Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-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

-February 8, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Love Your Enemies-

“You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise in the evil and good, and sends His rain on the just and on the unjust.”

(Matthew 5:43-45).

Jesus taught us to love one another and took it to a new level in loving even our enemies, and not only loving them, but doing good to them. Only God can help us to love this way. With so much divisiveness, hated, and strive in our country, especially between the major political parties, it is very important that we as believers show God’s love to all.

Verse 44 is the blueprint of how we should treat our enemies: love them, bless them, do good to them, and pray for them. The following verse reminds that God sends sunshine and rain on all people good and bad, just unjust.

• Love your enemies – If it sounds hard, it really is. We love those love love us, and that is easy, but to love an enemy who doesn’t like us or our Savior or our faith is impossible without the help of the Lord. God’s love is supernatural. God loves every person and so should we.

• Bless those who curse you – It gets even harder, when someone is cursing you, insulting you, putting you down, or blaming you. Our natural tendency is lash out and fight back verbally, even physically at times. When we respond with kindness, love, and soft words it diffuses the situation. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

• Do good to those who hate you – Not only are we to not return evil for evil, but we are to return good for evil. Paul wrote, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. Therefore ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head’” (Romans 12:17; Romans 12:20). It is one thing not to return evil for evil, but to go further and do them good, why that is remarkable and miraculous!

• Pray for them who spitefully use and persecute you – The word spiteful is a nasty word and so his persecution in any form. It is hard to lash out against others when you are praying for them. Jesus said on the cross in Luke 23:34, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Stephen, the first martyr, said as he was being stoned to death, “…Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60b).

May the Lord help us to love our enemies as well as our brethren, our family, and our friends. Let us bless our foes, do them good, and pray for them. Jesus, the apostles, the saints that have gone before us have set the best example for us to follow.

Have a blessed day loving your enemies. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-February 7, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Love The Lord, Hate Evil-

“You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.”

(Psalm 97:10).

We live in a sinful, evil, and wicked world. We as believers are called to be light and salt in this world. People should know we are Christians by our love. Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. As believers we are to be wise, have insight, looking to to the Lord for help; we are also to be as innocent sheep and harmless as doves.

We who love the Lord must hate evil. It is hard to look around us and see all the terrible things happening in the world today. There is fine distinction that we must be mindful of: love the sinner but hate their sin. It should bother us when we hear of crime, especially against children and the elderly, injustice in any form, and oppression and corruption by those in authority.

Paul wrote in Romans 12:9, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” He also said, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men” (Romans 12:17). We are in this world but we are not of it. Our home and citizenship is in heaven.

2 Peter 2:7-8 tells us of Lot, “And delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds).” Lot was a believer, albeit a carnal and weak one, Peter nonetheless calls him righteous Lot, and describes him as a righteous man with a righteous soul. It was not easy living in Sodom and Gomorrah, and it is not easy for us to live in our world today. It is oppressive and uncomfortable. We are like fish out of water.

This should keep us on our knees and praying for our government leaders and for more souls to be saved in these last days. Time is short and the task of evangelism is great. Our words of testimony and witness are so needed. We also must make sure our lives back up what we say. Let us remember to love the Lord and hate evil. He will preserve and deliver us from the hand of the wicked just as delivered and preserved the Jews from wicked Haman in the book of Esther.

Have a blessed day loving God and hating evil. Let your life be like light and salt. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean