Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-November 8, 2020-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Choosing To Serve The Lord-

“And if seems evil to you to serve the the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

(Joshua 24:15).

Joshua had decided long ago to serve the Lord. He had Caleb were the only two spies of the twelve that Moses sent out to spy the land of Canaan, that brought back a good report that they should go up and take possession of the land. The other ten men agreed that the land was bountiful and fruitful, a land flowing with milk and honey, but it was filled with giants living in fortified cities, and did not recommend fighting them.

Joshua and Caleb didn’t look at the size and strength of their enemies but at the size and strength of their God. They trusted fully in the Lord to win the victory and they won it, took possession of the land, and moved right into fully furnished homes in a fruitful land. Joshua told the people, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14)! Israel throughout their history had a problem with idolatry. Though they had the true and living God, they worshipped idols.

Though we do not have idols in the form of gold, silver, wood, and other things that made idols out of, we have other idols today. An idol is anything that we put above the Lord. We have houses, cars, clothes, shoes, sports, TV, internet, movies, hobbies, money, and other material things. So often we call things “pastimes” whereas in reality they are “waste times.” The things on the aforementioned list are not bad in and of themselves, but can be idols if we aren’t careful and aware.

Joshua offered the people of Israel a choice to serve idols or to serve the living God. God never has forced anyone to follow and serve Him. He says, “ choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods that were on the other side of the River (i.e. that were in Egypt), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” They had to make make the choice for themselves. Each person in the world must make the choice to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, or to reject Him. These are the only two choices, there is no gray area.

Joshua set a godly example and his words have become so known and powerful ever since, “But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Many Christians today, including yours truly, have these words on their doors, walls, cars, and other places. It has become our statement of faith for all to see. It is a good thing as long as we live by it in our daily lives. Words alone without actions to back them mean little.

The people responded to Joshua, “… We also will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:18). Instead of congratulating them, he warns them in Joshua 24:19-20, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.” The people vehemently declare that they will serve the Lord. Joshua sets up a large stone as a witness to their decision to serve the Lord.

Unfortunately, their decision to serve the Lord was short lived. Joshua 24:31 says, “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.” We must pass on the teaching of Christ to our children for they must make their own choices to follow Christ. They must see Christ in our lives, we must be the examples to them.

What is your choice? Will you fear the Lord and serve Him? Is He the Lord of your life? He is a holy and jealous God. We can’t serve Him halfway or half heartedly. The song writer Ron Kenoly wrote, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord (oh yes). As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. We have counted the cost, we have made the choice; we will follow our God and obey His voice. From this day for the rest of our lives, we will serve the Lord. We will not bow to another god, we will have no gods but You. We will not serve two masters, we surrender our lives to you, we surrender our lives to You.”

Have a blessed day counting the cost and serving the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-October 7, 2020-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Pray For All People At All Times-

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

(1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Prayer is something we plainly don’t do enough. There is such power in prayer. The devil does his utmost to keep us from praying. There are so many distractions and obstacles. It interesting that Paul uses the little word “all” four times in our text today. He says, “First of all, all men, all who are in authority, and all godliness and reverence.”

• First of all – Paul is speaking of the priority of prayer. Prayer and the Word of God should be our highest priorities. He mentions supplications, asking God for own needs; prayers, speaking to God and praising Him; intercessions, lifting up the needs of others; and giving of thanks, taking time to thank God for what He has given to us. Is prayer your highest priority each day? It should be.

• For all men – We should include as many people on our prayer list as possible. This includes, but is not restricted to our family members, our brothers and sisters in our church, our friends, neighbors, co-workers, teachers, and classmates. We should also pray for our troops, police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, and other first responders. Paul had a long prayer list and he used it; so should we.

• For kings and all who are in authority – We should pray for our president, vice president, members of Congress, and those on the Supreme Court. Also our governor, state legislators, mayor, city council members, and others on the local level. That little word “all” says it all.

• That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence – This the result of praying for those in authority. There is a great benefit to those we pray for, but perhaps an even greater benefit to us for praying. Godliness and reverence should characterize our lives on a daily basis, and I really believe it will when we pray on a daily basis.

Let us make prayer more of a priority, praying for all men, and for those in authority over us. God is pleased and will bless those we pray for and us who do the praying. Prayer is hard work, but it is such a blessing. We can never pray too much or for too many people. Let us not forget the little word “all.”

Have a blessed day in prayer all through the day. 🙏🙏🙏. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-November 6, 2020-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-The Mystery Of God’s Will-

“Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth — in Him.”

(Ephesians 1:9-10).

There are some 14 mysteries mentioned in the NT. A mystery in the Bible is not something mysterious or hard to understand or figure out, but rather something that was previously unknown in the OT that now has been revealed to us in the NT. As such we as believers in Jesus Christ are privileged to know and understand them by the Holy Spirit.

These are the mysteries: Of the kingdom of God (Mark 4:11); of the Gentiles being grafted in as a wild olive tree (Romans 11:25); of the gospel (Romans 16:25; Ephesians 3:3-6; of the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 12:7); of the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51); of the will of God (Ephesians 1:9); of the church (Ephesians 5:32); of God (Colossians 2:2); of Christ (Colossians 4:3); of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:7); of faith (1 Timothy 3:9); of godliness (1 Timothy 3:16); of the Seven Stars (Revelation 1:20); of Babylon (Revelation 17:5,7).

Today’s text is concerned with the mystery of the will of God that God has gathered all things in Christ both in heaven and earth. God is working in this world to bring souls to Christ through the gospel, both Jews and Gentiles. God moves in wonderful and great ways. Things don’t just happen, they happen for a reason. God knows what He is doing and what He will do. His plan for the ages is impeccable.

The hymn writer said, “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform, He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. Deep in unsearchable mines of never-failing skill, He treasures up His bright designs and works His sovereign will.” We must let God be God. There are things we don’t understand and may not understand until we get to heaven.

The presidential election is in God’s hands. He appoints our leaders. He knows what is best according to His plan. His will is best even if we don’t understand it. We must trust in Him no matter what. The Lord is good and is full of grace and mercy toward us. This Coronavirus too will pass. God will use it in His own way to work in people’s lives.

The hymn writer also said, “Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace, behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour, the bud may have a bitter taste but sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain, God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain.”

Have a blessed day in God’s will, trusting and obeying even when we can’t see or understand His plan. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-November 5, 2020-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Render To The Governing Authorities What Is Due To Them, Whoever They Are-

“For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”

(Romans 13:6-7).

Paying taxes is not the most popular thing one to do. It was not popular in the past or in the present. This was especially true in the days of Jesus and of the early church. The Roman government and those Jews collecting for them were so unpopular.

Two notable tax collectors in the NT were Matthew and Zacchaeus. Both got saved and bore the fruits of repentance and salvation. Both invited Jesus, His disciples, and their friends over to their homes to hear the gospel. The Lord changed their lives.

These tax collectors were hated by both the Jews and the Romans. As unpopular as taxes were, Paul tells us that we must pay. When the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him if it was lawful to pay taxes or not. They were trying trap Him in His words so they could report him to the Roman authorities or get Him in trouble with the common people. His answer silenced them when he replied, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21b).

We may not agree with our government authorities or like them, but we must respect them, honor them, and pray for them. Our country today is so divided that one half of the voters favor one presidential candidate and the other half favor the other one. As of today, two days after the election we still don’t have a clear winner.

Let us thank God for His will and commit ourselves to it. God appoints our leaders. Paul calls them ministers or servants. We have the freedom to vote, but once a leader is elected, we must pray for him and obey him.

Have a blessed day as the counting of the ballots continues and we pray for God’s choice. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-November 4, 2020-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-The New Covenant Is Superior To The Old Covenant-

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

(2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

There were Jews in Paul’s day who were called Judaizers who believed that in order to be saved one had to not just have faith but to also keep the law. Paul dispelled that teaching as completely wrong. One is saved by grace through faith. It is not man acting to earn God’s favor to get into heaven by his works, but alone God working to save us through the death and blood of Christ shed at cross. Christ gave His life for us so that by believing in Him and receiving Him we are saved forever.

Paul contrasts the law that came through Moses with the gospel of grace that came through the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:16-17 says, “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” This is a huge contrast. The law brought regulation without the ability to keep it; whereas grace came through Christ who alone kept the law perfectly and bore our sin and guilt on the cross.

Bible Commentator Bill MacDonald wrote, “God never intended the law to be the means of giving life. Rather it was designed to bring the knowledge of sin and to convict of sin.” The law gave the commands that man could not keep in order to show man he needed a Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. The law also contained condemnation for violating it. Galatians 3:10 says, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” As Paul writes here in our text “the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.”

The gospel is the message of the new covenant of God’s mercy and grace. Mercy does not give us what we deserve, death and hell; grace gives us what we do not deserve, salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. Oh how wonderful to be saved by grace during the age of grace! The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the law down to the last jot and tittle. He came down from heaven not to condemn us but to save us.

J.M. Davies summarized, “This ministry of the ‘letter that killeth’ is illustrated in the 3,000 killed at Sinai, at the inauguration of the Old Covenant; and the ministry of the Spirit, the life giving ministry, is illustrated in the 3,000 saved on the day of Pentecost.”

Let us rejoice today in our salvation that comes free of charge, frees us from our sin and death, and gives us the freedom to obey and serve the Lord. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).

Have a blessed day living and serving by God’s grace. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean