man.” God is looking for faithful men and women, not just in the church but in the home, in business, in school, in the community, and in whatever we are involved in. If one cannot be faithful in small things, he cannot be trusted with the larger, more important things.

Consistency and faithfulness go hand in hand. Showing up, being on time, working hard, and being honest are the hallmarks of Christian servants. We do our part and God does his part. Day in and day out, this is what faithfulness is all about. Setting a good example for our kids and others is of vital importance. Proverbs 20:7 says, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.” When people think of passing on a good inheritance they think mostly of money and material things, but a godly example of faithfulness is way more important.

May the Lord help us to be faithful in the little things and in the bigger things. Whether anyone is watching us or not, God sees and hears everything. Our desire should be to please Him, honor Him, and serve Him faithfully every day, in season and out of season.

Have a blessed day being faithful to our Lord for His glory. May we be available for Him to use us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-April 17, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-The Message Of The Cross-

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

(1 Corinthians 1:18).

The cross of Jesus Christ evokes a strong, definitive reaction among people one way or the other. There are no gray areas, there can be no fence sitting. For those who are unsaved it is foolishness but to us who are saved it is the power of God.

To those who do not know Jesus Christ, their conclusion is that the cross is foolishness. The cross makes no sense, for they do not comprehend what took place. It all seemed so gruesome and senseless. A young Jewish prophet named Jesus from Nazareth who did so much good and so many mighty miracles, was nonviolent and peaceful, would be falsely and wrongly accused and crucified. The punishment did not fit the crime, though there was no crime. Usually crucifixion was reserved for worst of the worst, murders, thieves, insurrectionists, and the like. It was a slow agonizing death. Jesus did not deserve to die, for He was innocent, sinless, and holy.

Those who are unsaved do not understand God’s plan of salvation. They cannot comprehend that God would become flesh, dwell among us, and die in our place on the cross in order to save us from our sins. We cannot blame them, it is even hard for believers to understand. Why would a holy, righteous God love us and send His Son to suffer, bleed, and die for ungodly sinners, His enemies in such a painful way?

For us who are being saved it it the the power of God. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “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.” The message of the cross was revealed in the OT, and fulfilled in the NT. In such passages as Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 there are graphic descriptions of the sufferings of Christ on the cross. The movie, “The Passion of Christ,” shows what Christ went through to save us. If you have not seen it, rent it and see it; if you have seen it, see it again. As terrible as His pain was portrayed, it was even worse than that.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death, and the other the aroma of life leading to life.” Thank God we see the cross so differently from those in the world. Through Christ’s death, we live; through His love and sacrifice we are forgiven of our sins; and through the cross we have the way paved for us to be with Him in heaven forever. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

The message of the cross separates people. The unsaved see it as foolishness, but to us who are saved we see it as the power of God. Without the cross, there is no salvation and without the resurrection, there is no life or justification. Where do you stand on the cross? Is it foolishness to you or is it the wisdom and power of God?

Have a blessed day taking up your cross and following Christ. Let us thank Him for dying on the cross to save us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-April 16, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Love One Another And Thus Fulfill The Law Of Love-

“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

(Romans 13:8).

Love is the universal language of the heart. James 2:8 says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well.” The world around us is hurting. Once again we have had a rash of police shootings and mass killings. Oh, how love is so desperately needed today! We as believers need to lead the way and show the love of Christ to all those around us.

The Apostle Paul tells us, “Owe no one anything but to love one another…” one of the ways we show our love to Christ is by loving others, especially those who are of the household of faith. Being in debt to someone is never good, except in the case of love. Paul also wrote, “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).

Just think how different the world would be if everyone loved one another as himself! When Jesus will return to reign that will happen. Until then, let us demonstrate His love to all those around us. Love goes far beyond emotions and is shown in actions. The Apostle John wrote, “Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and loves God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).

Is there anyone in your life that is hard to love? Is there anyone who needs a hug? Is there anyone who needs to hear you say, “I love you?” Let us love not only in word but also in deed and in truth. Let us love generously and sacrificially. Then people will see Jesus in us!

Have a blessed day loving others as the Lord has loved us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-April 15, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Jesus Must Be First In Our Lives-

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

(Luke 14:26-27; Luke 14:33).

In Luke’s account of this Jesus’ words on discipleship, he uses the words “he cannot be My disciple” three times. The title of this passage in Luke 14:26-33 is, “Leaving All to Follow Christ.” To be a disciple, a follower of Christ, we must put Him first before any other person or thing. He will not accept second place in anything. When Luke says that we cannot be His disciple, he means that we cannot be His disciples on our own terms or by own will. His words are strong and clear.

Joshua made a similar statement to the Israelites after they pledged to serve the Lord in Joshua 24:19, “…You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.” God is jealous over our affections. There is no room for any idols. Jesus makes three clear statements in these three verses.

• If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life also, he cannot be My disciple – Jesus is not telling us to hate our parents, wives, children, and even ourselves, but not love them more than Him; instead, our love for them will seem like hatred compared to our love for Him. Jesus said in Matthew 10:37, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

• And he whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple – Bearing Christ’s cross means to identify with Him, endure hardship, and suffer persecution. His cross is our cross and we bear it for Him. Luke 9:23 says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

• So likewise, whoever of you who does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple – Forsaking all means to leave behind our old life, habits, pastimes, desires, and ways of thinking and living to follow Christ. He is Lord, Master, and King. Yes, He the Boss. He is in control not us.

The song writer Bill Gather wrote, “King of kings, Lord of lords, Jesus is Lord of all; All my possessions and all my life, Jesus is Lord of all.” Can you say that? May the Lord help us to surrender fully to Him and be fully committed to Him and His kingdom. The choice is ours.

Have a blessed day following Jesus as His disciple. Let us put Him first in everything, without reservation or hesitation. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean