Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 15, 2020-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Living And Dying To The Lord-

“For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

(Romans 14:7-8).

Our life as believers is in the Lord. He is in control, He is the Lord of all. He alone knows what will happen to us in the future, and He also knows the day of our death. We belong to Jesus and He cares for us. He gives us the sufficient grace for each day.

Though this Coronavirus pandemic took the world by surprise, the Lord knew about long before it struck us. Things may be out of our control, but are never out of His control. The Lord has a purpose for everything and He uses it these things in our lives. Christians are not immune from this pandemic nor any other thing that happens to us under the sun, but the Lord is with us through it all.

The best way to live is to trust the Lord and rely fully on Him. He wants us to be thankful and live for Him one day at a time. It is a good reminder to think of the Prayer of Serenity, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

The full version of this prayer by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr is a real blessing, especially in relation to our text today: “God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it, trusting that You will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.”

Our goal should be to live each day with the wisdom and strength that the Lord gives us, leaving everything in His hands, and being thankful for what He gives us. We are truly blessed and should be equally grateful to our gracious Lord. We live to Him, for Him, and by Him. None of us knows how much time we have left on this earth to serve the Lord. The Lord is coming and may come before we die.

The hymn writer Daniel W. Whittle wrote,”Dying with Jesus by death reckoned mine, living with Jesus a new life divine, looking to Jesus ‘til glory doth shine, moment by moment, O Lord , I am Thine.” In fact there are three hymn titles that should summarize how we should live: “Day by Day,” “I Need Thee Every Hour,” and “Moment by Moment.”

May the Lord help us to live to the Lord today; to accept what He sends us, gives to us, and allows to happen in our lives. It will always be for our good and He will cause all things to work together for good in our lives. When we do this, we will have such peace in the midst of all our circumstances.

Have a blessed day living to our Lord Jesus Christ who bought us with His own blood. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 14, 2020-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Open The Door Of Your Heart To Jesus-

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

(Revelation 3:14).

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

(Revelation 3:20).

The Apostle John addressed seven churches in the Book of Revelation: Ephesus, the Loveless Church; Smyrna, the Persecuted Church; Pergamos, the Compromising Church; Thyatira, the Corrupt Church; Sardis, the Dead Church; Philadelphia, the Faithful Church; and Laodiceans, the Lukewarm Church. These were seven literal churches of the day, as well as they represent the various periods of the history of the church.

There are many lessons we can learn from each church and what the Lord Jesus Christ had to say to each of them. We are living during period of the last two churches: Philadelphia and Laodicea. At the same time there are faithful churches to the Lord who honor God and preach the gospel and other churches that exist in name only with false doctrine, and a watered down message. They need to repent.

It it is interesting that all the churches are mentioned by a city name, but the one before our attention today is the only one mentioned by region, is the church of the Laodiceans. There was a city, Laodicea, but the message does out beyond one city. The message to this lukewarm church is serious, sobering, and soul searching. The Lord hates lukewarmness in any form.

We immediately notice that it is Jesus who is speaking to them, although His name is not mentioned, three of His titles are: the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, and the Beginning of the creation of God. When Jesus speaks, everyone should listen, including us. The Lord brings forth something positive about nearly every church and something to change and work on. But to the Laodiceans, there is nothing good our Lord can say about. How sad is that!

The Lord calls upon them to buy gold refined in the fire, to be rich, clothed in white garments, anointed with eye salve, be zealous and repent. He tells then in verse 20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.” It is an invitation to salvation and fellowship with the risen Savior.

Jesus is so very patient with us waiting for us to open up to Him. He wants to be Lord of all in our lives, which is best for us. What will you do today? Will you open up your heart to Him? Will you give Him full access to every room, with every key?

This verse is often read or quoted in connection with the gospel, and that is a right application we can use, but it is intended for individuals to open their hearts. The door handle of our hearts is always on inside not on the outside, meaning we must open our hearts to Jesus of our own freewill. He will never force His way in. He waits patiently and knocks at our door. We must repent of our sins, and invite Him in to dine (or have fellowship) with us and with Him. He with us. We must act and make the first move.

We must give Him full access to every room in our hearts and give Him every key. He is Lord and must sit on the throne of our hearts and direct our lives. He wants to transform us into His image.

Have a blessed day of opening your heart’s door and giving Him full control. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 13, 2020-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-We Are His Workmanship, Created For Good Works-

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

(Ephesians 2:10).

Good works are not a means to salvation but as a result of salvation. Hence, in Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul clearly states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Salvation is by grace through faith. It is all about what He has done for us.

That being said, part of God’s plan for our salvation is a life of good works. Paul says in our text: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” Thus it shows that God’s plan of salvation included a transformation. We were born sinners, selfish, self-seeking, self-centered, proud, and rebellious. Through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, He has made us humble, Christlike, broken, obedient, surrendered, and others oriented. Oh, what a change! God begins to work on us; but change takes time. Somethings change immediately but others take years. He won’t be finished with us until we get to heaven.

In Galatians 6:9-10, Paul wrote, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” It is indeed a challenge for us to do good to all, meaning Christians and non-Christians alike. Paul adds, “especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

The word “all,” means everybody, every time. Those we like and those we don’t; those who are easy to get along with and those we are not; those who are saved and those who are not; those we live with and those we work with or go to school with. There are no exclusions or exceptions. We can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s grace is needed to do good to those who don’t like us or our Christ.

When we love our enemies and return good for evil, it convicts the unsaved and gives us a platform to share the gospel. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works and God prepared us beforehand that we should walk in them. It is our destiny, our mission, and our service unto to others in Jesus’ name. Let us look for opportunities today to do good to others, not hoping to receive anything in return.

There is such power in a Christlike life. We must always remember how God showed His goodness to us and saved us. He never gave up on us and we should never give up on others.

Have blessed day doing good to all, online, on the phone, or in person. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 12, 2020-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Bought With Price: Our Bodies Are The Temple Of The Holy Spirit.

“Or do not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God’s.”

The NT emphasizes that God calls us to personal holiness. Paul tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. One of the main sins in Paul’s day was sexual immorality, and the saints needed to flee immorality and live consecrated lives. In the verse prior to our text, we read, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18).

No believer would ever desecrate a temple or place of worship. Paul calls his readers in Corinth to higher living in sanctification and separation from sin and this world. Since we have received Christ and been bought with His blood, we are not our own. We belong to Jesus now. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we need take care of them spiritually, morally, and physically.

Paul gives us the key to godly living in this ungodly world: “…therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God’s. Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians was, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Since the Holy Spirit dwells in us, He convicts us when we sin or need to correct something we said or did that hurt someone and or displeased the Lord in some way. We can call it our E.A.S. (Early Alert System). The Holy Spirit keeps from doing wrong if we listen; He also convicts us after we have done wrong so we can confess our sin and be forgiven.

May the Lord help us today to remember that we are not our own but have been bought with a price, the blood of Christ. Let us glorify God in our body and in our spirit. Temptation and sin is everywhere around us. The key to victory is through the Holy Spirit using the Holy Scriptures to produce in us holy lives. We must be on guard every moment against Satan’s attacks.

Have a blessed day glorifying God in our body and spirit. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 11, 2020-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Rejoicing In God’s Word As In All Riches-

“I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches.”

(Psalm 119:14).

Every person needs money to live. The problem that the human heart always wants more and more of it. Riches do not bring lasting happiness, even in our brief stay on earth. We see it in the corporate world, the political world, the entertainment world, the sports world, and in other arenas of life. Material things do not bring real satisfaction. Jesus alone satisfies our hearts.

There is nothing wrong with riches as long as we control them and they do not control us. When then Psalmist thought about how much he loved the Word of God he compared it to all riches. What he is saying is that he would rather have the Scriptures than all the money and treasures of this world. The Bible is not the word of man but the Word of God. It is rich, precious, and sweet. Once you taste it, you lose your taste for the things of this world.

The hymn writer Rhea F. Miller said, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold, I’d rather be His than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands, I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hands. The chorus says, “Than to be the king of a vast domain of a vast domain or beheld in sin’s dread sway; I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.” How valuable is the Word of God to you? Is it a priority in your life? Do you rejoice in it as in all riches?

The riches of this world are fleeting, their value changeable. In fact, we will leave behind all the riches of this world when we die or at the Rapture, and one day all of them will be burned up. The spiritual mind sees things differently than the carnal mind. The man or woman of God wants something that will last forever: the Word of God.

James 1:9-11 says, “Let the lowly brother glory in his exultation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; it’s flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.” There is no comparison between the Word of God and even the greatest treasures of this world.

Have a blessed day rejoicing in God’s Word more than anything else. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean