Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 12, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-The Need Is Great, The Laborers Are Few-

“Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

(Matthew 9:37-38).

Jesus was moved compassion on all the people because they were scattered, like sheep without a Shepherd. He saw that the need was so great for so many needed to be saved. It is no different today, the difference is the time is shorter before our Lord and Savior comes to call us home to glory.

So few are saved today compared to the general population. Jesus is not content to save a few, He wants to save them all. He died for the sins of the whole world and offers salvation and eternal life to those who believe. His plan of salvation is carried out through those who have come to Him for salvation. That means you and me as well as all believers across the world.

• The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few – As I said, the need is great because so few are saved. People are dead in their trespasses and sins, lost, separated from God, and destined for 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.”

With such a great need, Jesus says, “but the laborers are few.” Not only are the number of Christians few, but of those, the laborers are few. The mission to win souls is of such vital importance that we must answer the call. Jesus said in John 4:35-36, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.” Every time we share the gospel we sow the seed in the hearts of those who hear, and reap when we lead to people to Christ. Sowers and reapers are both important, needed, and will be rewarded.

• Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest – The need for missionaries today is very great. We need to pray that the Lord will call and burden the hearts of His people to go forth into all the world preaching the gospel to every person. This is our part in missions: to pray, to give, and be missionaries right where we are in our neighborhoods, communities, schools, workplaces, or wherever we go.

When the United States went to war in 1941, everyone had a part in the war, from the soldiers, sailors, and airmen, to those who built the ships and planes, to those who prayed and sacrificed, and rationed needed commodities. It lead to victory. We need this same collective effort in spreading the gospel. It takes more than a few to achieve the goal.

Are you willing to pray, to give, and to share the gospel? And if God calls you to go out into the world as a foreign missionary are we willing to go? The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Compassion leads to action.

Have a blessed day as missionaries and ambassadors for Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-January 11, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Call On The Lord Who Is On Our Side-

“I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

(Psalm 118:5-6).

The writer of this beautiful Psalm is David. He had a close, personal walk with the Lord. It is important to realize that those in the Bible who walked closest with the Lord had the most severe trials. This was true of David, Joseph, Job, Daniel, Paul, and others.

In verse five, David writes, “I called on the Lord in distress.” Distress indicates great severity. David prayed to the Lord who answered him, setting him in a broad place. David knew to whom he should turn: to the Lord in prayer. So often in our distress we try every solution on our own first before praying to the only One who can help us. Instead of praying last after all else fails, we should pray first to the Lord who never fails.

David understood that the Lord was on his side, so he concluded that there was nothing to fear. He even asks the question, “What can man do to me?”He knew that his enemies could kill his body but they could harm his soul. In verses 8 and 9 of this chapter, he writes, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”

King Saul could not kill David nor could his own son Absalom, though both tried. The Lord protected him in every battle and he was victorious. It is wonderful to know that the Lord is on our side and we are on His side. Our faith in Christ drives out our fear. The Lord has never failed us and He never will. He has brought us through thus far and will carry us through to the end of our journey on earth and take us to heaven.

Distresses are often overwhelming, whether spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, or financial. The Lord is right with us in our trials, hears and answers our prayers, and delivers us. Let go to Him first in prayer and plead for His help. He has helped us in the past and will also help us in the present and the future.

There is no need to fear man or anything else that may happen to us. Paul wrote in Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things, if God is for us, who can be against us.” Let us pray and trust in Him.

Have a blessed day trusting in the Lord no matter what distresses we face. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-January 10, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Be holy For God is Holy-

“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

(1 Peter 1:15-16).

God is holy and He made us holy through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is our position before God. To be holy is to be separated from the world and and set apart for the Lord. Our sins are forgiven and we are the people of God. We are citizens of heaven as well as citizens of earth.

As we have be made holy, God calls us to be holy in all our conduct. This is our practice. Our practice in Christ will never fully match our position until we see Jesus face to face. Then we will be fully like Him. We have two natures, the old nature and the new nature. We are to put off the old and put on the new.

We are the holy people of God and we must live holy lives in this world. We can’t do it on our own, we need the Holy Spirit using the Holy Scriptures in our lives. The more time we spend with Jesus in prayer and the Word, the more we will be like Him.

There are two aspects of holiness, to be separated from the world and to be set apart for the Lord. Separation is not isolation. We live in the world but we are not of this world. The world’s system is evil, wicked, and against Christ. We must be different in our character, conduct, and conversation. The other aspect is to be set apart for God. We are His children and we need to live that way. We belong to Jesus and our desire is to live like Him and for Him. We are here on earth to share the gospel and to serve Him all the days of our lives.

As someone aptly said, “Christians are not perfect, just forgiven.” While this is certainly true, we must not use it as an excuse for sin and unholiness. Holiness is a lifestyle that we cultivate and grow in. We call it personal holiness, for it is the way God wants us to live as individuals. Therefore, the challenge to us is, “be holy in all your conduct.” All means at all times, in all circumstances, with all people, not just other Christians. May the Lord help us to be holy in the home, in the church, in the school, in the workplace, and wherever go.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day in walking in holiness. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-January 9, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Lay Up Treasures In Heaven-

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

(Matthew 6:19-21).

Life is all about choices and priorities. Today’s text is a great example of this. We as believers can either lay up treasures on earth or treasures in heaven. The choices we make in this life determine where are priorities are. Jesus said in verse 21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Laying up treasures on earth has so little security. Jesus tells that “moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. We all need money to live on, material things to utilize; we have ourselves and our families to think of. We also must think about retirement and having enough to live on in this world. Money is not the root of all evil, it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. If we live our lives as if this world and this life was all there is, we are no different from our unsaved neighbors and friends.

When we put all our time, effort, money, and others into earthly things, it is an exercise in futility. They will either be lost, stolen, or destroyed. In fact, even if they survive to the end of our lives, we must leave them all behind when we die or at the Rapture. One day this earth will be burned up and all things in it when God creates a new heavens and a new earth.

By laying up treasures in heaven they will be there waiting for us when we go to be with the Lord. They cannot be destroyed, lost, or stolen; and they never lose their value. The question is “how do we lay up treasures in heaven?” It is really quite simple: every penny we give to the Lord’s work is part of it; everything we do for the Lord in His service is part of it; our time and effort that we expend for the Lord and His people is part of it. The Lord knows and sees and remembers. Some believers will have much in their heavenly bank account and some will have little.

The choices and decisions we make show where our heart and priorities are. We must choose to lay up treasures in heaven. Life is so short, eternity is forever. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:1-2, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things on the earth.”

Where is your treasure? Is it on earth or in heaven? It is time to invest in eternity, into winning souls for Christ, serving the Lord, in the Word of God, and in prayer. These things have the greatest value in eternity. Let us labor and invest in the things above not the things of this world.

Have a blessed day investing in eternity. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-January 8, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Serve The Lord In Secret-

“But when you do your charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; that your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:3-4).

“But you,when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6).

“But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:17-18).

Jesus taught His disciples to do everything in secret before men. This was in stark contrast to what the Pharisees did. They did everything for show, to be seen by others. They always sought the approval of man not of God. We are to be humble servants, not to care who gets the credit as long as God gets all the glory.

Man loves the limelight, to be praised, and to look good; but God sees the heart. Jesus taught that giving, praying, and fasting should always be in secret. God who sees in secret will reward us at the Judgment Seat of Christ. There are times when others find out and commend us, then we should always give all the glory to the Lord.

Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” When we give, we give in secret; and when we do good, we do it in secret.

This applies to prayer as well. We should pray in secret and bring our requests to God. Now this is not to say we shouldn’t pray publicly in prayer meetings, we should, and when we do our prayers shouldn’t be to impress others who hear us pray. Our prayers are to the Father in Jesus’ name.

Not only should we give and pray in secret, we should also fast in secret. When there is something very urgent, we should go without food and show our earnestness before God. In Scripture, prayer and fasting always went together with prayer being listed first. God always sees and hears.

Let us then give and do good in secret, pray in secret, and fast in secret. God will always see and reward us openly. He sees what is in our hearts and what our true motive us. Everything we do should be out of love for Christ and for His glory.

Have a blessed day serving the Lord in secret for His glory. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean