Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 29, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-How To Be First In The Kingdom Of God: Be Last And Servant Of All-

“And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’”

(Mark 9:35).

Today’s text is what we call in modern vernacular, “a teachable moment.” Jesus is the Master teacher and we as His disciples are His followers. Jesus used moments like this not to scold the twelve disciples but to shape them. On this occasion, the lesson was on on greatness and prominence in the kingdom. They had debated on the road which one of them was the greatest. Jesus knew the answer but still asked them the question in Mark 9:33, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” They kept silent for they disputed among themselves who was the greatest. I think they were embarrassed to admit it.

Jesus tells them, “…If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Normally in business, government, sports, or any other organization, the brightest, strongest, and most talented climb the ladder of success and become leaders. The first are the first, and the last are last, and there are many in the middle. Jesus turns it upside down by saying the way to be first is to be last of all and servant of all. Jesus taught humility and servanthood by example.

This was a hard lesson for the disciples as it is for us. The issue came up on several occasions and Jesus patiently taught them. The flesh is so strong in all of us. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak as Jesus said. Jesus even brought in a little child to show them how each of them are children of God. Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

In the upper room, Jesus taught and showed them how to be last and servant of all. He took the place of a servant or slave and took water and a towel and washed the feet of each disciple one by one. Jesus said to them in John 13:13-15, “…Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

Leaders in the church are followers of Christ, and servants among the flock. They are not to lead by force, but by example in the love of Christ. They are teachers and trainers for the saints to do the ministry of the Lord. May the Lord help us to take the lowly place, to be last and servant of all. Let the Lord use us to be examples to others. There is great power in humility and service. This is especially true when we take on menial in tasks and ones that no one else wants to do. When doing them silently and in secret, the Lord is glorified.

Have a blessed day and weekend humbly serving the Lord as examples to others. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-January 28, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-How To Worship The Lord-

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

(John 4:24).

It is not where you worship but who you worship that counts. The Samaritan woman engaged our Lord on this very subject. She, and all the other Samaritans believed that one must God worship on the mountain that their forefathers worshipped on, and the Jews believed that one should worship in Jerusalem. Jesus told her in John 4:22, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” Correct doctrine is extremely important.

Jesus directed her to the essential issue: who and how one worships. He told her, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The only times in Scripture that man saw God was when He took on Himself human flesh. In the OT, the Angel of the Lord appeared to man as God. It is also called a theophany. At the Incarnation, God became flesh and dwelt among men.

Many who came to Jesus and were healed, worshipped Him. Jesus never told anyone that he was a mere man and not to worship Him. Those who love the Lord will worship Him. The wise men worshipped Him, the disciples worshipped Him, and even a healed leper bowed and worshipped Him.

We can worship the Lord at church, at home or wherever we go. The key is to worship Him in spirit and in truth. He is so worthy. The hymn writer Inglis Fleming wrote, “We worship Thee all glorious Lord, forever be Thy name adored! We worship Thee all glorious Lord, forever be Thy name adored!”

May the Lord help us to worship Him and teach our children to worship Him. We can worship Him with music as David did or in silent meditation, or in sharing from the Word or in prayer; Our hearts just need to be in it. Worship comes from the word “worth.” We consider His worth when we remember His Person and work. Hallelujah what a Savior!

Have a blessed day of worshipping the Lord in spirit and truth. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-January 26, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Spiritual Warfare: The Real Enemy We Fight Against And How To Fight Him-

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.”

(Ephesians 6:12-13).

Ephesians 6:10-18 is the fullest teaching on spiritual warfare in all the Bible. The title of this section is: the Whole Armor of God. It tells us who we fight, how we fight, and how to prepare ourselves with the armor of God. Of all the armor of God, all parts are defensive with the exception of the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Paul also mentions prayer for our fellow believers and prayer for him. Prayer is the key to our victory.

The first thing to remember is who the real enemy is, the devil and all his demons. Though we cannot see them, they are real, they are powerful, and they are against us. They want to destroy us and the church as a whole. The devil is a defeated foe, but he and his evil forces keep fighting on. Jesus defeated the devil on the cross. He is greatly limited what he can do to us. Still we must protect ourselves and fight him in the Lord’s power not in our own power.

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, that is the people we see around us. There are evil hosts, demons, who behind the governments of this world. Paul calls them principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. They are unseen armies that fight against Michael the archangel and the angelic forces of God. This why prayer is so important to defeat them.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

Spiritual battles against evil and wicked spiritual forces must be fought with spiritual weapons. We are assured of the victory in Christ. The devil and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire after the Millennium. He knows his fate. His mission is to stop people from getting saved and to destroy the church.

Paul tells us in verse 13, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.” the apostle uses the world stand twice in this verse. We are living in the last days, evil days. Things are going from worse to worse. Evil is prevailing around us, we must stand firm for Christ more than ever before.

In verses 14-18, Paul lists the armor of God piece by piece: waist girded with truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. The Christian soldier must put on the whole armor, not just a part of it, as we go to battle each day. We must stand and withstand. It depends on us for both offense and defense.

Let us fight the good fight of faith, knowing who are real enemies are, putting on the whole armor of God, so that we can stand and withstand against the devil and his demons. The hymn writer Charles Wesley wrote, “And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him— his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure: one little word shall fell him.”

Have a blessed and victorious day in our spiritual warfare. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-January 26, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Humbling Ourselves In The Sight Of The Lord-

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

(James 4:10).

Jesus taught and practiced humility. He came down as the Son of God from the glory of heaven to be born in Bethlehem’s manger. He served the Father and died on the cross for our sins, and rose for our justification. While in Upper Room before His arrest and betrayal, He took the servant’s place and washed the feet of His disciples.

James, the writer of this epistle and half brother of Jesus, saw and heard what Jesus did and the life He lived. At first his brothers did not believe in Him, but then later turned to Him and became great servants of the Lord. His brother Jude did also and wrote the short epistle of Jude.

Here in our text, James clearly writes, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord…” It is not easy to humble ourselves, but it is absolutely essential in the Christian life. We are saved by grace through faith, we are unworthy sinners, and everything we have belongs to God and we are stewards of the manifold glory of God. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ and are one and equal before God.

James wrote in James 4:6, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” None of us as believers want God to resist Him. Pride was the original sin of Lucifer, the prominent angel, who became the devil and took with him one third of the angels when he was banished from heaven. He exalted himself to the place of God. When the devil, as the serpent, tempted Eve he attracted her with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

The decision is ours, we must choose to humble ourselves or God will humble us. James adds, “…and He will lift you up.” God promises great blessings on the humble in our verse and throughout the Scriptures. Jesus said in Matthew 23:11-12, “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” In this context Jesus is speaking of the pride of the Pharisees and how they exalted themselves. He wanted His disciples to be the opposite of the Pharisees.

The principle of Scripture is clear: God humbles the proud but exalts the humble. Let us then humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord every day of our lives. God will bless us and lift us up. He will give success and victory. We must thank Him and give Him all the glory. A humble saint seeks no credit and is happy when others do well.

Have a blessed day walking and serving in humility in the sight of the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-January 25, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Meditate On Christ And His Word-

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy— meditate on these things.”

(Philippians 4:8).

Meditation is so important in the Christian life. Other religions also have meditation but the big difference is that we meditate on our Lord and the Word of God not just humanistic thoughts. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Meditate on these things; give yourselves entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15).

In Joshua 1:8, the Lord said, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.” The Bible is not just for leaders, pastors, preachers, teachers, and missionaries, it is for all of us. Meditation goes beyond just reading it and even studying it; it involves thinking about it and applying it to our lives. Meditation takes time and produces great results in our lives with Christ.

As we read the Word, we can take a verse or part of a verse or thought from verse or subject from a passage to muse over. Here in our text today, Paul mentions eight qualities that we can think about and apply to our lives. These represent the life of Christ and how He wants us to live. Christ is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy.

We need to make these qualities prevalent in our lives: true – tell the truth and stand for the truth; noble – be dignified and respectful of all people; just – be fair and righteous, treating people equally; pure – be holy in our thoughts and actions; lovely – having a beautiful spirit and a smile on our faces; good report – be positive and look for good things in every situation; virtue – having spiritual and moral excellence and high standards in all areas of life; praiseworthy – praise God daily and thank Him for what He has done for us.

To be like Jesus, to speak like Jesus, and to live like Jesus should be our continual goal. As we read about Him and meditate on Him and His Word, we will grow spiritually and be more pleasing to Him. In writing about verse 8, Bill MacDonald said, “A person cannot entertain evil thoughts and thoughts about the Lord Jesus at the same time. If, then, an evil thought should come to him, he should immediately get rid of it by meditating on the Person and work of Christ.”

Have a blessed day meditating on Christ and His Word and being positive in our thoughts. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean