Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-April 4, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day, happy Easter,

-He is Not Here, But Is Risen-

“But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”

(Luke 24:2-7).

The women who followed Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others, were the last at the cross and the first at the tomb. They were brought their spices to anoint the body of their precious Lord. They loved the Lord so much and were fully devoted to Him. They expected the challenge of a huge stone in front of the tomb, but instead found the stone rolled away from an empty tomb.

These dear women were greatly perplexed. Soon their perplexity turned to fear when they encountered two angels clothed in shining garments. These two angels, who are unnamed, spoke words of encouragement to them. They first asked them a great question that challenged them to their core, “Why do you seek the living among the dead.” This question must touched and challenged their hearts. Jesus is the Prince of life, the source of life, the giver of life, and the sustainer of life.

It is good to be convicted by the Holy Spirit. It was was true of these women, and it true of us today. We just need to have faith in the Word of God. He can and does miracles. The angels tell them, “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’

Verse 8 of this chapter says, “And they remembered His words.” Then it all clicked in their minds and hearts. They believed. They left the tomb to tell the disciples, but they did not believe. Peter though ran to the tomb, and we know from the other gospel records John ran with him, and they found the tomb just as the women had said it was: empty. Later our risen Savior appeared to them.

The message of that first Easter morning is the same today, “He is risen!” The early Christians used to greet each other with the words, “The Lord is risen!” And their fellows would reply, “The Lord is risen indeed!” The resurrection of Christ is the most joyous and monumental event in church history. Because He lives, we live also.

The hymn writer Robert Lowry wrote, “Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign; He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!” What a great victory Jesus won over sin, death, the devil, and this world! And one day soon He will come again to take us home to glory.

May the Lord give us a wonderful Resurrection Day today. Do you have problems, He is risen! Do you have sorrows, He is risen! Do you have disappointments, He is risen! Are you feeling pain or discouragement? He is risen! He is alive and is with us on life’s journey. Only He can turn our sorrow into joy, our tears into cheers!

Have a blessed and joyful Easter. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-April 3, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Looking Unto Jesus The Author And Finisher Of Our Faith-

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

(Hebrews 12:2).

Yesterday was Good Friday and tomorrow is Easter Sunday. Today is the in between day, after the cross and before the resurrection from the tomb. Jesus, the Son of God, the author and finisher of our faith bore our sins and died for us. As the author, He came down from heaven to earth to take on human flesh, yet without sin. As the finisher He completed the work of our salvation on the cross.

Jesus started and finished the work that the Father gave Him to do. Jesus said in John 17:3-5, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

At this point in the chronology of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He completed everything: every sermon was preached, every person was healed, every miracle was done. He then went to the cross and died for us as our Substitute, Sin Bearer, and Savior. Six hours of agony on the cross lay before Him. He said in John 19:30 while on the cross, “… It is finished.” He then bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

The cross was extremely hard to bear and He bore it. He is our example of enduring to the end. The writer of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Jesus endured and won the victory and rose again from the dead. We must also press on to victory to win the race, the race of faith.

It is hard for us to imagine the depth of suffering that our Savior experienced at Calvary physically, let alone spiritually. He was beaten, scourged, slapped, the beard was ripped from His face. He bore His cross along the Via Delarosa. He was nailed to the cross, He bore our sins, He experienced the wrath and judgment of God in our place. The hymn writer Katherine Kelly wrote, “O make me understand it, help me to take it in, what it meant to Thee the Holy One to bear away my sin.”

We have so much to be thankful this Easter! We remember His love in laying His life for us and His power in taking it up again. When Jesus ascended back to heaven, He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, a place He has forever in glory. What a tremendous victory He w we on and we share in.

Have a blessed day rejoicing in the results of cross and in the empty tomb. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

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-April 2, 2021- Good Friday

Good morning, Happy Good Friday,

-Jesus Prophesied That He Would Die On The Cross And Rise Again-

“Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.’”

(Matthew 20:17-19).

Jesus was thirty three years old, a young man, but His time to die on the cross was quickly approaching. He knew when He would suffer and die, where, and how. His prophecy in our text today, was very detailed and also included the statement that He would rise again. In fact, this is the third and final time He had told His disciples what would take place.

Jesus was born to die. His purpose was about to be fulfilled according to the Scriptures. Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” He makes it very clear to His disciples that He would die and rise again. Which one of us would go to a place and time knowing we would be killed. I think that we would have avoided that place altogether.

• The Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will condemn Him to death – Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot would betray Him for 30 pieces of silver. Judas was not a believer, but was in fact, a betrayer and an apostate. He was the first apostate in the NT. An apostate is someone who professes to be saved, but then turns against Christ, speaks against Him, against the Bible, and against all the truths we hold dear.

Jesus said of Judas during the Passover meal, “The Son of Man indeed goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). Judas is called the son of perdition. He agreed to betray Jesus to His enemies the chief priests and scribes, who condemn Him to death in a complete mockery of justice. He who was innocent was found guilty.

• And to deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify – The Jews delivered Jesus over to the Romans, in particular to the Roman governor Pilate. He found no evil in Him and wanted to scourge Him and release Him, but the voices of the Jews prevailed and Pilate ordered Him to be crucified on the cross. Crucifixion began with the barbarians then continued with the Greeks, then the Romans perfected it. The Romans horrific public crucifixions were meant to deter others from crimes against Rome. It was a long, slow, agonizing death.

• And the third day He will rise again – In their sorrow, the disciples would forget this. Jesus promised to rise again which He did. Mark 9:32 says of this saying, “But they did not understand this saying, and they were afraid to ask Him.” Jesus told His disciples very specifically in Matthew 26:32, “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Betrayal, death by crucifixion, and resurrection awaited Jesus in Jerusalem. He marched on to fulfill the Father’s will. Nothing would deter Him. The Apostle Paul demonstrated this same determination in Acts 21:11-13. The prophet Agabus took Paul’s belt and bound his own hands and feet and signified that the owner of this belt would be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. Paul responded, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). Are we willing to do God’s will no matter what the consequences, even follow our Lord to death?

Have a blessed day thanking Jesus for going to the cross and dying for our sins and rising again. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-April 1, 2021- April Fools Day-

-The Fool Says No To God-

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good, no, not one.”

(Psalm 14:1).

Today is April Fools Day. Often it played out with practical jokes and nonsensical conversations. It is normally relatively harmless, although we must be cautious when someone tells us something today. The Bible has much to say about fools, nearly all of which is negative. The only verse that has some positivity is Proverbs 17:28, which amounts to a backhand compliment, “Even a fool is counted as wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.”

Proverbs 12:15 describes a fool, in what I would call, “The Rule of the Fool.” It says, “The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.” Throughout Proverbs, there is the contrast between the fool and the wise. The fool does not believe in God, rejects God and His Word, and builds his life on the sinking sand of this world. Our verse today says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God,’ or as it can be translated, ‘No, God.’ In other words, “God, I don’t need You, I don’t want You, leave me alone.” This is the ultimate foolishness. The fool will realize his foolishness one minute after he dies and is in hell, but by then it will be too late!

Jesus contrasted the wise man with foolish man in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken to him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell. And great was its fall.” Both built houses, storms beat on both of them, but the results were totally different.

The wise man builds his house on the rock, which is Jesus Christ, but the foolish man builds his house on the sinking, shifting, sands of this world. When Jesus spoke of ten virgins, five were wise, and five were foolish. The former prepared their oil prior to the coming of the bridegroom and the latter did not. Both slept but when the bridegroom came, only the wise were able to enter to be with the bridegroom before the door was closed.

Though we as believers in Christ may at times say or do something foolish, and regret it, we are not fools. The world may call us fools for our commitment and zeal for Christ; let them, it is better to be a fool for Christ than a wise man in this world without Him. May we live by God’s wisdom each day and reject the foolishness and wisdom of this world.

Have a blessed day walking in God’s wisdom and praying for those who have rejected Christ to turn to Him. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 31, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Jesus Was Wounded and Bruised For Us-

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

(Isaiah 53:5-6).

It is amazing the detail of the sufferings of Christ that the Holy Spirit employs through the prophet Isaiah here in Isaiah chapter 53. There are many OT Scriptures that prophesy of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, and resurrection, but the one before us today is by far the most powerful and detailed. It is best to begin reading Isaiah 52:13 through all Isaiah 53.

Jesus fulfilled every Scripture completely. Today’s text strikes me that He suffered in our place to save us from our sins. In verse five, we notice the word “our” used three times. We were sinners, helpless, going our own way, and doing our own will. God laid our iniquities on His Son, our Substitute on the cross.

• He was wounded for our transgressions – The word transgressions indicates that we disobeyed God by violating His holy Word. Jesus was wounded for us on the cross. The hymn writers W. G. Ovens and Gladys Westcott Roberts wrote the beautiful hymn entitled, “Wounded for Me.” Verse one says, “Wounded for me, wounded for me, there on the cross He was wounded for me; Gone my transgressions, and now I am free, all because Jesus was wounded for me.” The hymn writer Mr. Ovens had to have had Isaiah 53:5 in mind when he wrote it. Ms. Roberts added the other verses to it making if full and complete: dying for me, risen for me, living for me, and coming for me.

• He was bruised for our iniquities – We often do not think of bruises as being very serious. We may hurt ourselves and say, “It’s only a bruise.” But bruises are painful and take time to heal. In Jesus’ case, He was scourged unmercifully, beaten so cruelly, and nailed to the cross. Jesus suffered all this for us. Verse 10 of our chapter shows the spiritual bruises Jesus went through for us, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him…” Spiritual bruises are more painful than physical ones. God turned His back on our Savior as He bore our sins. He endured the wrath of God on our behalf.

• The chastisement for our peace was upon Him – Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He became our peace by bearing our sins. Jesus cried from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me” (Matthew 27:45)? Jesus fought the fight against the devil and won peace for us. Paul wrote in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• By His stripes we are healed – Jesus healed many people in His three years of ministry while on earth, but the greatest healing of all was at the cross when He healed us of our sins. Psalm 129:3 pointing to the terrible scourging of our Lord says, “The plowers plowed on my back; They made their furrows long.” Jesus’ back was beaten raw by the Roman soldiers with their whips containing pieces of bone and glass.

As we celebrate this Easter week, especially Good Friday in two days, let us never forget what Jesus suffered for us on the cross. It was for you and for me. The song writer wrote, Oh how He loves you and me, Oh how He loves you and me. He gave Himself, what more could He give, Oh how He loves you, Oh how He loves me, Oh how He loves you and me. Jesus to Calvary did go, His love for sinners to show. What He did there brought hope from despair. Oh, how He loves you; Oh how He loves me; Oh how He loves you and me.”

Have a blessed day contemplating our Savior’s love and His sacrificial death for us on the cross. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean