Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-December 24, 2020 – Christmas Eve

Good morning, happy Thursday, happy Christmas Eve,

-Jesus Came To Destroy The Works Of The Devil-

“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

(1 John 3:8-9).

The Devil was not always the devil. He was Lucifer, the most beautiful angel who occupied the highest place among the angels, but he fell due to his pride, and was cast out of heaven. One third of the angels joined him and became demons. Ever since he has opposed God, the other angels, and all the people of God.

The devil first appeared on the earth as the serpent, tempting Eve to sin. In pronouncing judgment on him, the Lord said, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all the cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:14-15).

From this time forward, the devil has spread his evil and wickedness. He works to keep people from receiving Christ and does his utmost to destroy the church, which he can never do. Jesus came to break us from the hold he had on us by dying for our sins on the cross. Jesus dealt the devil a mortal blow on the cross, thus He bruised or crushed his head. Even though he is a defeated foe, he fights on. He knows his ultimate fate is the lake of fire and his time is short.

In speaking of Satan, Jesus said in Mark 3:27, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.” Luke wrote, “When a strong man fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils” (Luke 11:21-22).

Jesus is far stronger than the devil and He is the One who bound him, plundered his house, took away all his armor, and divided his spoils. Jesus thus destroyed the works of the devil. He can no longer control us nor can he harm us. We remember even back in the book of Job, Satan had to get God’s permission to strike him.

Paul wrote of the ultimate victory we will have over the enemy of our souls in Romans 16:20, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.” Until then, we must put on the whole armor of God to stand against the schemes of the devil and be protected from his fiery darts. We are on God’s side, the winning side. The devil is the biggest loser.

Let us thank God that He sent His beloved Son Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross and destroy the works of the devil. We can’t wait to see him crushed under our feet and in the lake of fire forever.

Have a blessed day as you consider the victory we have in Jesus. Stay safe and healthy. Merry Christmas.

Dean

-December 23, 2020-

Good morning, happy Wednesday Merry Christmas,

-A Child Is Born, A Son Is Given-

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

(Isaiah 9:6-7).

These words of the Prophet Isaiah were written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy perfectly. Each of the titles in verse 6 apply to Him as God come in the flesh. The Apostle John wrote, “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not of God. And this the spirit of Antichrist, which you have heard was coming m, and is now already in the world” (1 John 4:2-3).

Jesus is called Wonderful – He is wonderful, His name is wonderful, and all His words, works, and ways are wonderful. He brought joy to the world.

Jesus is called Counselor – He is the best teacher. He taught in love how to live in this world as a child of God. His teachings were powerful and changed people’s lives.

Jesus is called Mighty God – He performed miracles of healing and showed many great signs and wonders to those who saw and heard Him.

Jesus is called Everlasting Father – Even though He is the Son, He is in the Father. John 14:8-9 says, “Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it will be sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?’ He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’”

Jesus is called Prince of Peace – He is the Prince of Peace who brought peace to the world. In the midst of chaos, turmoil, and strife, He is our peace. Through Him, we have peace with God and experience the peace of God.

The government shall be on His shoulder and He will reign forever and ever. He will sit on the throne of David and dispense judgement and justice. We are so blessed to be in His kingdom. Oh what Lord and Savior we have! A Child born and a Son is given, who came down to earth from the glory of heaven.

Have a blessed day in Jesus and a Merry Christmas. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-December 22, 2020-

Good morning, happy Tuesday, Merry Christmas,

-The Birth Announcement To The Lowly Shepherds-

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”

(Luke 2:8-11).

Of all the people in the land of Israel, God choose to make known the birth of Jesus to lowly shepherds. The angels who were sent on this mission must have been shocked that God did not choose to announce the birth of His Son to rulers, or religious leaders, or any other great people of the earth. No one dares question why does God does anything. He is sovereign. He always does what is right and He has a purpose for everything.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” God so often chooses the common, ordinary people of this world to work His power through. All the glory goes to Him not to us.

The shepherds were going about their duties of caring for their sheep out in the fields at night. Everyone else were in their homes, all warm and tucked in their beds with their families. God knew these shepherds would obey and go to Bethlehem and see the newborn King. The angel told them in Luke 2:11-12, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David (who was himself a shepherd as a young lad) a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: you will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

The angel uses the word you three times in these verses to demonstrate how personal this birth announcement was for them, then of course for all Israel, and the whole world. What a blessed privilege they had to be the first to hear of the birth of Christ. They went in haste to see this miraculous and marvelous thing that the angel told them about.

Do you wonder why God would love you and make His salvation known to you? Most everyone of us are Gentiles, common ordinary people, sinners in need of a Savior. We praise God we chose to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We responded to the good news and the Lord changed our lives forever.

It is wonderful Tay the shepherds became the first evangelists. Luke 2:17 says, “And when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.” Luke 2:20 also says, “Then the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.” This our mission today as His witnesses and ambassadors to share with others what we have heard and seen, how Jesus changed our lives.

Have a blessed day of sharing the good news that Jesus was born to save us from our sins. He is the reason for the season. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-December 21, 2020-

Good morning, happy Monday, Merry Christmas,

-Jesus Born In A Manger, On Earth A Stranger-

“So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her first born Son, wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

(Luke 2:6-7).

God moves in wonderful and mysterious ways. He used a secular ruler Caesar Augustus to degree that a world wide census be taken. Under their requirements, each person was to return to their city, i.e. the city they were born in. In the U.S. we just completed the 2020 census. We take one every ten years.

This meant that Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary had to travel all the way from Nazareth of Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea to be counted. Joseph was of the house and lineage of David. We thank God that He leads us and guides us as well. Nothing happens by accident, chance, luck, fate, or karma in the lives of God’s people. In the case of Mary and Joseph, it was preordained and part of God’s prophetic plan.

While in Bethlehem, it was time for Mary to give birth. Because of the Passover, every room in the inn was full. The owner of the inn graciously offered his manger or cattle stall to the needy couple and there Jesus was born. God wanted it to be that way. His will was not a palace, which would have been worthy of the Son of God. Instead, it was a humble, lowly manger. From His birth to His death, He was the homeless stranger. Jesus once said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). He often slept under the stars on the Mount of Olives and other places. He had no home, no more than one outer garment to call His, and had no money either. He laid aside His royal vestiges to wear the clothes of a servant.

There was no room for Him in the inn nor was there room in many human hearts. In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul wrote, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” He left all the splendor of heaven, where He was worshipped and adored to become the Man of Sorrows and be rejected by men and crucified for us. Only His great love for us made Him leave heaven to come to this sin cursed earth. He was God manifested in the flesh. The perfect God-Man.

The hymn writer Henry Barraclough wrote, “Out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe, only His great eternal love made my Savior go.” He loved you and me so much that He came to where we were in our sin and brought us to where He is in heaven. He sacrificed all, shed His blood, and died for us on the cross. He rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven, and now sits at the right hand of the majesty on high.

Praise God for the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord, for His life of serving the Father, His death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection. The Babe of the Manger became the homeless Stranger. Thank God we have received Him as our Lord and Savior. Let us serve Him as humble, willing, servants whether we have much or little, giving all to Him.

Have a blessed day contemplating who Jesus is and what He has done for us. May He find room in our hearts to sit on the throne of our hearts. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-December 20, 2020-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day, Merry Christmas,

-Christ Jesus Came Into The World To Save Sinners-

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of who I am chief.”

(1 Timothy 1:15).

The answer to why Jesus Christ came into the world is answered in today’s verse: to save sinners. Though He preached the gospel, performed miracles, healed those in need, and called disciples and trained them, unless He had died on the cross and rose again, we would still be in our sins.

In Matthew 1:21 the angel tells Joseph, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” The Son became our Sin bearer, and the Sin Bearer became our Savior. He was the only man to be born without sin. He knew no sin, He did no sin, and there was no sin in Him.

Hebrews 7:26 says of Christ our High Priest, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” He bore our sins on the cross once for all to save us from our sins. Peter wrote, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness — by who stripes we were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

We are all sinners, and and as such each one needs to be saved and forgiven. Paul tells us, “that Christ came into the world to save sinners, of who I am chief.” Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” As sinners we need a Savior. That realization brings us to the cross to confess and repent of our sins, and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. God’s plan of salvation was fulfilled at Calvary. Those who accept Jesus are sinners saved by grace, and saints of God.

From the womb to the tomb, from the cradle to the cross, and from birth to death and resurrection, it is finished. The price of our sin debt was paid in full. All our sins, past, present, and future are forgiven; they are removed as far as the east to the west. We who were separated from God because of our sin, are now brought near by the blood of Christ.

Let us thank God that Jesus came into to save sinners like us. He chose to be be born in a manger in Bethlehem, that lowly place, to bring us peace, joy, and hope. Even in the midst of this terrible pandemic, God’s message of love comes through this Christmas.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day and upcoming Christmas Day. Hallelujah our sins are forgiven! Stay safe and healthy.

Dean