Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-March 3, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-God’s Thoughts And Ways Are Higher Than Our’s-

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

(Isaiah 55:8-9).

We think we have answers, solutions, understanding, knowledge, and wisdom. We believe we can make our own plans, choices, and decisions without God; we are so wrong. God is God, we are human beings that He has created. God rules the universe. He has infinite knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and power.

Thus it makes sense that His thoughts and His ways are higher than ours. He is eternal, He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He knows the future way better than we know the past or present. He has a master plan for the ages as well as for our individual lives. The title of the popular old TV series was, “Father Knows Best.” We as Christians can certainly say, “Our heavenly Father knows best.”

When Jesus gave His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, He said at the beginning, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven… (Matthew 6:9b-10). “ God’s will in heaven is done immediately, willingly, and completely; that is exactly how we should do it on earth. When we carry out God’s will we are happiest. When we pray, we pray according to God’s will.

Often our children ask us why they must obey us; we tell them because we are their parents and we said so. It is for their good. They learn in time how true that is, especially when they have their own children. We as believers must learn to obey the Lord and leave everything in His hands.

Under the great weight of Job’s trials, he wanted to debate the Lord over everything that was happening to him. After all Job’s words and those of his friends, God spoke to Job, asking where he was when He created the world and all its creatures. Job rightly said, “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42:2-3). He then concluded in Job 42:5-6, “I have heard You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

We, like Job, have so much to learn about God and His Word. The more we learn and know, the more we realize how much we do not know. This humbles us and helps us to praise and worship God for who He is what He has done for us. Let us then remember that His thoughts and ways are so far beyond ours. The creature is not greater than the Creator. The clay cannot say to the potter, “why have you made me this way?”

Have a blessed day in thinking on the greatness of God and following and obeying Him. Our Father knows best. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 2, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-God’s Refining Process In Our Lives-

“But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside.”

(Job 23:10-11).

Job, more than anyone in the Bible, experienced the greatest trials; and they all came upon him at once. He was a godly man, a contemporary of Abraham. God had blessed him so much and he was very wealthy and respected. Job 1:1 says, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.”

His family, his business, and all his possessions are mentioned in Job 1:2-3, “And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred toke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.” The security company Bay Alarm, has the slogan, “What do you have to lose?” He had a lot and he lost it all.

Satan was behind all the troubles that he went through. God allowed him to be tested to grow his faith and refine his character. On one day, his sons and daughters died, as did his servants and animals. God used the great trials to refine him, humble him, and increase his faith.

He makes the statement, “But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me I shall come forth as gold.” Gold and silver are precious metals that are not destroyed by fire but refined by fire. Dross is “the scum or unwanted material that forms on the surface of molten metal.” Fire burns away the dross and refines the metal.

There is much “scum” that God wants to remove from our lives so that we can please and serve Him more. He works on our character, which is a painful process for us, but has eternal value. Malachi 3:3 says of God and His people, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.”

Job kept his integrity throughout his trials and did not blame God. James wrote, “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord — that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (James 4:11). God restored what Job had lost and blessed him with even more. His end was better than his beginning. Job learned valuable lessons on the power and wisdom of God and his own frailty and weakness.

May the Lord continue his refining process in our lives to bring us forth as gold refined in the fire of His affliction. The anonymous hymn writer wrote, “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.”

Have a blessed day learning, trusting, and growing in Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 1, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Christianity Is All About A Personal Relationship With Christ-

“Whom I have in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

(Psalm 73:25-26).

The Psalmist Asaph who wrote this psalm began this psalm looking around him at the prosperity of the wicked. He even questioned whether living a godly life was in vain. But then he went into the sanctuary of the Lord, and understood the end of the wicked. He came to his senses and realized that he had the Lord and that is all he needed in heaven and on earth.

In verses 23-28, he uses the personal pronoun “my” eight times and “me” once. The greatest blessing of Christianity after the forgiveness our sins is our personal relationship with Christ. The Lord has a personal relationship with each of His children all at the same time.

Asaph asked the question, whom have I in heaven but You? There are and will be many saints in heaven but none can compare to the Lord Jesus Christ! The hymn writer Charles J. Butler wrote, “What matters where on earth we dwell? On mountaintop, or in the dell? In cottage, or in mansion fair, where Jesus is, ‘tis heaven there.” As great as heaven is, without Jesus it would nothing.

The psalmist also wrote, “And there is none on earth that I desire besides You.” Only the child of God can say this. There are many things we desire on this earth but none can compare to Jesus and our relationship to Him. He is our eternal, loving Lord and Savior. All the things of earth are temporary and transitory. We will leave everything behind when we exit this earthly scene to abide in heaven with the Lord. We have Him on earth, we have Him in heaven, Oh what a salvation that we have been given!

The psalm realized that this blessed relationship he had wasn’t based on his own goodness and behavior for his flesh and heart may fail; but on God who is the strength of his heart and his portion forever. We are not only saved by grace but also kept by grace. The Lord is everything to us.

The song writer put it well, “He is my everything, He is my all, He is my everything, both great and small. He gave His life for me, made everything new, He is my everything, now how about you?” Can you say today, Jesus is my everything, I desire nothing and no one else?

Let us have the right perspective as we view the rich people, famous people, and powerful people in this world; they have much, but if they don’t have Jesus, they are poor and have nothing. We are blessed beyond measure and beyond earthly treasure.

Have a blessed day with Jesus and desire only Him. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 28, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-The Well Rounded Victorious Life-

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

(2 Timothy 1:7).

People in the world are always striving for balance and a well rounded life. Apart from Christ it is nearly impossible to achieve. Case in point: at the beginning of each year people make so many new year’s resolutions. So many start with great intentions that last perhaps a month or two before petering out. The expression “petering out” is very apropos, it means “ to gradually become smaller, weaker, or less before stopping or ending.”

We as Christians don’t need resolutions we need commitment to Christ and full surrender to Him. He is the One who helps us achieve anything and everything in this world. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Paul in writing to his son in the faith, the pastor at Ephesus, instructs him on how to live victoriously in Christ in today’s text. After reminding him of his spiritual heritage passed onto to him from his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois, and of his calling and gifts in 2 Timothy 1:5-6, he shares with him how to live victoriously in Christ. There are four things that make the well rounded victorious Christian life: courage, (lack of fear), power, love, and of a sound mind.

• For God has not given us a spirit of fear – There is no place for fear in our lives. The opposite of fear is courage and faith. Fear is of the devil. The term “fear not,” is found some 365 times in the Scriptures, once for every day of the year. It means that it is very important to be repeated so many times in the Word of God. We as humans are so prone to fear. We fear some many people and things. God never gives us fear, but grows our faith to overcome our fear.

• Of power – God has given us power to be victorious, overcomers through the Holy Spirit. This is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That is impressive, awesome power to face the devil, temptation, trials, problems, or difficulties. Just as a body builder doesn’t get stronger without training with heavy weights, we don’t get stronger without trials and the Word of God and prayer.

• Of love – As strong as we are, it profits us nothing without love. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:3, “Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” We simply can live successfully and victoriously without it. 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Let all that you do be done with love.” In every action, reaction, and interaction, love must prevail.

• Of a sound mind – A sound mind simply means to have the mind of Christ in our thoughts, plans, attitudes, motives, and desires. When Jesus cast out the demons from the demonic, He changed His life completely. The one who was uncontrollable, violent, cutting himself, and living among the tombs was now new creation. Luke 8:35 says, “Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.”

May the Lord help us not to fear but have courage, walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, show His love, and have sound minds. Then we will be victorious and successful in all we do. It worked for Paul, Timothy, and all believers since, and it will work for us too.

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

Dean

-February 27, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Compassion Should Lead To Action-

“And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.”

(Mark 6:34).

Jesus loved people, men, women, and children. This is clearly evident in Mark 6:30-44. His heart of compassion led to action in meeting their needs, first spiritually then physically. Jesus saw the need, was moved with compassion, and taught them many things. As believers this should be our priority as well.

• He saw a great multitude – Jesus looks at all people and knows their seeks their great need to be saved from their sins. Without this nothing else will help them. Christian work must have this as our priority. Our Savior not only saw the crowd but also the individuals in the crowd. We need large evangelistic meetings but we also need one on one sharing with those who do not know the Lord.

• He was moved with compassion – Jesus did not just see the people, He felt with them and for them. He knew their pain, problems, and needs. He had both sympathy for them, thus feeling for them; and empathy with them, thus feeling with them. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.” Jesus went through everything that we go through: He was hungry, thirsty, tired, sad, and lonely. He was truly the Man of Sorrows.

• He taught them many things – Jesus saw the people as sheep without a shepherd. They needed to His Word and know how to apply it to their lives. He thus travelled so many miles to preach and teach, not only in the large cities, but in the small villages. He went to them and they came to Him.

Our Lord not only cared for the spiritual needs of the people, but their physical needs as well. After this instead of sending them home hungry, He fed them, some 5,000 men plus women and children with five loaves and two fish. They all were amply filled and the left over fragments filled twelve baskets. Jesus met their spiritual needs first then their physical ones.

May the Lord help us to have compassion for people that leads to action. There are so many other needs people have and they want to see that we care for them. We cannot help them unless we listen to them and take action to help them. James wrote, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:17-18).

Have a blessed day seeing the needs and meeting them. Let compassion lead to action. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean