Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-August 5, 2020-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

– The Example Of Integrity-

“The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.”

(Proverbs 20:7).

Integrity is a very rare commodity in the world today. Even among Christians is not as widespread as it should be. The word integrity is found twenty times in the Bible, all but one of them are found in the OT. It is defined as, “The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.”

Here in our text the righteous man is the believer who is walking with God. Many men and women in the Scriptures walked in integrity, though Job is the only one who is described as a man of integrity by the Lord. Job 2:3 says, “Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.’”

Job was a godly man, husband, and father. God highly commended him. He was a true man of integrity. We as believers today should follow his example. Integrity is something that must be shown and maintained as a way of life. It is not something we put on Sunday mornings. Integrity must be a 24-7, 365 day lifestyle. It never goes out of style. Proverbs 10:9 says, “He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.”

We need to be honest at home, at church, at work, at school, and everywhere we go. People are always watching us, and listening to us. The unsaved in particular like it when Christians mess up. Our children especially are very astute and observant; they can spot inconsistency and hypocrisy a mile away.

The man of integrity’s children are blessed after him. This means he lives his Christianity humbly, sincerely, and faithfully before his children so that they follow his example well after he has gone to be with the Lord. We can all leave a lasting legacy to the next generation. Our dear brother Jim who went home to be with the Lord during this Coronavirus pandemic was such a man.

Are you a man or woman of integrity? Are you honest with sound moral principles and moral excellence? Does what you do speak louder than what you say? Do you have a strong moral and ethical backbone? May the Lord help us to show and maintain integrity in the midst of a world of corruption, dishonesty, and moral collapse. May our yes be yes and our no be no. Let us stand on the truth, in the truth, and for the truth daily.

Have a blessed day of walking in integrity in the name of Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

high praise indeed. Job 2:3 ssasays,

-August 4, 2020-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Call To The Lord And He Will Answer You-

“Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name): ‘ Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’”

(Jeremiah 33:2-3).

Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison because of His prophecies against Judah who had disobeyed and rejected the Lord. They refused His Word and Jeremiah His prophet. Jeremiah is called “the weeping prophet,” for he wept over God’s people. He not only wrote the book of Jeremiah, but also the book of Lamentations, which follows it in the Canon of Scripture.

In the OT, God used prophets, formerly called seers, to speak to His people Israel. They spoke on God’s behalf and were severely persecuted for their message. The old expression was certainly appropriate for them, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” Israel often did shoot the messenger. Many prophets were rejected, despised, in prisoned, and even killed. They represented God to His people.

In Jeremiah 33:1, we read, “Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the prison, saying.” This expression “a second time,” is found four times in Scripture: God spoke to Abraham, Solomon, Elijah, and Jeremiah a second time. When God speaks a second time it is usually to give additional truth and encouragement to His servants. Does God have something to say to you a second time today? Are you in need of hearing His voice in some particular thing?

Jeremiah, like his fellow prophet Elijah, needed encouragement, and God provided it at just the right time. The Lord first introduces Himself as, “the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name):” If God had business cards this would be a wonderful statement to put on them! For He is Lord of all, He created all things, holds all things together, rules the universe from His throne in heaven, and has all power. He formed Israel as a nation and isn’t finished with them yet.

God invites Jeremiah to call upon Him and promises to answer him. Not only to answer him but to show him great and mighty things which he does not know. Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Lord does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”

The amazing thing is that God wants to converse with us, and for us to ask Him for great things; in fact He promises to even go beyond what we ask and give us great and mighty things which we do not know. No matter how many times we read the Bible, God always has something new to show us, to teach us. We may have read a verse or passage dozens of times, but we glean something new and fresh each time. We are are so blessed!

Let us thank God our Father through His Son Jesus Christ that we can pray to a God who hears and answers prayer. We must always remember to pray in Jesus’ name and according to God’s will. Just wait and see what great and mighty things He will show us! As our beloved brother Paul wrote, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

Have a blessed day in prayer in whatever circumstances you find yourself in. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 3, 2020-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Man Looks On The Outward Appearance, But The Lord Looks At The Heart-

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

(1 Samuel 16:7).

There is a vast difference between God and man. God is holy, righteous, just, and perfect; man is sinful, finite, and human. What God sees and considers important is the opposite of what man sees: man sees and values the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

The Lord sent the prophet Samuel to anoint one of the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem to be the next king to replace Saul, who had disobeyed God. Samuel was not sent to choose for himself, but to anoint God’s choice. Jesse had eight sons, seven of which were in the house at the time.

Samuel immediately saw Eliab as the perfect choice. The Lord advises and warns him not to be deceived by his appearance or physical stature. When the people of Israel requested a king like the other nations, God gave them Saul, who was tall, dark, and handsome. From a physical standpoint he was literally head and shoulders above anyone else.

If the godly man Samuel looked on the outward appearance, how about us? Do we not do the same? Women look for the most handsome, strongest man; men look for the most beautiful, shapely woman. We human beings are wired that way. It is hard for us to see the inward person.

All seven of Jesse’s sons were rejected by the Lord. Samuel did not understand it and asked if all Jesse’s sons were there. Jesse tells him there is one left, the youngest, who was tending the sheep. Of course that was David, God’s choice. God called him, “A man after My own heart.” Samuel anointed him king, but David had to wait years for God’s timing for Saul to die in battle before he would rule Judah, then all Israel.

The lesson for us is that the heart, the inward man is what is most important. God values and delights in our relationship to Him, our walk with Him, and how we please, honor, and serve Him. People spend so much time and money to look good on the outside but so little on the what is on the inside. Our priority should be to value first character, then personality, then outward attractiveness.

Man sees the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. I am sure Samuel thought a lot about this on his way back home. We should think about it and act on it as well. It will radically transform our perspective on what is most important in others and in ourselves. The correct order of importance in Scripture is spirit, soul, and body, not the other way around. Psalm 147:10-11 says, “He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.”

Have a blessed day looking at the heart. Stay safe and healthy.

-August 2, 2020-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

Be Doers Of The Word, Not Hearers Only-

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the law of liberty and continues in it, is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one is blessed in what he does.”

(James 1:22-25).

James is a very practical in his epistle. He speaks clearly and directly, and he pulls no punches as it were. His desire is that the saints practice the Word and apply it to their lives. He speaks of being doers the Word not hearers only.

We are only deceiving ourselves when we are not doers but hearers only. The Word of God is so practical and tells what to do and what not to do. We do not want our will but God’s will. When we read and study the Word we should always ask ourselves three questions: what does it say, what does it mean, and what does it mean to me. If we do the first two but not the third, we are missing out on the key element.

If we are hearers only, we gain head knowledge and get puffed up; but when we are doers of the Word but receive it humbly and apply it to our lives. James states the difference between being a forgetful hearer and an effectual doer. The Holy Spirit uses the Word to convict us, challenge us, and call us to change and be more like Christ.

James speaks of someone seeing himself in a mirror and walking away and forgetting what kind of man he was. Mirrors in NT times were made of copper and it was not easy to see oneself clearly as we do with our modern mirrors. The mirror may tell us what to do then we must choose to do it. If we choose to do nothing that is on us. The exact same is true in regard to obeying and practicing the Word.

So, the choice is yours. It is between you and God. He will never force us or coerce us in any way. Let us choose to be doers of the Word daily. It is a clear and simple choice we must make. There is no room for excuses.

Have a blessed day being doers of the Word. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-August 1, 2020-

Good morning happy Saturday,

-You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.”

(Psalm 119:114).

2020 is the year of the Coronavirus pandemic. To add to that there was been widespread social protests over black peoples rights and police brutality. The calls for change are sweeping across our nation. Today is the first day of August. It has now been just over four months since we have been sheltering in place. We opened up businesses and loosened many restrictions but now the pandemic is worse is most every state.

It is something we pray about every day. Health experts tell us that if we would all wear face coverings everywhere we go outside our homes, practice social distancing, wash our hands frequently, and avoid large crowds, we would start to see an improvement of about fifty percent. It seems so simple and it is but many people are rebelling.

In the midst of all these problems we face, we need the Lord to guide us, help us, and encourage us. It reminds me of the simple yet powerful message of the gospel. It is good news and offers us eternal life through receiving Jesus Christ. Luke 19:14 summarizes the sentiments of so many in response to Christ, “But his citizens sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man reign over us.’” This verse is part of a parable Jesus told the people.

Thank God we listened to the gospel, confessed our sins, repented, and believed in Jesus, receiving Him as Lord and Savior. The psalmist tells us, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.” Oh how we need Jesus as our hiding place in these dark, uncertain days! I do not know how people make it without Christ!

A hiding place is a place of safety from all the problems, pains, and sorrows of life. We can run to the Lord and find comfort, encouragement, protection, and help. It also says in Psalm 32:7, “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.”

What a wonderful blessing to have such a hiding place. David the writer of Psalm 32 found the Lord’s protection and help through many troubles and afflictions. Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy spend ten months in Nazi concentration camps in WWII. Corrie later wrote a book, entitled, “The Hiding Place.” It was also made into a movie. The Lord brought her through these horrible and deplorable conditions to eventual release. She served the Lord after that, helping and encouraging so many. Before their capture, her family hid many Jews and helped them escape from the Nazis. The title of the book has a double meaning: she and her family provided a hiding place for the Jews and the Lord was her hiding during her imprisonment.

Is Jesus your hiding place? Do you seek Him and His Word in times of trouble? Man cannot help us, only Christ is our hiding place. We often look for our own solutions, remedies, and resources but they do not work. We need our Lord at all times. Let us draw near to Him and He will draw near to us. May we pour out our hearts to Him in prayer and trust Him for His help. The Word of God is our lifeline daily.

Have blessed day with Jesus, our hiding place. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean