Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 10, 2020-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-God is Our Refuge And Strength, Especially In Times Of Trouble-

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

(Psalm 46:1).

The book of Psalms is full of encouragement, comfort, instruction, praise, and worship. For this reason, it one of the most beloved books of the Bible. This particular psalm was written by the sons of Korah, Levites who served God in the tabernacle and later in the temple. They were the servants and workers.

Today’s text is a great blessing. It shows us that God is our refuge, God is our strength, and God is a very present help in trouble. There are times we have get down and discouraged, and God’s Word lifts us up.

• God is our refuge – God is our blessed refuge – A refuge is a place of safety, security, and sanctuary for someone in need. As the text says, “He is our refuge…” Though the Lord dispatches angels to watch over us and protect us, they are not our refuge, the Lord is. Nothing can get past Him, unless He allows it. Moses said in Deuteronomy 33:27, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” That sounds so good to me.

God is our strength – We need the Lord’s strength as we live for Him and serve Him. One of greatest temptations and dangers is to rely on our own strength. As soon as we do, we will fall, fail, and frustrate ourselves. The Lord told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” We need God’s strength to flow through us daily.

God is a very present help in trouble – One thing is for sure, either we will find trouble or trouble will find us. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” The Lord promises to be with us always, but especially in the hard times. Imagine if you were walking down the street with a police officer at our side; he or she could immediately spring into action. The response time would be instantaneous because of a very present help in trouble. We have the Lord who is the best helper.

Let us take fresh courage today in God’s Word: God is our refuge, our strength, and a very present help in trouble. God doesn’t promise us a trouble free, carefree life; He does promise to be with us and see us through our trials. The Lord assures us of all the promises of His Word. What troubles may lay ahead for today we do not know, but He does and He will be with us as a very present help.

Have a blessed day in the midst or trouble with the Lord as our refuge, strength, and help. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 9, 2020-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-God Values Us So Highly-

“Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before by God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

(Luke 12:6-7).

Jesus often spoke of small things and how important they are. He mentioned a mustard seed which is so small but grows into a large tree; a jot and tittle, which are the smallest marks in the Hebrew language, yet He fulfills the law down to the smallest detail; the lilies of the field which last such a short time, but even Solomon in all his glory cannot compare to them; and our text today sparrows, which are tiny birds and copper coins which are the smallest and least valuable of all the coins in circulation at that time.

Our God is a God of intricate variety and detail in all His creation. In Luke 12:4-6, Jesus calls His disciples “friends.” He impressed upon them how much He valued them and illustrated it by the use of things they could understand and relate to: sparrows, copper coins, and the hairs of one’s head.

Sparrows were tiny, seemingly unimportant birds, yet were important and valuable in God’s. Man valued them lightly: five sparrows were sold for two copper coins, like our pennies. It is interesting that sparrows are only mentioned by Jesus in the gospels and no where else in Scripture.

God values things and people differently than man does. He loves and cares for tiny birds, and places even greater value on people, especially His people, believers in Jesus Christ. He told them, “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” In Matthew 6:26, Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Our Father even knows the number of hairs on our heads. We are His treasure and are precious in His sight. If God cares for tiny sparrows, how much more does He care for us? In Mark 10:29, Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.”

If God loves and values us so highly, then why do we still fear, worry, get troubled or anxious? Has He not taken care of wonderfully thus far? He knows our thoughts, our cares, and our problems; not one detail escapes His notice and concern. He is concerned with what concerns us. He knows what you are going through today and He will see you through it.

May the Lord help us to rest in the assurance and blessedness of His love and care. We are very valuable and precious to Him. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 8, 2020-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Jesus Died In Our Place On The Cross-

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

(Isaiah 53:5)

The Father sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to die for us on the cross. Our Savior was perfect, sinless, and holy, and He bore our sins and the sins of the world in His body on the cross. He paid our sin debt so that through faith in Him we have eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. Isaiah 53 shows the greatest detail of what Jesus went through.

We notice in our text there are four key words Isaiah employs to demonstrate the substitutionary death of Christ: wounded, bruised, chastisement, and stripes. Each brings to bear a different aspect of His suffering in the cross for us.

1) Wounded – Normally when we hear the word wounded we think of wartime. In the case of Christ, He was wounded as our sin bearer. He fought all the forces of Satan and the powers of evil and darkness, and He defeated them. Zechariah 13:6 speaking of Christ, says,”And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’”

2) Bruised – Bruises to the body are very painful and can take quite a while to heal. Just as wounded is used in military terms, bruised is more of a medical term. A deep bruise can cause the skin turn black and blue, and if there is some internal bleeding, purple. Our Savior was bruised for us. He bore every beating, and was nailed to the cross for us.

3) Chastisement – The word chastisement is a word the evokes of punishment for wrong doing, our’s not His. Here Isaiah says, “The chastisement of our peace was upon Him.” The Roman soldiers scourged Jesus with a severe beating. The Jews limited beatings to 40 lashes, the Romans had no such limit. What a price Jesus paid to give us peace with God.

4) Stripes – By Jesus’ sufferings, He set us free from the power of sin and death. Isaiah tells us, “By His stripes we are healed.” He willingly endured and suffered for us. Every stripe that He bore in His body was meant for us. The hymn writer said, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”

When we meditate on on these four words: wounded, bruised, chastisement, and stripes, it makes us fall at our Savior’s feet and worship Him. The symbols of the bread as His broken body and the cup as shed blood mean so much to us. We miss the Breaking of Bread so much.

Have a blessed day worshipping and praising the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 7, 2020-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Joy Comes In The Morning-

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

(Psalm 30:5).

For the child of God there is also hope in and for tomorrow. God is the unchanging God, everlasting, omnipotent God. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” As bad as things may seem, there is hope in our Lord. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

By waking up in the morning doesn’t change our circumstances, but God gives us the grace that is sufficient, the peace that passes all understanding, and assurance that He is in control. The pain may still be there, the sorrow may still be there, the bank account may still be low, one’s heath may still be challenged, or a relationship with someone may still be rocky. But joy comes in the morning.

Joy, unlike happiness, is not based on our circumstances but on our relationship with Jesus Christ and through the Word of God. We just need to trust Him and walk by faith. There are times when God changes our circumstances from night to day and turns everything around, solving the problem, resolving the issue, or meeting the need. In such cases, we praise and thank God. Joseph went to bed a prisoner and woke up to a meeting with Pharaoh who made him second in command over all Egypt. Peter went to sleep chained to four Roman guards, with a death sentence hanging over his head. An angel woke him up and led him out of the prison. The women who woke that first Easter morning didn’t know how the huge stone over Jesus’ tomb could be moved, found it already rolled away.

But what if nothing changes and that which we feared does happen? Suppose instead of getting better our circumstances actually get worse? After Moses spoke to Pharaoh the first time, he refused to let Israel go and took away their straw to make bricks, making the Israelites find their own stubble, while keeping their quota of bricks the same. It took ten plaques before Pharaoh let them go. We thank God that He is in control and that His will and timing are best. We have the promise of Romans 8:28, “For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Dear brothers and sisters, don’t lose hope, don’t quit, don’t give up. God is working and moving while we are sleeping or tossing and turning. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. The sun will rise and so must we; the light will overtake the darkness and so must we; we must go about our day, facing whatever happens by His grace and mercy. Let’s remember joy comes in the morning!

Have a blessed and joyful day in Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 6, 2020-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-God Holds Us By Our Right Hand-

“‘For I, the Lord your God, will hold you by the your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’”

Imagine a father holding his young son’s hand as they walk down the street, as they cross the street, and as they enter a large shopping mall. The father loves his son and wants to protect him from possible danger and distress. The son is happy and content with his father holding his hand. This is a picture of our Heavenly Father’s love and care for us as we walk through this world.

At a certain age, the son may want to pull away, not wanting his father to hold his hand any longer, thinking he can make it on his own. One of the worse things that can happen is becoming separated and getting lost. It happened to me once as a child and I got so scared. I never forgot it.

We need the Lord to lead us, guide us, and help us on our journey through this world. Our enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil seek our demise. Fears, cares, and worries are everywhere. In Psalm 73:23-24, the psalmist says, “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”

There is no better place to be in this world than walking close to the Lord hand in hand, step by step. There is such comfort, peace, assurance, and encouragement for us. He calms our fears and dries our tears. The Lord is in control. The Lord says, “Fear not, I will help you.” No earthly help will work, we need Him.

The hymn writer Thomas A. Dorsey wrote, “Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, help me stand; I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; Thru the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home. When my way grows drear, precious Lord, linger near; when my life is almost gone, hear my cry, hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall; take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.”

Let us remember how much we need the close fellowship with our Lord. The Lord promises to hold our hand and help us in whatever we are going through.We need not fear, when Jesus is near. May we know that He holds our hand, we need not worry about letting go of His hand: He will will never let go of our hand.

Have a blessed day walking hand in hand with Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean