Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-November 18, 2020-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Sanctified By The Word Of Truth-

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You have sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

(John 17:17-19).

John chapter 17 contains Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and for all believers which includes us. In today’s text our Savior’s words indicate how important sanctification is and that God sanctifies us by the Word of truth. Jesus uses the word sanctify twice and sanctified once.

In the NT, the Greek word hagios is translated holy, sanctify, separate, and set apart. Jesus saved us from our sins and through faith in Him and His finished work on the cross we are saved and sanctified. We are no longer our own, we are bought with a price.

Just as the Father sent His Son into the world, our Savior has sent us into the world to serve Him and share the gospel with those around us. He has given us His Word to share with the lost and to teach and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a great privilege and responsibility. He has called us, equipped us, and sends us forth as His witnesses. We are ambassadors for Christ, light and salt in this sinful world.

To be effective in His service we must be sanctified in and by the truth. His desire for us is to be separated from the world and to be set apart for Christ. These two things go together, you can’t have one without the other. It is like a two sided coin: on one side separation and on the other sanctification. If we are separated from the defilement of the world we must also be set apart as holy, godly, righteous people. We must obey the Word and live holy lives that are different than those in the world.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:17, “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” Peter wrote, “But like He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

May the Lord who sanctified us through His precious blood, separate us from the sin, wickedness, and evil of this world and set us apart for Himself and His service. We thus live holy lives before others. The Bible is our guide in everything.

Have a blessed day in separation and sanctification. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-November 17, 2020-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-We Need The Light Of God’s Word In This Dark World-

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Today’s verse is one of the best known and most beloved for Christians young and old. We all walk in this world of darkness and we need the light of God’s Word to guide and direct our paths. The Lord leads us one day at time and shines His light right on the path we taking today.

We have some many great lights today like LED lights, but none of them fulfill the analogy of a hand-held lamp that gives us enough light to move forward on our journey today. God wants us to walk in the light and do what is right in His sight.

As believers in Jesus Christ we are children of light, walking in the light, and trusting the Lord for each step. We are often in such a hurry and want to know what He has for our future, instead of taking it one day at a time and one step at a time.

The hymn writer John Burton wrote “Holy Bible, book divine, precious treasure thou art mine; mine to tell me whence I came; mine to teach me where I am. Mine to chide me when I rove; mine to show a Savior’s love; mine thou art to guide and guard; mine to punish or reward. Mine to comfort in distress, suffering in this wilderness; mine to show, by living faith; man can triumph over death. Mine to tell of joys to come, and the rebel sinner’s doom; O thou holy book divine, precious treasure, thou art mine.”

We urgently need the light of God’s Word to lead and show us the way today. All is dark around us, there are many voices saying to walk this way. We must follow Christ alone and walk in His light. He will lead us in His way every day. Isaiah 30:21 says, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’”

May we listen to God’s voice speaking to us and guiding us along the path of life: we can never go wrong.

Have a blessed day walking in the light, by the light, and with light. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-November 16, 2020-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Asking The Lord To Open Our Eyes-

“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”

(Psalm 119:18).

The Bible is the most wonderful book, for it is the Word of God. God has revealed His truth to man from Genesis to Revelation. There are so many encouraging stories, principles, commandments, and promises. We can never exhaust it nor can we know and understand it fully until we get to heaven. We will continue to learn it until the Lord calls us home to glory. The Lord uses His Word to teach new things and to apply old things to our lives in a new way.

The Lord Jesus asked His disciples after speaking so many parables, “‘Have you understood all these things? They replied, ‘Yes, Lord.’ It is clear from reading the gospels that they did not, but were afraid to admit it. Jesus said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old’” (Matthew 13:51-52).

We all want to learn more, understand more, and apply the Word more to our lives. The Holy Spirit teaches us the Word in a blessed way. We just need to ask Him to speak to our hearts each time we read it. The psalmist makes the plea, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.” It is a short but beautiful prayer that each of us should pray as we open God’s Word.

If we come before the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, with open eyes, an open heart, and an open Bible, He will show us marvelous things. Meditation on the Word is becoming a lost art. We are all in such a hurry that we want a quick read before we rush out the door for our day. It just does not work well. We need to spend time praying and reading the Scriptures to hear His voice speaking to us.

The hymn writer Clara Scott wrote, “Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me; Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God Thy will to see; Open my eyes illumine me, Spirit divine.” I am sure our dear sister was thinking of today’s verse when she wrote this hymn.

May the Lord give us a greater desire for Him and His Word. He has so much to show us when we give Him the time. Our Savior said of the Holy Spirit in John 16:14, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Have a blessed day spending time with Jesus and asking God to open your eyes, your ears, and your heart to His Word. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-November 15, 2020-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-When We Face Trouble And Anguish-

“Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights.”

(Psalm 119:43).

When of the greatest tests a believer goes through is how we handle trouble and anguish. Do we fall apart, blame God or others, or do we trust God and cling to Him ever tighter? In today’s text the psalmist finds God’s Word to be his delights.

Both believers and unbelievers face trouble and anguish at times in life, the difference is we have the Lord, unbelievers do not. Job was not the first person to face a series of trials in the Bible, but he was the first to lose so much, so suddenly with such devastating pain. Joseph, for example suffered many trials over a longer period of time. Both of these men clung to the Lord and their end was better than their beginning.

One of our biggest obstacles we must overcome is self pity. We ask, “Why me, Lord?” We know the Lord loves us, but we let the circumstances squeeze us and affect our walk and service for the Lord.

The psalmist wrote, “Trouble and anguish have overtaken me…” Another rendering can be, “Trouble and anguish have found me.” One moment everything is going along well, things are normal, we may even have regular sized trials going on; then all of the sudden, a huge catastrophe happens either to us or someone close to us. It hits us like a ton of bricks. It seems like more than we can handle. Where do we turn? What do we do?

We know we need to turn to the Lord in prayer and to His Word for help and comfort. Thank God when we do but still the pain is there, the loss is there. This is what Mary and Martha went through when their only brother Lazarus fell ill and died. They both told Jesus that if He had been there their brother would not have died. But the Lord is with us and He sometimes allows pain, loss, and even death to find us.

A believer is not immune to tragedy in this life. The word tragedy is defined as, “An event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.” This Coronavirus is increasing again and many people are getting it and dying from it. Other trials and troubles do not stop during the pandemic. We must cling to the Lord closer and tighter and not give up. There are so many great and precious promises in the Bible to see us through.

May we look to the Lord even in the midst of darkness, pain, and loss. He will see us through as we pray and read His Word. There is no magic pill or formula, and no vaccine for trouble and anguish in life; but God’s grace is sufficient for us. Trials come to pass, and we must learn the lessons that the Lord has for us.

Have a blessed day no matter what comes, Jesus is with us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-November 14, 2020-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-The Substitutionary Death Of Christ For Us-

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”

(1 Peter 3:18).

The mission of our Lord Jesus Christ in coming into this world was to die for us on the cross, bearing our sins, and shedding His precious blood. He died, He was buried, and He rose again. He willingly became our Substitute on the cross dying in our place.

There are four things this verse tells us about the substitutionary death of Christ: He suffered once for sins, He was the just, we the unjust, He brought us to God, and He was put to death in the flesh but raised by the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Christ suffered once for sins – In the OT, many, many animals were sacrificed for sins. The work of the high priest was never done. The reason for this is that the sacrifices offered only covered sin but did not pay it in full. They pointed forward to the coming of Christ. His sacrifice was once for all. He exclaimed from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Hebrews 10:10-12 tells us, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.”

• The just for the unjust – Christ the Lamb of God was the sinless, holy, perfect Son of God. He willingly offered Himself for our sins on the cross. Hebrews 7:26 says, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.” We are the other hand are the unjust, sinners, defiled, separated from God, unrighteous and unholy. He took our place on the cross and bore our sins in His own body. As someone said, “He paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.”

• That He might bring us to God – The Lord Jesus hung on the cross to bring us to God, to forgive us of our sins, and give us the free gift of eternal life. We now through His death are brought into the family of God and are children and sons of God. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a random for all, to be testified in due time.” The hymn writer Horacio Bonar said, “Near, so very near to God, I could not nearer be; for in the person of His Son, I am as near as He.”

• Being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit – Jesus Himself died for us on the cross. He suffered physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. No one else could have died for us but Him. God showed His satisfaction with His sacrifice by raising Him from the dead. He now sits at the right hand of God. Because He rose, we will rise with Him and be with Him forever. Our position in Christ is shown in Ephesians 2:5-6, “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Oh how blessed we are as children of God! We have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. What a great Substitute and Savior we have. He died in our place on the cross so that we may share His place at home in the glory of heaven forever.

Have a blessed day thanking God for saving us through the sacrifice of His Son. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean