Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-March 10, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Be Prepared To Give A Defense Of What We Believe-

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”

(1 Peter 3:15).

In the light of the fact that so many do not know the Lord in these days in which we are living, we must be ready to share our faith and defend it. Preparation is key to defending the truth. There are two types of questions that people will ask us: doubting, unbelieving, and argumentative ones and curious and sincere ones. We need discernment to tell the difference.

• But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts – The word sanctify, holy, separated all come the same Greek word. By spending time with Jesus in the Word and prayer, we ready ourselves to share with others. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

• And always be ready to give a defense to who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear – Our hope is beyond this world, it it a blessed and eternal hope. This is where we must not be argumentative. It is best to share our testimony of how the Lord saved us and changed ourselves. People can argue doctrine but they cannot argue a changed life. Our life before Christ was bad but our after Christ is glorious. All sharing should with meekness, that is humility and gentleness, and the fear of the Lord.

Peter also gives us three tips on how we should live Christ before the people we come into contact with in 1 Peter 3:16-17: have a good conscience, live in good conduct, and do good to others. Someone once said, “What you do speaks so loud I can’t hear what you say.” There is nothing stronger than a good and godly example.

May the Lord help us to spend time with Jesus in prayer and the Word, and always be ready and prepared to share the truth with those we share with. We must defend the truth by answering questions and avoiding arguments. We should share humbly and sincerely. If we don’t know the answer to their question(s), we should tell them we will get back to them on it and follow through with it. Don’t make things up or guess.

Have a blessed day sharing and defending our faith. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 9, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-God Has Saved And Called Us According To His Purpose-

(2 Timothy 1:9).

“[The Lord] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose, and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

God has saved and called by His holy calling and grace. None of us deserve to be saved from our sins and have eternal life. It was not because of our works, but by His infinite grace. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For by grace you have saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

God’s purpose is not limited to saving us by grace through faith, but extends to spreading the gospel, teaching and sharing the Word, and doing good works to others, especially those who are of the household of faith. The reason why we are here is to be a testimony of salt and a witness of light of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God chose us by His grace and equipped us to serve Him in this world wherever He has planted us. Jesus said to His disciples in the Upper Room, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give to you” (John 15:16).

We should never be proud, thinking more highly of ourselves, nor should we ever think too low of ourselves, for we are the children of the Most High God. Instead, we should be thankful and give all the glory to the Lord. Every soul that is saved is a miracle of God’s grace; and every act of service is a privilege and blessing.

God has a purpose and plan for our lives and we must be willing, available, and obedient. He has much for us to do until He calls home to heaven. My cousin Jessica Hyde always says, “I am liven for heaven.” May this be true for all of us.

Have a blessed day liven for heaven inspired and energized by God’s grace. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 8, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Comfort Others As We Have Been Comforted-

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God”

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

God is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. He has so much compassion for us. He comforts us so that we can comfort others. When the Lord Jesus came down to earth, He showed great compassion toward those that were hurting.

John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” He reached out to the needy and did wonderful things for them. Jesus knew what suffering, pain, weariness, loss, rejection, and sorrow felt like. He also knew how to comfort those who were going through these and other issues.

If one has never experienced hardship, trials, pain, or sorrow, it is hard to empathize and sympathize with others. When we hurt, we can better feel with those who are hurting. In today’s verses, we read of how God comforts us in our tribulation so that we can comfort others. We have found over and over how God’s grace is sufficient for us. The suffering saint finds God’s mercy, grace, comfort, encouragement, and help. We always grow most and best through trials and tribulations.

To be a good comforter, it takes wisdom, patience, kindness, gentleness, grace, and compassion. Sometimes, it is best to say little but be there and show you care. The last thing a person who is hurting is hear is a slew of verses rattled of one after the other. It is much better to share a brief testimony of how God has helped you in a hard time. The one you are sharing with can relate because you can relate to them.

Someone once said, “God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but so we can comfort others.” Our pain should not be in vain; it should never be wasted. Just as clothes in a family are often passed down from son to son or daughter to daughter, so too, our comfort should be passed to others who will pass it on also.

May the Lord help us to learn in and through our trials, so we can share with others what we have learned and experienced. Pass on comfort to those who need it.

Have a blessed day with an eye for those needing comfort. When we hear of a need, pray and help. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 7, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Asking God To Search Us And Try Us-

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

(Psalm 139:23-24).

David’s short prayer at the end of Psalm 139, is both encouraging and challenging. It shows David’s desire to please and serve the Lord even more. He invited the omniscient God to evaluate him. He wasn’t interested in man’s evaluation, whether from his fellow men or his own evaluation.

There are four requests that David asks the Lord in our text: to search his heart, to try and know his anxieties, to see if there is any wicked way in him, and to lead him in the way everlasting. He wanted a closer walk with the Lord and to be more pleasing to Him.

• Search me, O God, and know my heart – David did not want a brief consideration but a full search. He wanted God to check out his heart. In the old days of full service gas stations, the attendant used to not only fill the gas, but would check the oil, the radiator, the tires, and wash the windshield. Now that was full service! We as believers need God to search our hearts and know them. We need His full service.

• Try me, and know my anxieties – Each of us have anxieties, things that cause us to worry. Anxiety weigh us down and interferes with our spiritual walk with the Lord. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” In other words, be anxious about nothing but pray about everything. The peace of God will guard our hearts.

• See if there is any wicked way in me – Jeremiah describes the heart in Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked; who can know it. I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways; according to the fruit of his doings.” This is why when we get saved, God gives us a new heart. Ezekiel 18:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” David wanted the Lord to hold him accountable. God alone can see and know our thoughts, attitudes, desires, and motives. Though David was not prefect, he was a man after God’s own heart.”

• Lead me in the way everlasting – David knew his life on earth was short and what he did here would count for eternity. The same is true of us as believers; God wants us set our minds on the things above not on the things of earth.”

May the Lord help us to pray this prayer and mean it: search me and know my heart, try me and know my anxieties, see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in way everlasting. We can’t change and grow unless God shows and exposes our true heart to us.

Have a blessed day seeing ourselves as God sees us so we can be all He wants us to be. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 6, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Praising God For What He Has Done For Us-

“O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”

(Isaiah 25:1).

We have so much to praise and thank God for. He is our God and we are His people. Today’s verse speaks of the present, the future, and the past. It reminds us of Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” This verse is a very personal one for the prophet Isaiah. We have made it through this pandemic thus far, and we trust Him that we will make it through to the end.

• The Present – Isaiah wrote, “O Lord, You are my God.” He is with us in the present. We have a personal relationship with Him and serve Him. This is where we live: one day at a time. The past is behind us, we cannot change it, and future is ahead of us and we cannot know it.

• The Future – Isaiah looks ahead and wrote, “I will exalt You, I will praise Your name.” Our days on this earth are short and how we invest our time is of utmost importance. It is always good to praise and thank the Lord. Our future in heaven will be forever. We are told in the Scriptures what will happen in God’s plan of the ages, but there are many details that we do not know about. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But it is written, ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’”

• The Past – While it is true that we cannot change the past, but there are many things we wouldn’t want to change. The day we got saved will live in our memories as our best day. Also, we remember how God has provided for us and taken care of us over years. We have been privileged to serve the Lord in days gone by. Isaiah wrote, “You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” We look back to the past and see how faithful God has been to us. The hymn writer wrote, “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father! There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not: as Thou has been Thou forever wilt be.”

So, no matter which we look, backward or forward, we see God’s goodness, faithfulness, and love. We praise Him and thank Him for who He is and what He has done and will do for us. His love for us is like a circle that has no beginning or ending.

Have a blessed day rejoicing in what God has done for you and what blessings lie ahead. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean