Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-December 3, 2020-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-The Bread Of Life Came From Heaven To Feed Our Souls-

“And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”

(John 6:35).

Jesus came down from heaven to earth to give spiritual sustenance to the hungry and spiritual drink to the thirsty. Only He can do it, for He is the bread of life. In the days of Moses and the people of Israel in the wilderness, God sent them manna from heaven to feed them on their journey to the Promised Land. It kept coming for 40 years, until they reached Canaan, and could eat of the produce of the land. God instructed them to it gather every morning for five days a week and twice a day on Friday, enough for two days. No gathering was to be made on the Sabbath. Each person had enough, in fact plenty to eat.

Jesus came from God to satisfy not just the physical needs of His people but their spiritual needs as well. When Jesus meets a need, it is met forever. Physically we must eat every day for nourishment, but spiritually Jesus satisfies all our needs, but we still need spiritual nourishment from the Word of God for growth and edification.

Just as Jesus satisfies us with Himself, He also quenches our spiritual thirst. Jesus told the woman at the well, “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give Him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

When Jesus saves us, He eternally satisfies us. The hymn writer Clara T. Williams wrote, “All my life-long I had panted, for a drink from some cool spring, that I hoped would quench the burning, of the thirst I felt within. Feeding on the the husks around me, ‘til my strength was almost gone; Longed my soul for something better, only still to hunger on. Well of water, ever springing, Bread of life, so rich and free, untold wealth that never faileth, My Redeemer is to me. The chorus says, “Hallelujah! I have found Him — whom my soul so has long has craved! Jesus satisfies my longing; through His blood I now am saved.”

Have you trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior? Is He your eternal joy and satisfaction? Is He your all in all, your enough? He is the bread of life, the living water! When everyone and everything else fails us, He is there for us. He is all we need, all we want.

Have a blessed day finding your satisfaction in Jesus not in this world. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-December 2, 2020-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Jesus Christ The Heir Of All Things And We Share His Inheritance-

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.”

(Hebrews 1:1-2).

Every sacrifice offered in the OT pointed forward to the sacrifice of Christ. He is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He is the Prophet about whom Moses wrote. As the book of Hebrews tells us, He is superior to angels, to Moses, to the Aaronic priesthood, to the law, and to everything and everyone else. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Hebrews 1:8-9 says, “But to the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness; hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.’”

After the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead, He ascended back to heaven and sits at the right hand of God. He has promised to come again and take us home to glory. The Father has appointed Him Heir of all things; He has given Him all authority to judge the world. God has given Him an everlasting kingdom.

Because our Savior is the Heir, all things belong to Him and we are joint heirs of His kingdom and all His inheritance. An heir in the world is in line to receive an inheritance upon the death of the testator. We read in 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, “Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come — all are yours. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”

We as believers have a glorious and eternal inheritance. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”

Earthly heirs often spends their inheritance and it is gone. Heirs can also be robbed or scammed. Not so with us, ours is reserved in heaven for us. It is incorruptible and undefiled. We are so privileged to be heirs to the Heir of the greatest inheritance in the universe. We are rich beyond measure!

Our Lord was born into this world as the eternal Son, the Heir of all things; yet He was the Man of Sorrows, the homeless Stranger, the rejected King. He was crucified on the cross for us, dying for our sins. He should have welcomed and celebrated in His birth and life but was instead rejected and reviled.

Let us rejoice this Christmas in His birth into the world and that through Him we have life eternal and abundant. Our sins are forgiven, our names are written in heaven, and we will be with Him in heaven forever. It is great to be heirs. Romans 8:16-17 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” We as Christians are hated in this world because we belong to Christ. This world is not our home, heaven is.

Have a blessed day day you heir of God with all you have in Christ our Heir. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-December 1, 2020-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Jesus Christ Is The Eternal Living Word-

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1-2).

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The Christmas season is officially begun, culminating with Christmas Day on December 25th. Each day we will look at a portion of Scripture that pertains to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and the lessons we can learn for our lives.

It is interesting that neither Mark nor John writes of the birth of Christ. Matthew and Luke give us quite a few details, especially Luke. There are so many verses in OT that speak of the birth of our Savior. There are also other verses in the NT as well.

Today’s text takes us back into eternity past. We know that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He had no beginning and had no end. Our human minds cannot grasp eternity very well since everything in this world had a beginning and has an end. Here in John 1:1-16, we see a glimpse of our Jesus Christ, the Living Word. The Greek word for Word is logos. We know from Scripture that Jesus is the Living Word of God and the Bible is the written Word of God.

John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” It reminds us of Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Scriptures teach us of the triune God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness…” The Hebrew word for God is Elohim, s plural noun. There is one God in three persons, the holy Trinity.

This Word, our Lord Jesus Christ, “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The great Creator became our Savior. Paul said of Christ, “He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist”(Colossians 1:15-17).

Our Lord Jesus Christ stepped out eternity and into time; He took upon Himself human flesh; and was the perfect God Man, the man Christ Jesus. He came to die on the cross for our sins and to bring us forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. He was born to die so that we may live.

Let us bow before our Living Word and worship Him as the wisemen did. They brought Him gifts of gold, speaking of His deity, frankincense, speaking of His humanity, and myrrh, speaking of His sorrow, pain, and death. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He is with us and will never leave us nor forsake us. One day we will see Him face to face in all of His glory!

Have a blessed day contemplating who Jesus is and what He has done for us in coming into the world. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-November 30, 2020-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-What Manner Of Persons Ought We To Be In Holy Conduct And Godliness?-

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?”

(2 Peter 3:10-11).

There is no doubt we are living in the end times. The next great event on God’s prophetic calendar is the Rapture. The Lord Jesus Christ will come in the air to take us to heaven. After this the Seven year tribulation will begin on earth. This time was prophesied in the OT as the Day of the Lord and Jacob’s trouble. It will be a time of unparalleled plagues and judgments on the earth. Much of the earth will be destroyed and many people will die. Our text refers to the time right after the tribulation.

Our text tells us that God will burn up the heavens and earth with fire, and He will create a new heavens and a new earth. The new earth is where the Jews will live forever and we as believers will dwell in the New Jerusalem. Peter in reflecting on this, asks the great question: “What manner of persons ought we to be in holy conduct and godliness?”

The knowledge of God and His Word leads to godly living. We as believers who read and study the Bible know what will happen in the future days and for all eternity. It gives us hope and encouragement, but also sobers us to the reality of the judgment on the unsaved at the Great White Throne where they will cast into the lake of fire.

This should compel us to be more diligent to share the gospel and to live godly and holy lives in this world. It reminds us of the days of Noah and the Ark. It took Noah and his sons 120 years to build it and only eight people were saved from the great flood that killed all the people and living things on earth. Noah was a man of faith and he obeyed God fully.

Every person on earth at that time could have been saved in the Ark had they chosen to come in. Instead people did not believe such a flood was coming and scorned Noah for building the Ark. Still Noah did God’s will and lived a holy and godly life along with his wife, three sons, and their wives, eight in all, plus all the animals and living creatures.

There are those that may mock us for our faith in Jesus Christ. Just as Noah spoke of a coming judgment, we speak of God’s judgment coming on those who reject Christ. We stand for God and His truth in these days of darkness, wickedness, and lawlessness.

May the Lord help us to live holy and godly lives and share the gospel. Our responsibility is to live and preach the truth, God will do His part to bring souls to Christ. The time is short and need is great.

Have a blessed day of living holy and godly lives in these last days and sharing the truth. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-November 29, 2020-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Be Like Phoebe: A Servant And Helper In The Church-

“I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.”

(Romans 16:1-2).

As Paul concludes the book of Romans, he greets many of the saints in Rome that he knows by name and says something about each one. Before doing this he commends to the church in Rome a Christian lady named Phoebe who will be visiting their city to conduct some business. Paul introduces her and describes her excellent background.

We do not know very much about this dear lady. This is the only time she is mentioned in the Scriptures, but what Paul shares about her is outstanding. She is a sister in Christ, a servant in the church at Cenchrea, and a helper of many, including Paul himself. She has a wonderful testimony and is an example of Christ, especially to the women in the church.

• “I commend to you Phoebe our sister” – She was a sister in Christ in the church in Cenchrea. All those who saved are part of the body of Christ; the men are our brothers and women are our sisters. Paul had visited Cenchrea when he left Corinth on his way to Ephesus. Acts 18:18 says, “So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed to Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had hair his cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.” This was the vow of the Nazarite mentioned in the book of Numbers 6:1-21. He was not there very long but he met Phoebe and the other saints and she helped him in some way.

It is a wonderful thing to meet and visit other Christians and have fellowship with them. Though Paul’s visit was not very long, he was touched by Phoebe in a special way. Her testimony and her work for Christ was excellent. Imagine being complimented by the great Apostle Paul!

• She was a servant in the church at Cenchrea – She was not just a member of the church, she was a servant. The word servant is the Greek word “doulos,” meaning servant, and is the same word we get our English word deacon from. She is not called as deaconess, but that is exactly what she was. She served actively in the church in some capacity. Every believer in Jesus Christ should be a servant and have a certain ministry or ministries. Are you a servant in the church?

• She was a helper of many and of Paul himself also – In her ministry she helped many people. Paul saw it with his own eyes and experienced for himself. Her testimony was genuine, generous, and gracious to others in need. Now she visiting Rome and she would need some assistance herself. The Roman saints would be the ones to help the the helper, and serve the servant.

Often it is easier for us to serve than it is to be served. Whether it is our pride or not, we do not like to depend on others or put them out of their way. But we need to let others get the blessing of serving us.

One day we will meet Phoebe in heaven and tell we read about her and how her testimony touched our lives. Young girls or women can follow her example as well as all the boys and men as well.

May the Lord help us to be godly examples of Christ, to be servants in the church and be helpers in the work of the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 23:11, “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.”

Have a blessed day serving and helping in the work of the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean