Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-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

-March 5, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Walk And Talk The Word Everywhere-

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you as sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

(Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

The Word of God is for all times and all seasons; for all people in all generations; and in all circumstances and situations. The Scriptures are as relevant today als when they were written. It is vital to pass on the truth of God’s Word to our children and all the next generation.

We must walk and talk the Word. The Psalmist wrote, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9-11).

Before we can teach and encourage others in the Word, it must be in our hearts. We must be excited ourselves by the Word; then we can be a blessing to others. Children learn by observing the examples of their parents, elders, and Sunday School teachers. Our walk must match our talk.

Moses, the writer of these verses, wanted the people to communicate God’s Word in everyday situations of life. They didn’t have the Word to carry around with them, so they relied on word of mouth sharing, especially in the family. May the Lord help us to walk as and talk the Word.

Have a blessed day in the Word and sharing it with others, especially your children. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 4, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Be Strong And Of Good Courage For The Lord Is With Us-

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord God is with you wherever you go.”

(Joshua 1:9).

Joshua became the leader of the people of Israel after the death of Moses. He then led them into the Promised Land. The Lord called him, equipped him, and strengthened him for this important mission. In this passage, Joshua 1:1-9, the Lord instructs him what to do: “observe to do according to all the law which Moses commanded him, do not turn to the right hand or to the left, and meditate on the law day and night, and observe to do it all.”

Today’s verse is God’s encouragement before Joshua led through the people across the Jordan River into the land that God promised them. Like, Joshua, we need to be encouraged, challenged, and strengthened to fulfill the ministry to which God has called us to. The devil opposes us all the way; the world attracts us and distracts us; and the flesh pulls us toward sin. We must be victorious! We need to remember to be strong and of good courage, not to be afraid or dismayed, and that the Lord is with us wherever we go.

• Be strong and of good courage – The soldier of Christ is strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, puts on the whole armor of God, and stands against the schemes of the devil. Our strength is from the Lord, not from us. He gives us the victory. Man by nature, through Adam is weak and cowardly; man through Christ is strong and courageous through the Holy Spirit.

• Do not be afraid nor dismayed – Fear paralyses us and impedes us in our spiritual growth and warfare. Faith, on the other hand, helps us overcome our fears and gives us confidence and assurance. The world, the flesh, and the devil are defeated foes. Jesus conquered them at the cross. The devil is a roaring lion, but he cannot harm us. He uses fear and intimidation to scare us.

• The Lord is with us wherever we go – What a tremendous promise! He is with is all the time, wherever we go. Joshua 1:5 says, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” Before Jesus ascended back to heaven, he told His disciples, “… Lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20c).

Therefore, let us be strong and of good courage, not being afraid or dismayed, for the Lord is with us. We are on the Lord’s side, and He is on our side. God tells us in Isaiah 54:17, “‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,’ says the Lord.”

Have a blessed and victorious day. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean