Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-February 13, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-God’s Love For The World-

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Today’s text is one of most known and loved verses in the Bible. Often when something is so well known and familiar, we tend to read past it or take it lightly or for granted. When we take the time to read it and meditate on it, it is one of the greatest verses in the Bible with such a tremendous message.

There are three parts to the verse and each one connects to the other like links on a chain. Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus who came to meet with Jesus at night. He introduced this eminent man, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, to the teaching of the new birth and that God loves everyone in the whole world.

• For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son – There are several Greek words for world in the NT. One is for the earth or the cosmos, another is for system that is against Christ and the church, and the one in our verse is the people on this planet. God loved and in fact so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save us from our sins. This means He loves you and me. God created all people in His image and loves each person. God does not care about skin color, ethnicity, cultural background, age, gender, or financial status. He sees beyond the exterior to the heart. Jesus died for everyone so that each one can be saved. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God is the greatest lover and greatest giver, who gives the greatest gift.

• That whoever believes in Him should not perish – While the invitation for salvation is sent to everyone, only those who believe are saved. Each person must RSVP. The time is now to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Once Jesus comes or a person dies, it will be too late. God does not want any souls to perish and end up in hell. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Salvation is a free gift if one will just accept it. The soul is eternal and will live forever either in heaven if one saved or in hell if one is not saved.

• But have everlasting life – Though both the saved and unsaved will live forever, everlasting life is the result of believing in Jesus. Once a person is saved, he receives all other spiritual blessings as well. Many stumble over the gospel since the message is so simple and they do not have to do anything to obtain it but believe. Eternity is long time but few in this world consider where they will spend it. So many prepare way more for vacations, sending their kids to college, or retirement than for where they will be in eternity.

Valentine’s Day, a day of love for couples, is coming up tomorrow. Not everyone has a valentine, or even someone to love them. If that may be you, please remember God loves you and gave His Son to save you. It is far better that Jesus loves us and that we have eternal life. Let us reflect on Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Have a blessed day in the love of Jesus. His love for you is better than the love of people, no matter how special they are to you. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 12, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Love Keeps On Going Strong-

“[Love] does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

(1 Corinthians 13:6-8a).

God’s love has permanence to it. It lasts all during our earthly stay and forever in heaven. Man’s love, like his life, is at best temporary and transitory. When we get saved, we learn what true love is all about. Love rejoices, bears, believes, hopes, and endures. It never fails.

John 13:1 says, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” The disciples, like us, were not perfect. They were common, ordinary men that God used to spread the gospel to the whole world. From its inception on the day of Pentecost, the church has been characterized by love. The early believers loved one another as well as all men, including their enemies.

• Love does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth – We cannot live a lie nor can we rejoice in iniquity in any form. God’s Word is truth, Jesus is the truth, and thus we must live by the truth. Lies change because they are lies; Truth never changes. Jesus said in Matthew 5:37, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ No. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” Truth and honesty is vital in our relationships.

• Love bears all things – There is nothing that love cannot bear. Not pain, separation, illness, sorrow, loss, death, not anything. Paul wrote in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s love through us can bear anything and everything.

• Love believes all things – This does not mean that we should believe everything we read online, in the newspaper, or on TV, but rather believe all things that God has shown us. We must stand for what we believe in Christ no matter the consequences in this life. We need to trust each other and stand by each other. However if someone is in the wrong, no matter how much we love them, we must side with the truth and with the righteous.

• Love hopes all things – Hope in the Bible is more than positive or wishful thinking, it is a confident expectation based on the Word of God. God has proven Himself over and over again to us. We must look to Him without question or doubt.

• Love endures all things – When we love God and His people we can endure the harshest conditions imaginable. God’s grace is sufficient for us on a daily basis. Love helps us to keep on keeping on. Think of the worst things you have had to endure, and you made it through, you survived, you overcame it!

• Love never fails – Love never fails because Jesus who loves us never fails. He has helped us in the past and will in the future. Man may let us down but our Savior will never fail. The hymn writer Arthur A. Luther wrote, “Earthly friends may prove untrue, doubts and fears assail; One still lives and cares for you, One who will not fail. Jesus never fails, Jesus never fails, heaven and earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails.”

Let the love of Jesus flow through you to others. His love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. His love never fails. Only God’s love is still going strong.

Have a blessed day loving others as He loves us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 11, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-The Description Of Love, Part One-

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”

(1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

In yesterday’s verses, Paul told us how important love is and that without it we are nothing and no matter what we do, it is nothing. Today, we see what love is and what is not. God’s love is exquisite, exceptional, and excellent. Paul groups the various components of love together.

• Love suffers long and is kind – Another word for longsuffering is patience. Love and patience go together. Our patience get tested on a daily basis not just at home but wherever we go, whenever we go, and with whomever we go. Being kind helps us get along with the hard to get along people.

• Love does not envy, parade itself, and is not puffed up – Love isn’t about self, it is about others. Love is happy for others in what have and doesn’t desire what they have. Love doesn’t call attention to oneself, and is not proud. Love says “all that I have comes from God; don’t look at me, look at Christ.”

• Love does not behave rudely, nor seek its own – No likes to be around rude people. Rude people are blunt and hurt people’s feelings without even knowing it. They think others are too sensitive. They judge others but not themselves; often they are also sarcastic and selfish.

• Love is not provoked and thinks no evil – Getting angry with others over little things, harboring grudges, or always thinking of the worst in others is not good. Instead we should look for the best and bring out the best in others.

Let us show the love of Christ toward others in kindness, humility, unselfishness, courtesy, and compassion. We will win many more people to Christ and encourage many more fellow believers in their walk.

Have a blessed day showing the love of Christ to others. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 10, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Without Love We Are Nothing And What We Do Profits Nothing-

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And 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.”

(1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

1 Corinthians chapter 13 is universally called, “The Love Chapter.” It has 13 verses and all of them speak of God’s love and we can express it to others. Paul wrote this great chapter about the greatest virtue of all. Love is one of the fruit of the Spirit and is mentioned first in Galatians 5:22-23. Paul cannot stress enough its importance and excellence.

The great apostle shares how without love nothing we do or accomplish for the Lord will profit anything, in fact, without love, we are nothing. Our lives without love are as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal, that is with no accompaniment. Paul refers to four great things in Christianity that are meaningless without love: having the gift of prophecy, knowing all mysteries and all knowledge, having faith to remove mountains, giving all one’s goods to feed the poor, and sacrificing one’s body to be burned. These are a good and worthy things, but without love are useless.

Love for God and for one’s neighbor summarize the greatest and second greatest commandments of all. Love is the best quality, the highest motivation, and the best act of service and sacrifice we can render to others. This Sunday is Valentine’s Day. Saint Valentine was a real person, a believer in Christ who was imprisoned for his faith. He sent a red heart from his prison cell to all the saints in his community to encourage them. Love triumphs over all evil, sin, wickedness, difficult circumstances, pain, and sorrow.

Let us reflect upon God’s love for us and how we can show this love to others. John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). Love in the world as an emotion or sentiment is wonderful but love as an action or sacrifice is even greater. Love gives, shares, helps, and sacrifices. Love is all about Christ and others, not about me. May we remember that without love we are nothing and anything we do, no matter how great it is, profits nothing.

Have a blessed day loving others as Jesus loves us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 9, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-A Growing Faith And An Abounding Love-

“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other.”

(2 Thessalonians 1:3).

We all appreciate complements, to be appreciated, and to do well in whatever we do. The Apostle Paul loved the saints in Thessalonica and was thankful for them and their spiritual lives. He wrote two epistles to them. According to Acts 17, he spent three weeks with them. Acts 17:2-4 says, “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, as for three Sabbaths reasoning with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that Christ had to suffer and to rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.”

Along with their great evangelistic success came great persecution from the Jews, who stirred up a mob of evil men, who dragged Jason and some of the brethren to the rulers of the city. They took security from them, which is like our bail, and let them go. The brethren sent Paul and Silas away at night to Berea.

A church was formed there and it became very successful and blessed. Paul wrote of their growing faith and abounding love. One of the blessings of persecution then and still today, is that more people get saved and grow spiritually. This is much to the chagrin of the devil and those who oppose the gospel.

• A growing faith – Paul thanks the Lord for their growing faith. It takes faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross to save us. Then it takes faith to grow in our relationship with Christ. Paul appreciated both aspects of their faith, especially the latter that showed their complete dependence on the Lord. Hebrews 11:6 says, “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.”

The Christian life is a walk of faith. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” We believe God, trust in Him to guide us, and wait upon Him for His help and answers to our prayers. The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “ A little faith will bring your soul to heaven; a great faith will bring heaven to your soul.” Thus, the Thessalonians’ had that great faith that grew exceedingly! How is your faith? Is is a growing faith? Is it growing exceedingly?

• An abounding love – Not only did they have a growing faith in the Lord, but they had an abounding love toward each other. There is a special bond between believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. It started with the twelve disciples and spread to all the saints. Praise God it is still true today. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:9, “And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment.” We can never love enough, we must abound more and more. The love of the Thessalonians for each other hit a crescendo! It abounded, and then sounded to those around them. Is your love abounding? Is is sounding forth in a rich harmony?

If Paul was writing to our church today, what would he say? Would he be proud of us? Would he concur that our faith is growing exceedingly and our love is abounding toward each other? Let say, amen.

Have a blessed day in faith and love. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean