Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-October 15, 2020-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Our Great, Incomparable God-

“Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”

(2 Samuel 7:22).

We can never praise, exalt, extol, thank, and worship the Lord enough. Our God is worthy of it all and much, much, more. David praised the Lord so much throughout his whole life. He acknowledged that God is both great and incomparable.

• Therefore You are great , O Lord — One of God’s attributes is greatness. The word “great” or “greatness,” is one of highest words we can attribute to anyone. We probably overuse the word “great,” when speaking of athletes, politicians, entertainers, world leaders, and others. But the Lord is the only one who is truly great.

David says in Psalm 145:1-3, “I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.

• For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according that we have heard with our ears — The Lord is the incomparable God. He is the only true and living God, all other gods are idols and other false gods. He alone has eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mouth to speak. As great as He is, He takes the time for us and shows us mercy and compassion. He feels with us.

In Isaiah 43:10, the Lord says, “‘You are My witnesses,’ says the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall be after Me.”

Therefore the Lord is great and incomparable. In fact, He is also indescribable. The song writer wrote, “Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You are amazing God. All powerful, untamable, awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim You are amazing God.”

Let us consider anew just how great and incomparable our God is. May we give Him all the praise and glory for who He is and for what He has done for us.

Have a blessed day praising God for His greatness. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-October 14, 2020-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Don’t Be Conformed To This World But Be Transformed By The Renewing Of Your Minds-

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

(Romans 12:2).

The world is one of our three great enemies, along with flesh and the devil. The world in the NT means three different things depending on the context. One, the cosmos, the earth itself, two, the people of the earth, and three, the system of this life that is from the devil and is against Christ. It is the third one that Paul is speaking of.

Paul warns the saints at Rome, as he does us, not to be conformed to this world. The Berkeley paraphrase of this verse says, “Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold.” A jello mold is large, round plastic pan. You pour the liquid mixture of water and jello mix into the pan and place it into the refrigerator and the jello takes on the shape of the pan. We must not think like the world, speak like the world, or act like the world.

John wrote in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Instead, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds in order to prove God’s will, which is good, acceptable, and perfect. How do we renew our minds, you ask? The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to purify our minds from the sin, evil, wickedness, and contamination of this world. What we read, what we watch on TV or the movies, or who we are around as friends can all affect us. The world can “rub off” on us very easily. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: evil company corrupts good habits.”

If we renew our mind through God’s Word, we will prove or demonstrate God’s will. None of us as believers want to do our own will or the will of man, but we want to do God’s will in all things. There will always be the conflict between the two. What we fill our minds with determines our words and actions.

When we get saved, there is an immediate change in our lives. As we grow in Christ, the Lord works to change our character into the image of Christ. He gives us the mind of Christ; He replaces bad habits with new ones, old friends with new ones, and old desires with new ones. It is a growth process of surrendering ourselves fully to the Lord.

May the Lord help us not be conformed to this sinful world but transformed by the renewing of our minds through the Word of God. We must be sober and vigilant, and put on the whole armor of God daily.

Have a blessed day of being transformed into the image of Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-October 13, 2020-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-God’s Plans For Us Now And Forever-

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

(Jeremiah 29:11) NIV

We have a forward looking God, a God of promises to His people. He points us to a better tomorrow and an even better eternity in heaven. He is a God of second and many more chances.

Here in this wonderful verse we see God’s plans for His earthly people Israel. God took the unprecedented steps of sending His people into a seventy year exile in Babylon due to their rebellion, idolatry, and sin. It was painful but it had an end and Israel would restored with a new temple, new walls around Jerusalem, and a new start for those who chose to come back. There was a remnant of the Jews who went back to their homeland.

God’s people must claim His promises and cling to them for both now and the future. The songwriter wrote, “God said it, and I believe it, and that settles it for me.” We notice what the Lord told Israel and also how it applies to us as believers today.

• “I know the plans I have for you.” God has plans for His people collectively and individually. He sees the future that we cannot see and offers His blessings in abundance. We can rest in all the promises of God. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him are amen, to the glory of God through us.” All the promises are ours in Christ.

• “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” God is always watching over us to protect us, guide us, and help us. He always wants what is best for us. When He does chasten us, it is not harm us but to get us to the point of repentance, restoration, and renewal. The only way to profit by God’s plans is to do what He commands.” Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

• “Plans to give you hope and a future.” For Israel this meant going home. The same is true for us. Often we must go back in order to go forward: back to where we left God’s will, God’s presence, and God’s Word. This is what revival is all about. Only God can make our latter days even better than our former ones. Job found this to be true after all his trials and losses. Job 42:12 says, “Now God blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning…” Job 42:16-17 tells us, “After this Job lived one hundred forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations.” So Job died, old and full of days.”

For us as believers today, we have hope and a future in Christ, in glory. Heaven will be better than anything we have on earth. To be with the Lord and all the saints forever is what we have to look forward to.

Have a blessed day rejoicing in God’s plans for you today and for all eternity. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-October 12, 2020-

Good morning happy Monday, happy Columbus Day,

-Parents Are The Best Teachers-

“My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; For they will be a graceful ornament around your neck.”

(Proverbs 1:8-9).

Many parents in our day are turning to homeschooling as a more effective and profitable way of teaching their children. But whether you homeschool your children or not, parents play the most important role in teaching their kids in the ways of the Lord. Parents are more effective than pastors or even Sunday School teachers at imparting the Word of God on a personal and practical level.

Parents are not only good teachers but are role models and examples. In order for this to be true to the highest degree, the fathers and mothers must be walking with the Lord themselves, seeking and obeying the will of God, reading the Word, and praying every day. They must be spending time with Lord. A parent, like any teacher, can only take their kids as far as they have gone themselves.

Solomon relates the benefits of parental instruction in our text today: “For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and chains about your neck.” To the Jewish mind, they were familiar with this language for they wore these things themselves. Their clothes and ornaments showed that they were God’s people.

Even today, the clothes our kids wear should be modest and respectful, and not be associated with gangs or indecent or worldly behavior. For the most part, our Christian faith comes from within and shows in our godly lives. Children mimic and follow their parents and want to be like them. This is why parents teach by their words, actions, and example.

Parents have a huge responsibility, and with it comes a great accountability from the Lord. You will have to give an account to the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The Lord takes it seriously and so should we. The key is to discipline our children in love, and love them by disciplining them just as our heavenly Father does us. Proverbs 22:5 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Even if you have no children, you can apply the principles to discipling and mentoring young believers in their walk with Christ. Each of us is an example and role model to someone.

Have a blessed day teaching your children in the ways of the Lord in practical way. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-October 11, 2020-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Wait Silently For God’s Salvation-

“Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.”

(Psalm 62:1).

Waiting on God and for Him to deliver us from a difficult trial is never easy and to wait silently is even harder. We trust in our heavenly Father who loves us so much and cares for us. He has a plan for us and will carry it out in His timing.

The writer of this psalm is David who waited on the Lord all through His life. The Lord always came through for him and blessed him. The hymn writer said, “We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in His holy word, He’s never failed us yet.”

The whole world is waiting for this coronavirus pandemic to end, but only God’s people see God’s hand in it. He is using it in our lives and is also drawing the unsaved to Himself. We, like David, must wait silently for God to bring about salvation. The term salvation here does not refer to salvation from sin as it does in the NT; rather it means deliverance from what we are going through.

We ask ourselves what does it mean for our soul to wait silently for God? Does it mean we stop speaking to God in prayer? No, to the contrary we need to pray more and draw closer to the Lord. It means to wait patiently, without complaint, without worry, and without taking matters into our own hands. It is trusting in God to work and deliver us.

In the next verse in Psalm 62:2, David wrote of God, “He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.” The old expression in football is certainly true, “The best offense is a good defense.” The Lord is our best defense in whatever circumstances we are in. He stands by us, with us, and for us.

Moses told the people of Israel at the Red Sea in Exodus 14:13-14“…Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

When Joshua and people of Israel marched around the city of Jericho once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day, God gave them the victory. Joshua 6:10 says, “Now Joshua had commanded the people saying, ‘You shall not shout or make any noise, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout! Then you shall shout.’” The battle is not ours, it is the Lord’s. He will fight for us and win the victory for us.

My friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us wait silently for God. He is with us and will deliver us in His timing. Waiting on and for the Lord is hard, but it is so worthwhile. Stand still, be still, and wait on the Lord silently.

Have a blessed day waiting for the Lord’s deliverance and victory. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean