Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-September 15, 2020-

-Abiding In God And His Love-

“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

(1 John 4:16).

There are three main pillars of Christianity: faith, hope, and love. Paul wrote to the saints in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” All of 1 Corinthians 13 is devoted to the subject of love.

John is the disciple whom Jesus loved. Throughout all four of the books John wrote in the NT, love is mentioned so many times. In fact, in today’s verse John uses the word love three times. God the Father loves us, God the Son loves us, and God the Holy Spirit manifests the love of God in hearts.

God’s love must be known and believed, abided in, and experienced in a practical way. For when we abide in His love, we abide in God and He abides in us. When we get to heaven there will longer be a need of faith and hope for we will see the Lord face to face and everything will be perfect, but there will be love forever.

As believers in Christ we have known and believed the love God has for us. We have read of it in the Scriptures, believed it in our hearts, and have experienced it in our lives. With this foundation, we abide in God’s love and abide in God Himself. Jesus said in John 15:9-10, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”

There is no greater place to be than abiding in God and His love. We are His children and we share His love with those who are unsaved as well as those who are saved. God’s love is rich, pure, and deep; His love lubricates all the moving parts of our lives.

Are you abiding in God and His love today? Love is more than an emotion that we feel, it is an action that we take. God’s love is practical and is so needed in the world today. God’s love flows to us and then through us. As John wrote, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

May we abide in God and His love today; He will then abide with us. His love transforms lives in such magnificent and powerful ways.

Have a blessed day abiding in God and His love by keeping His commandments and putting His love into action. Stay safe and healthy.

-September 14, 2020-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-The Lord Is With Us In The Fire-

“Look! he answered, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

(Daniel 3:25).

We have before us a wonderful miracle of God’s power to save and intervene in the lives of His people. The words of our verse are spoken not by a prophet, priest, or servant of God, but by a king of heathen nation. Nebuchadnezzar had ordered three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego thrown into the fiery furnace for their refusal to bow to his golden image. All three of them were bound in their coats, trousers, turbans, and other garments and put into the fiery furnace turned up seven times hotter than usual.

The fire of that furnace was so hot and intense that the men who put them in were themselves killed. It was thus a sure death for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. There was no way out. To say that the situation was bleak, dire, and hopeless was an understatement; something miraculous happened that day, God personally saved His servants in an amazing way.

Nebuchadnezzar was astonished to see four men loose and walking in the midst of the fire and they were all unhurt. And amazingly the fourth was like the Son of God. Only the Lord could do such a great miracle and deliver His people from a sure death. They were not alone in the flames, for the Lord Himself was with them in the fire.

This is an example of a theophany in the OT, that is, a preincarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was with them. Other examples includes His appearance to Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Manoah, and others. Often, He is called the Angel of the Lord.

The lesson we draw from this incident is this: the Lord is with us in our fiery trials and brings us through them. In this case, according to Daniel 3:27, “And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.” When God does a miracle, He does it all the way and completely. The current wildfires we are experiencing in our state and other western states shows how dangerous, intense, and deadly fires can be.

King Nebuchadnezzar blesses God, and orders that anyone speaking against the God of these three men would be severely punished, He also promoted them within his kingdom. We also can be assured today that the Lord is with us in our fiery trials. He is able and more than able to help us, deliver us, and show Himself mighty in our behalf.

The words of the hymn writer says,”When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be their supply: The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.” We need not fear, when Jesus is near. He is or firm foundation and deliverer.

Have a blessed day even in the midst of fiery trials for the Lord is with us. Stay safe and healthy.

-September 13, 2020-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day, happy Grandparents Day,

-How To Treat One Another In Christ-

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous.”

(1 Peter 3:8).

The Apostle Peter had just addressed wives and husbands in 1 Peter 3:1-7. Wives are to be submissive to their husbands and husbands are to dwell with their wives in an understanding way. Now he shifts his focus to all believers in our relationship with one another.

Peter tells us how we should treat one another in the body of Christ. He mentions five things that should characterize our behavior toward one another: unity, compassion, love, tenderheartedness, and courtesy. We are all part of the family of God. Like any family, there will be some challenges, disagreements, and issues but the Lord helps us through them all.

1. Unity – Peter says, “All of you be of one mind.” This likemindedness comes through the mind of Christ. God is our Father and we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We have a closeness with one another that is closer than our natural families. We share a common bond in Christ.

2. Compassion – The Lord Jesus Christ had compassion for Peter and forgave him and restored him after he had denied the Lord three times. Peter became so much more caring toward the saints and he shepherded the flock. We, like Peter, must learn compassion, to treat others as we would want to be treated, and to feel with them.

3. Love – Love is the most important of all Christian virtues. John wrote, “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). We can’t love God whom we have not seen if we do not love each other whom we have seen. Love for one another is so precious, personal, and powerful. It is such a great testimony to the world.

4. Tenderheartedness – To be tenderhearted is to have a soft heart. We aren’t born with soft heart, the Lord gave us one when we got saved. Back in my childhood days, there was a kitchen utensil called a tenderizer. It helped the cook soften the meat before cooking it. No ones likes tough meat. We want it to be tender. The same is true in life: we like to be around tender people with tender hearts.

5. Courtesy – To be courteous is to treat people with respect, kindness, and care. It comes across in both our words and tone, and especially in our actions. One large bank built their whole business model on the word courtesy.

We miss each other so much. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic we haven’t met together as a church since March. What a great day it will be when we can gather together again. It is a good reminder how we should treat one another in the household of God and carry these principles into our own homes also: unity, compassion, love, tenderheartedness, and courtesy. Jesus displayed all these qualities toward the disciples while He was here on earth. He is our greatest example in character, conduct, and conversation.

Have a blessed day and be cognizant of how we treat one another. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-September 12, 2020-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Rejoice In The Lord Always-

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice!”

(Philippians 4:4).

Joy comes from our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, not from our circumstances. The Lord never changes whereas our circumstances change daily or even hourly. Paul wrote the epistle to the Philippians from prison, so if anyone had reason to be discouraged it was him. Instead he made the decision to rejoice in the Lord. It is the same decision we ourselves must make daily.

Our joyfulness overflows from hearts that are so thankful for what the Lord has done for us. The Christian who rejoices in the Lord is both thankful to Him and content in Him. The believer is not insulated, immune, or isolated from pain, disappointment, hardship, trouble, and sorrow; but the Lord is with us through it all. Someone once said, “Pain is inevitable, misery is optional.” We can’t choose our trials but we can choose our reaction to them. James wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3).

Paul gives a simple, very encouraging recipe for successful living in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” These verses are like spiritual vitamins for the soul. This is the prescription from the Great Physician: take daily or more often as needed.

If we don’t choose to rejoice we are prone to complaining, discouragement, worry, and fear. That is what the devil wants us to experience. On the other hand, Lord wants us to experience joy, encouragement, thanksgiving, and peace.

I don’t know what you are going through today, and you don’t know what I am going through. It is so important for us to share our needs with each other and pray for one another. Let us choose to rejoice. Paul uses the word “rejoice,” twice in our verse, showing how important it is. May we pray for one another to rejoice in the Lord today.

Have a blessed day rejoicing in the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-September 11, 2020-

Good morning, happy Friday, happy Patriot Day,

-Our Help Comes From the Lord-

“I will lift my eyes to the hills —- From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

(Psalm 121:1-2)

Today marks the 19th anniversary of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. We all probably remember where we were and what we were doing when the first plane hit in the twin towers in NY city. Over 3,000 men and women died that day including many firefighters attempting to save them. Before the day ended another plane hit the Pentagon, and had it not been for the passengers of the third plane over Pennsylvania, it would have hit the White House.

For the first time we felt so vulnerable and helpless as Americans. A lot has happened since 9/11. For the days that followed many who didn’t normally go to church, went to church. It shook Americans to the core and caused them to turn to God. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. It did unite our country against a common enemy and many men and women enlisted in the armed forces. We fought back against the terrorists.

The words of today’s text rang true that day as it does still today, “I will lift my eyes to the hills —- From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” The only source of real help we can count on is from the Lord. We cannot trust anyone or anything else.

Today, we are facing unprecedented times and challenges from the Coronavirus, social justice issues, police brutality issues, lawlessness, and wildfires in so many places in so many places all through the western states. There is so much smoke in the air from the fires that the air is unhealthy and the sun is blocked from reaching us. If we lift our eyes to the hills, we cannot even see them.

We do know the sun is shining, we just cannot see it. More than we know the Lord is still in His throne and is still with us and for us. We need to lift up our hearts to him in personal and collective prayer. He alone can and does help us. He will see us through these unprecedented times. One day, we will look back and say, “I lived through 2020.” Oh, what stories we will have to tell the next generation.

May the Lord help us to seek His help, trust fully in Him, and leave everything in His hands. He knows what we are going through and will see us through it. God is our Helper. He never changes. He loves us so much and cares for us. We are living in the last days, and one day soon we will be with the Lord.

Have a blessed day seeking the Lord’s help and trusting in Him. He is our help and our hope. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean