Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-February 26, 2021-

-The Sin Of Unbelief-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“And He marveled because of their unbelief.”

(Mark 6:6).

Two things made Jesus marvel: great faith especially by Gentiles and great unbelief by His own countrymen. These two qualities are opposites and are in opposition to one another. Today’s text shows us how terrible unbelief is and how it actually hinders the work of God.

Jesus did many mighty miracles and the common people rejoiced and praised God. They loved Him and flocked to Him. The religious leaders, the very ones who should have believed in Him, rejected Him and crucified Him. Their hatred was fueled by their jealousy and unbelief.

This incident of unbelief in Mark 6:1-5, was especially sad and very disappointing to our Savior because the people in His hometown of Nazareth, that should have loved and appreciated Him most, did not believe. Their unbelief affected His ministry among them. They knew His background as a carpenter, they knew his mother, brothers, and sisters. Instead of thanking God for a local man making good, they were offended at Him.

Jesus said in Mark 6:4, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” This is a spiritual principle: those closest to us and know us most, often appreciate us the least. The old expression is so true, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Even Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him until later. As we mentioned before, they became leaders in the early church and each wrote an epistle in the NT.

Not only did the widespread unbelief affect Nazareth, it hindered the work of God in their midst. Mark 6:5 says, “Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.” Divine omnipotence was thwarted by human unbelief. Faith is the only antidote to unbelief.

Our text tells us, “And He marveled because of their unbelief.” Jesus was sad that they rejected His love, but even sadder at how their unbelief affected His work among them in His hometown. I am sure His heart was grieved. Each person in the world has a freewill and must choose to either receive Christ as Lord and Savior or to reject Him. There are only two choices. Even if a person does not openly and verbally reject Him, they are in effect rejecting Him by not accepting Him.

As believers, we must guard against unbelief in every form. Mark 16:14 says, “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.” There are times He has to do the same with us. We do not believe He can or will do a miracle in our lives. The Lord has proven Himself mighty in our lives time and time again, yet we still doubt at times.

We must be honest and examine our own hearts. Where there is doubt, unbelief, or hardness of heart, we must confess it as sin to the Lord. We only see blessing when we believe. Jesus hates unbelief and we should too.

Have a blessed day and weekend in expressing our faith victoriously in Jesus. Let us drive out doubt and unbelief. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 25, 2021-

-God Blessed Caleb For His Spirit And For Following Him Fully-

“But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.”

(Numbers 14:24).

What singled Caleb out for this special blessing? He honored and obeyed God fully. He was among the twelve spies that Moses sent out to spy out the land of Canaan. There was one spy for each of the twelve tribes; Caleb and Joshua brought back a good report, while the other ten brought back a bad report. They all agreed on how good the land was, a land flowing with milk and honey. It was a fruitful and bountiful land. But that is where their agreement ended.

The ten spies saw giants living in fortified cities as such, no way of taking the land. They saw only insurmountable obstacles, concluding the conquest could not be successful. They viewed the outward circumstances from man’s perspective. Caleb and Joshua saw the circumstances as favorable because God was with them. Thus Caleb had a different spirit, a godly and obedient spirit. Caleb pleased God.

Numbers 13:30 says, “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, saying, ‘Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.’” Caleb and Joshua saw with the eyes of faith. God was thus well pleased. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

As a result, God blessed both Caleb and Joshua for their faith. He promised Caleb and his descendants the land as an inheritance. The other ten spies all died in the wilderness and never got any inheritance in the Promised Land. Are you like the ten other spies? Do you see obstacles and giants in your way? Or are you like Caleb seeing with eyes of faith? Do you have a different spirit? Are you following God fully, no turning back?

Have a blessed day walking by faith, trusting in a great God. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 24, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-God’s Thoughts And Plans For Us Are The Best-

“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your future outcome.”

(Jeremiah 29:11 – Amplified Bible).

God has always loved His people and taken care of them. In today’s text, God expresses that love and care in His thoughts and plans for Israel. The prophet Jeremiah warned them of the Babylonian captivity which was coming upon them and would last for seventy years. Jeremiah 29:10 says, “For thus says the Lord: After seventy are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.”

Even before the captivity began, God promised their return to the land. He even told them which specific ruler would authorize their return and rebuilding the temple. King Cyrus would issue the decree and it happened just that way. Many Jews returned to their homeland, building the temple and the walls around Jerusalem. God’s prophesies and promises always come to pass perfectly.

We as believers are waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus to take us home to glory. Then will come the Tribulation, Armageddon, and Christ’s return to earth with His saints, the Millennium, and the Great White Throne judgment on the unsaved. We will rule and reign with our Lord forever in heaven. God will fulfill everything perfectly according to His plan. Our hope, which a confident expectation, is fully assured by His promises.

In the meantime, we trust in the Lord one day at a time, serve Him with all our hearts, and praise and thank Him for who He is and what He has done for us. God thinks about us and has plans for us to give us a future and a hope. We think of Him so little compared to how much He thinks of us. He knows the future and we can rest in that. What happens to us on earth is for our good and His glory. God is a God of hope, who gives us hope; He is a God of peace, who gives us peace; and He is a God of the future, who gives us a bright and blessed future.

We need not fear, worry, or be anxious as we see all the signs of the times around us that show us His coming is near. Who would have thought we would experience this Coronavirus pandemic and it would last this long? Only God knew. He has a plan and will use this and other signs to bring people to Christ. Jeremiah 29:12-13 tells what we need to do: “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

God’s thoughts and plans are best and He will see us through every test! Have a blessed day seeking Him and leaving everything in His hands. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-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

“

-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