Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 11, 2020-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-There Is Nothing Too Hard For The Lord-

“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”

(Jeremiah 32:17).

Jeremiah loved the Lord very much and took on the responsibility to speak to the nation of Israel when they needed to hear the message from God. He was rejected, resisted, and refused. They even threw him in an empty cistern. God used the Babylonians to take the remaining people into captivity due to their idolatry and disobedience.

Jeremiah acknowledged God’s mighty power when he wrote, “…Ah, Lord God! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm…” The Lord is the only true God, the living God, whereas all other gods are idols. There is no one individually or collectively as a people that can defeat the Lord. He is the Creator and the Savior, the King, and Lord of all.

Jeremiah then made the wonderful statement, “…There is nothing too hard for the Lord.” The Lord Himself said this also in Jeremiah 32:27, “Behold, “I am the Lord, the God of all all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” It was true in Jeremiah’s day, and it is just as true today: there is nothing too hard for the Lord. He is the omnipotent God.

There are so many things that are too hard for us to do. We don’t have the power, skill, talent, or ability to do things in and of ourselves; God however is unlimited, unrestricted, and unstoppable. When we cast ourselves on the Lord and seek His help, He will help us. We must always remember give Him all the glory when He comes through for us.

With God all things are possible, and nothing is impossible for Him. The angel Gabriel said to Mary in Luke 1:26, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Jesus told His disciples, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

The hymn writer wrote, “Be of good courage,” God spake unto Joshua, when o’er the river God pointed the way; Jordan uncrossable! Things seemed impossible, waters divide as they march and obey. Battle to win! They would meet with their obstacles, Jericho’s walls, too, must fall to the ground. God never failed; He stood back of His promises, walls had to crumble as they marched around. God is the same and His Word is dependable, He’ll make a way through the waters for you; Life’s situations by Him are amendable, mountains and hills He will part for you too.” The chorus says, “Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through? God specializes in things thought impossible, He does the things others cannot do.”

May the Lord encourage us in our impossibilities, difficulties, and perplexities that we may be facing today, not the least of which is this Coronavirus pandemic and so many other things at home, at work, at school, or anywhere else.

Have a blessed day trusting the Lord. There is nothing too hard for Him! Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-July 10, 2020-

-Good morning, happy Friday,

-Our Confidence That Christ Will Complete His Work In Us-

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

(Philippians 1:6).

God began His work in us and will complete it on the day of Christ. The day of Christ refers to the Lord’s coming to take us home to heaven. Whether death comes first or the Rapture, He will finish that work in us.

God starts the work in our lives when we get saved. He has a plan for our lives to conform us to the image of Christ. For those who have gone before us, their work on earth is done. Since we don’t know exactly when the day of departure from this earth will be, it is imperative that we use each day, each opportunity to serve the Lord.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus is author and finisher of our faith, and He will finish what He started. We are all a good work in progress.

The Lord knows exactly what He is doing in our lives. He does not promise to spare us from pain, sorrow, tribulation, and affliction; in fact it is all part of the process along with joys, successes, and victories. He uses our experiences to make us who were are.

The process of turning a caterpillar into a butterfly is called metamorphosis. It is one of the most wonderful processes in nature. Only God can do it. For every believer there is the transformation from a sinner into a child of God. The Holy Spirit works in our lives prior to salvation to convict us of our sins and show us our need of Christ. At our conversion, He comes to indwell us and continues His work in our lives.

Each believer has a story to tell of how Christ has changed his or her life. It is our personal testimony of our transformation. Someone once said, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” This is so true but we should never use it as an excuse for sin or bad behavior. We are a work in progress and we need to make progress, to grow, and to learn from Jesus how to live in this world for His glory.

May the Lord remind us how He has saved us and what He wants to make us into. He is the author who writes our story, and the finisher who completes it. Let us then follow Christ and let Him have His way in our lives day by day. Look at the progress we have made through the Lord as we journey to heaven.

Have a blessed day growing in Christ. He is doing a great work in us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-July 9, 2020-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-God Is Able To Do Exceedingly Abundantly Above All We Ask Or Think-

“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, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

(Ephesians 3:20-21).

There is nothing that God cannot do; nothing limits or hinders His power. God is not only able to do anything but He can do exceedingly abundantly above all our prayers and thoughts. He is able and more than able.

Each phrase in verse 20 builds on the other: He is able; He is able to do; He to do exceedingly; He is able to do exceedingly abundantly; He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above; He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all; He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask; He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think; He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.

All this is according to the power that works in us; the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as we must plug into a power outlet to access the power, so too, we much avail ourselves of the power of God through obedience and surrender to the Lord. All the glory goes to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Are you plugged into His power or are you trying to generate your own power? God is able and more than able; we are not even close to being able. Let us remember who we pray to: the all powerful, everlasting, and all loving God. We just need to pray in faith believing.

Have blessed day plugged into God’s power. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-July 8, 2020-

Good morning happy Wednesday,

-Seeking Wondrous Things From God’s Word-

“Open my eyes, that I might see wondrous things from Your law.”

(Psalm 119:18).

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in all the Bible with 176 verses, with all but seven referring to the Word of God in some form. The writer, who is unknown, uses seven different words to describe the Scriptures: law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, and word.

This psalm is divided into twenty two sections of eight verses, with each section headed by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This psalm has been a blessing to believers ever since the time it was written.

Today’s verse is a prayer for God to open our eyes to see wondrous things from His Word. A casual reading of the Bible is like walking past some beautiful roses; searching for the rich truths for our lives is like stopping to smell them. When we study the Word, meditate on the Word, memorize the Word, obey the Word, and apply the Word to our lives, we are incredibly blessed. But it takes time and effort.

We should pray this prayer before we open God’s Word, “Open my eyes Lord that I might see wondrous things in Your Word today.” There are treasures and nuggets of truth to be found on every page when we stop to search them out. There are promises to claim, commands to obey, and precepts to follow and apply to our lives. The Lord Jesus Christ is found in all the Scriptures. Luke 24:44-45 says, “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”

The song writer said, “Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus. To reach out and touch Him, and say that we love Him. Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen. Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.” Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 13:16-17, “Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

We are so blessed to have the whole Word of God from Genesis to Revelation, yet the best is yet to come when we will see Him face to face and hear His voice audibly.

As we come into His presence today, with an open heart and an open Bible, let us pray that the Holy Spirit will show us wondrous things from His Word. Let us not get too busy, too stressed, or too worried about the things of the world as Martha was, but choose the better part, like Mary did, to sit at our Savior’s feet and listen to His Word.

Have a blessed day at the Savior’s feet, seeing the wondrous things He has for us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-July 7, 2020-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-The Way And The Word Of The Lord-

“As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

(Psalm 18:30).

David wrote Psalm 18 on the day the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and Saul. It is one of the longest psalms and is a real blessing. David trusted fully in the Lord and His Word.

Today’s verse is a microcosm of this psalm and points to God’s way and His Word that are essential in our lives. We live in uneasy, uncertain, and uncomfortable times. It so important to trust in the Lord one day at a time.

There are two ways we can go in life: God’s way or man’s way. The former leads us to peace, fulfillment, and joy; the latter leads to disappointment, frustration, and discouragement. The Lord says in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than Your ways, and My thoughts than Your thoughts.”

God way and His ways are perfect. They work every time if we will only follow them. David saw this work out in His own life over and over again. David trusted the Lord and He provided for him and protected him. We find so much comfort and encouragement in walking in God’s ways.

Not only are God’s ways a blessing, but so is His Word. David tells us that God’s Word is proven. To be proven, something must always work and stand the test of time. God has a perfect track record as does His Word. His precepts work, His promises never fail, and His commands keep us on the right path.

When we seek the Lord’s ways and follow His Word, we find Him to be our shield. A shield protects us from the attacks of the devil. Paul wrote in connection with our spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:16, “Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

Have a blessed day walking in God’s ways and following His Word. Stay safe and healthy.

Let us then remember to seek God’s way and His ways, and rely completely on His proven Word. He is our shield and He has given us the shield of faith against the evil one. We are victorious in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dean