Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-March 20, 2021- First Day of Spring-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-The Pure Milk Of The Word-

“As new born babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

(1 Peter 2:2-3).

We have all been around new born babies and how they desire for and thrive on their mother’s milk. It is an essential part of the growth process. The same is true in the spiritual life. Newly saved believers need the simple teachings of the Scriptures to growth in their faith in Christ. In fact, there is a series of short books entitled “12 Bottles of Milk.”

Young believers must learn to pray, read the Word, attend church, have fellowship with other believers, witness and testify to unbelievers, show the love of Christ, give tithes to the Lord’s work, discover their spiritual gifts, among others. God’s will is that they grow to maturity. Just as babies grow up physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially, so too, young believers in Christ must grow up to feed in the meat of the Word.

In Hebrews 5:12-14, the writer rebuked his readers, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food (or meat). For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” It is time for baby Christians to grow into mature Christians, to move past the basics, to learn the doctrine, know what the Scriptures mean and mean to us, and to apply the Word to our daily lives.

The Apostle Paul dealt with the Corinthians who were allowing divisions in the church and being carnal and not spiritual. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, “And I, brethren could not speak to you as spiritual people but as to carnal (or worldly), as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not behaving like mere men? For one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and to another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?”

It is time to grow up, to mature, to take on ministries and and responsibilities in the church. When we have tasted that the Lord is gracious it should affect our lives. The psalmist wrote, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” As we grow, we depend on our Lord Jesus Christ and find Him to be our all sufficiency. A glass of milk is good as long as it is with solid food. Milk alone is not enough.

Have a blessed day growing and maturing in Christ, moving from milk to solid food. Stay safe and healthy.

-March 19, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-The Fruit Of The Spirit-

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law.”

(Galatians 5:22-23).

The key to victory in the Christian life is to walk in the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16-17, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to on another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

We as believers in Christ have two natures: the old nature we are born with physically from Adam, and the new nature we are born again with spiritually from Christ. As we obey the Lord, surrender to His will, read the Word, and pray, we allow the Holy Spirit to manifest His power in our lives over our sinful nature. We are sinners saved by grace. The old nature pulls us toward sin and the world, the new nature pushes us toward Christ in order to please Him.

In Galatians 6:19, the Apostle Paul lists the works or sins of the flesh: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like…” It is very ugly. These sins defile, defame, and destroy.

Our verse begins with the word “but,” which contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. First, let us distinguish the term, it is the fruit not fruits of the Spirit. The Spirit produces all nine of these fruit as one not as separate from one another. They all grow together, as it were from the same tree.

The Apostle Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.” Man cannot produce these fruit, they come from the Holy Spirit. Each of these traits help us to please the Lord and be victorious over the flesh. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:24, “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” We must crucify the flesh daily and walk in the Spirit. Those who are unsaved cannot overcome the works of the flesh and those who are saved cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit on their own either. The root determines the fruit! We must be rooted in Christ.

When we fall and sin against he Lord we must confess it to the Lord, repent, and forsake it. This restores our fellowship with the Lord so we can walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us when do wrong and produces the life of Christ in us.

May the Lord produce the fruit of the Spirit in us daily so that others will see Jesus in us. Let us do those things that give the Spirit control not the flesh. The Lord wants us to be fruitful in abundance.

Have a blessed day and weekend walking in the Spirit, yielding to Christ and being victorious. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 18, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Hope, Joy, And Peace In Believing-

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

(Romans 15:13).

Today’s verse is so encouraging. It is a doxology given by the the Apostle Paul to praise God and strengthen the saints at Rome in their faith. He reminds his readers that God is a God of hope. Knowing this gives us amazing assurance and confidence to move forward in our faith. Only God can give us hope in the midst of all hopelessness.

It is a blessing to know that God fills with all joy and peace in believing. Joy is the inner happiness that comes from our relationship with the Lord Jesus and is not based on circumstances. Our circumstances fluctuate up and down as times change, but our joy remains constant.

Peace also does not need calmness or tranquility to survive or thrive, in fact, the peace of God performs best in adversity, trial, affliction, and pain. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The formula always works: prayer + thanksgiving = peace.

God desires that we abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. To abound in something is grow stronger and fuller in it. Only a believer in Christ can experience joy, peace, and hope to overflowing when everything is going wrong and against us, and falling apart before our eyes. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “Now abide faith, hope, love, these three but the greatest of these is love.”

The hymn writer Thomas O. Chisholm wrote, “Pardon for sin and a peace that endures, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow — Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.” Let us then grow and abound in God’s hope, peace, and joy at all times as we keep our eyes on Jesus!

Have a blessed day filled with hope, joy, and peace. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 17, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday, happy St. Patrick’s Day,

-The Lord Is Our Shepherd-

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

(Psalm 23:1-3).

This psalm may the most familiar, loved, and wonderful of all. David was a shepherd as a teenager and learned about sheep and how to care for them a protect them. He fought for them and put his life on the line for his sheep, killing both a lion and a bear. Here in our psalm, he likens God to his shepherd, and himself and all of God’s people as His sheep.

Throughput all the Scriptures, God is seen as our Shepherd. In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” He is also described as the Great Shepherd and Chief Shepherd. Interestingly, He is both the Lamb of God and the Shepherd. He laid down His life for us on the cross and was struck down as the Shepherd in defense of the sheep. Mark 14:27 says, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’”

This psalm is so personal for David; he uses the pronoun “my,” three times, and “me,” David the shepherd became David the king, yet he never forgot that God was his Shepherd and he was His sheep. He had a close, personal relationship with the Lord. He says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” He found that God met all his needs, just as He does for us today. God also promises to meet all our needs. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God’s care, provision, and love are expressed in four beautiful ways in these first three verses: green pastures, still waters, restoration of the soul, and paths of righteousness.

• He makes me lie down in green pastures – Our Shepherd provides green, fresh, and soft pastures for us to feed on. We are nourished by the Word of God. Just as the sheep needs food, we need His food for our souls daily. Jesus said in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread” Matthew 6:11).

• He leads me besides the still waters – Just as the sheep need food, they also need water. Oh, how wonderful it is to have cold, refreshing water on a hot day! He has given us the water of life so that we will never again thirst in our souls. Jesus told the woman at the well, “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

• He restores my soul – The Shepherd not only cares for us physically, emotionally, socially, financially, and materially, He also cares for our souls spiritually. When you have a best friend who really loves you, he or she will care for your soul. Jesus, is the lover of our souls, a Friend that sticks closer than a brother, and One who never leaves us nor forsakes us. He saved our souls and He restores them every day.

• He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake – The Shepherd leads us in the paths of righteousness. It is a straight and narrow path, that so few choose. As long as we follow and obey Him, we will have great joy and true contentment. It is not an easy path, but it is a holy good path in the center of His will.

We are so incredibly blessed, fully dressed in His holiness! Let us thank our Shepherd for all He has done for us. As our dear pastor Adel says so often , “The best is yet to come.” Heaven will be so much better than earth could ever be.

Have a blessed day following our Shepherd. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 16, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Put On The Character Of Christ-

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.”

(Colossians 3:12).

God’s desire for us is that we be like Jesus. We need to speak as He spoke, do what He did, and be fully committed to the Father’s will as He was. The Apostle John wrote, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). It is a challenge indeed, but one that we can accomplish by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As believers, we are called the elect, holy, and beloved. We are God’s people, which carries with it both great privilege and responsibility. God has chosen us, called us, and conferred so much on us. The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:10, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called out of darkness into His marvelous light.” You and I are special to the Lord!

As believers in Christ, we must put off the old nature and put on the new. The Apostle Paul lists five things we should put on in today’s verse that represent the character of Christ: tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering. These represent the character of Christ. Each of these virtues show both the beauty and fragrance of Christ.

We may notice that each of these qualities are practical and have an affect on others around us. They can be seen, heard, and felt by those around us. How are we doing in practicing them? Though we should not judge others, we should judge ourselves. We should ask ourselves, am I showing tender mercies and kindness to all? Am I being humble, meek, and longsuffering (or patient)? God’s standards for us far exceeds man’s standards.

May we evaluate ourselves always in the light of God’s Word. When fail and sin, let us confess to the Lord and ask for His help to change. For those who are blessed to be a blessing takes the help of the Blesser.

Have a blessed day pointing people to Jesus by living His life before them. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean