Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-February 23, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Devising Good Brings God’s Mercy And Truth On Us-

“Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.”

(Proverbs 14:22).

Prisons are full of people who devised evil and went astray. I have always thought if these criminals had just used their minds for good it would have benefited society so much. Instead they committed crimes and were caught. But there are many other people who devise evil that have not resulted in their incarceration.

There are are those who seek revenge on others who have wronged them. There are those who have lied on their taxes, cheated on their tests, or stole things from someone. They too have devised evil and have gone astray. They are like those in the prisons, but they have not been caught.

Not so with the children of God. Mercy and truth belong to those who devise to do good. The word devise means “to plan or invent (a complex procedure, system or mechanism) by careful thought.” Doing good to others requires careful thought and planning. God blesses those who do so with His mercy and truth.

There are many ways we can do good to others in need: giving money or material help, offering to shop for those who are shut in, running other errands, picking someone up or driving them to a medical appointment. The list is as endless as the needs. How we we respond when someone asks for our help? Do we comply or complain? How is our attitude? Do we do good in the name of Jesus and unto Him?

Jesus said, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me’” Matthew 25:34-36; Matthew 25:40).

The Lord will reward our efforts as long as we do them with good motives as unto the Lord. Devising and doing good takes planning and effort, but it is so worthwhile and is such a great blessing to us.

Have a blessed day devising and doing good. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

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-February 22, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-The Importance Of Doing God’s Will-

“But He answered them, saying, ‘Who is My mother, or my brothers?’ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.’”

(Mark 3:33-35).

Jesus’ number one priority while on earth and always is to do the will of the Father. He spoke about it, and most of all He did it. John 4:34 says, “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’”He also prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “…Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

As believers in Christ, our highest priority should be to pray for God’s will, to desire God’s will, and to do God’s will. Those who are unsaved seek only their own will. God knows the future, what is best for us, and what is in keeping with His plan in the world.

There was always a crowd around Jesus which made it very hard to get close to Him. On this occasion, His mother and brothers were standing outside and wanted to see Him and speak to Him. Someone in the crowd brought this to His attention. Interestingly, His answer was, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” It wasn’t that He didn’t know who they were, but He used this occasion to show who He was closest to. At this time His brothers did not believe in Him, and they thought He was not in His right mind. Later on, praise God, two of His brothers, James and Jude both got saved, became leaders in the church, and wrote an epistle in the Scriptures.

Jesus looked at those in the circle around Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!” In other words, that these were the ones closest to Him, His followers, those who shared His commitment to the Father. He said, “For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister, and mother.” We share this same sentiment. We are closer with our fellow believers than we are to with our natural relatives.

Jesus made this clear in Mark 6:4, … A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”The bond in Christ is so much stronger. It is a double blessing however, when a relative is also a believer in Christ.

We miss our unsaved relatives a lot during this pandemic, but we miss our brothers and sisters in Christ even more because they share the same faith in and love for our Savior. We serve the Lord with them here on earth and will spend eternity with them in heaven.

Have a blessed day seeking and doing God’s will and being close to the saints.

Dean

-February 21, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Jesus Was Forsaken By God Because He Died For Our Sins-

“Now about the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’”

(Matthew 27:45-46).

Much of the scene of the cross was shrouded in darkness over all the land. It was an impermeable darkness. The only other time when there was darkness in the daytime was when God brought a severe plague of darkness on the Egyptians. The Scripture says that darkness could be felt. Here the cross it was very similar but even more ominous.

The last three hours of Jesus’ crucifixion was when He bore our sins and accomplished our salvation. God laid our sins on Him, He bore them in His own body, and He became sin for us. God darkened the land while this transaction took place. All our sin, evil, wickedness, and wretchedness was transferred onto our Savior. He bore our sin debt and paid it in full. God’s wrath and judgment was heaped on our precious, sinless, holy Redeemer. He shed His blood to wash away our sin.

It is amazing after all that Christ suffered, He summoned all His strength and cried out to the Father. He quoted Psalm 22:1, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me…” The answer to this question is both simple and sublime: He was bearing our sin, and a holy God cannot look on sin. Thus God forsook Him. He died all alone on the cross in darkness. There was none to comfort Him or help Him.

Oh, what a heavy price our Savior paid to save us! Prior to the cross, the Son had wonderful and blessed communion with the Father all the time He was on earth as well as in eternity past. Now, however during His time on the cross, God turned His back on Him. He suffered something we will never have to. God promised us, “I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you.” This is found in a number of Scriptures.

Because Jesus died for us, He was forsaken that one time. As a result, we who believe in Him will be with Him in heaven forever. He will be with us and never leave or forsake us. We who deserved death, physical and spiritual, now have life abundant and eternal; we who should be chained in darkness forever, now have light in the Lord; and we who were guilty have been pardoned and forgiven. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

The hymn writer Robert C. Chapman wrote, “In His spotless soul’s distress, I have learnt my guiltiness; Oh how vile my low estate, since my ransom was so great.” This hymn is titled “Oh, My Savior Crucified,” and the tune was composed by Mozart.

Have a blessed day of worshiping and praising the Lord for His sacrifice on the cross. Remember the One who was forsaken for us will never leave us or forsake us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 20, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Keep Quiet The Faults Of Others And Don’t Gossip-

“He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends.”

(Proverbs 17:9).

The relationships between believers is very important. The key overriding principle is love. It is very important to encourage one another to walk in obedience, holiness, and love before the Lord. With so many discipling and mentoring others, especially the newer believers, it important to keep their problems confidential and not share them with others.

Solomon writes, “He who covers a transgression seeks love…” This does not mean to hide sin and important issues from the leadership of the church. They need to know what is happening so they can deal effectively with it and help that person. There are persons in the church such as the pastor and his wife and or other elders who are trained to handle problems and issues among the saints. It does mean not to share it with others who do not need to know.

Not everyone is a counselor just like not everyone is a preacher or teacher. Counseling is very important in the church. In our church we are so blessed to have Adel and Sylvia as counselors with their knowledge of the Word, the skills of listening and sharing what to do, and their many years of experience. They then train others to take on this ministry. They keep everything what they hear confidential.

Solomon goes on to say, “…but he who repeats a matter separates friends.” Gossip is sharing information about others with those who are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution. It only fuels the fire and burns the house. Proverbs 16:28 says, “A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer (gossip) separates the best of friends.” The gossip speaks in a whisper. They may say, did you hear about so and so? Isn’t that terrible?

We need to pray for others. Certain personal things need to be kept confidential and just brought before the throne of grace. James 5:16 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

May we both keep confidences and share with the leadership the important problems and issues but not gossip the information to others. Let the law of love, with grace and mercy prevail.

Have a blessed day in our relationships with others. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 19, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Being Fully Obedient To The Lord-

“Thus the children of Israel did; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they did.”

(Numbers 1:54).

When God gave His commandments in the wilderness to the Israelites, He spoke them through Moses and they were written down for the people to follow. Today’s verse is so encouraging because the children of Israel did according to all the Lord commanded. Sadly, their history is littered with disobedience and idolatry.

Anything less than full obedience is disobedience. In the days of Joshua the people pledged their obedience to the Lord. Joshua 24:24 says, “And the people said to Joshua, ‘The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!’” Unfortunately, their obedience lasted such a short time. Joshua 24:31 says, “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.”

This is why we must pass down our faith and obedience to the Lord to the next generation. They will have to make their own decision to receive Christ and live for Him. We see it in our country and in the world today. The further we go in time, the further away people are from the Lord and His Word.

The Israelites later asked for a king to rule over them. God gave them King Saul. He started off so well. He was humble and obedient, but soon disobeyed God by sparing King Agag and the best of their livestock. Saul only partially obeyed which was disobedience. 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “So Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.’”

May the Lord help us to be fully obedient to the Lord. It is the key to fulfillment, success, and victory in our spiritual lives. David, in contrast to Saul was fully obedient to the Lord. The hymn writer James H. Sammis wrote, “Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet, or we’ll walk by His side in the way; What He says we will do, where He sends we will go, never fear only trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Have a blessed and obedient day and weekend. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean