Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-June 12, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” If anyone defiles (or destroys) the temple of God, God will destroy him. For temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

There are three great temple mentioned in the Bible: Solomon’s Temple, Zerubbabel’s Temple, and Herod’s Temple. Solomon’s was by far the greatest of the three. In the future the Jews will build a fourth temple during the Millennium. But there is a greater temple than any of these.

Our bodies are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in us. Just as the first three temples were holy and for the presence of the Lord who resided there. Sadly, over time, the Israelites defiled the temple by placing idols there and forsaking the Lord.

God takes His temples very seriously. They should always be holy. Because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we should be holy and we should do nothing to desecrate, defile, or destroy it.

When Jesus was on earth, He went into the temple, and on two occasions drove out the money changers. He said, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise” (John 2:16). Jesus calls the temple “My Father’s house.”

May we take our bodies seriously and be holy and undefiled. Have a blessed day.

It is a great privilege and responsibility to be the temple of God.

Dean

-June 11, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and he humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.”

(2 Chronicles 33:12-13).

The story of King Manasseh is an amazing example of true repentance. His life before was the worst ever for the kings of Israel and Judah; yet God forgave him turned his life around completely.

The definition of the word repent is defined as, “to feel regret or contrition; to change one’s mind; to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.” Manasseh’s repentance was sincere and God changed his life.

Manasseh’s rap sheet was as long as his arm. 2 Chronicles 33:1-12 lists every one of his sins. Verse two summarizes his life: “But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.”

As you read of all his evil and wickedness, you may think he was beyond hope or remedy; he seemed to have gone too far into sin. He not only did evil but he seduced Judah to more evil than all the nations in Canaan before God drove them out.

Even when the Lord spoke to him and to Judah, they would not listen. God had to take severe measures to deal with him. The Lord brought the Assyrians to take him to Babylon with hooks and bronze fetters. He literally hit rock bottom.

Fortunately, he implored the Lord and greatly humbled himself. He turned from sin to salvation. This is what repentance is all about: turning around 180 degrees. It means a change of heart and actions. Peter’s message in Acts 3:19 was, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshment may come from the presence of the Lord.”

Repentance is not a one time occurrence at conversion, we as believers must also repent and confess our sins and be restored to fellowship with the Lord. We must be broken before the Lord. David and Peter attest to that.

Let us repent and get right with God. He is faithful to hear and forgive us. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

No one has strayed too far that God cannot bring him back. Repentance leads to restoration.

Dean

-June 10, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that when we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

(Romans 5:8).

We have all experienced the love those who love us put into action. They say, “I love you,” and they show it clearly and tangibly.

John wrote in 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” Jesus taught us to love by loving us. There was never a more powerful demonstration of God’s love than at the cross.

The word demonstrate is defined as, “clearly show the existence or truth of (something) by giving proof or evidence.” It is an action word that we can understand. It comes down to showing, proving, exhibiting, and putting into practice.

When was God’s love shown to us? It was while we were still sinners. We were enemies of God and now we are beloved children of God. This is why we often hear it said, “Come to Christ just as you are.” God loved us at our worse, and cannot love us anymore at our best.

Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 1 John 3:16 tells us, “But this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

May we rejoice in God’s love to us and show His love to others. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Love is not mere emotion, it is locomotion; it goes beyond words to actions.

Dean

-June 9, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

David the writer of Psalm 9, was one of great men of men of faith in the Bible; and his faith was tested by a plethora of trials in his life.

Faith is always tested under pressure, for how can we know that we trust Him when things are going smoothly? If we can’t trust the Lord, who can we trust?

Life itself teaches us who we can trust in our lives. When someone proves trustworthy, then it builds our confidence in them for the future. We can trust the Lord because He proven His love, care, and faithfulness over the years. His track record is perfect. He can never fail us.

When we know the name of Jesus, we will put our trust in Him. He is our Rock and our Refuge. The Lord will never forsake us when we trust in Him. God has been faithful to us over and over.

There is a wonderful hymn written by Thomas Kelly in 1806, entitled, “Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him.” The third verse says, “Trust in Him, ye saints forever; He is faithful, changing never; neither force nor guile can sever those He loves from Him.”

Have a blessed day trusting the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Whether we can see or hear, we can trust Him without doubt or fear.

Dean

-June 8, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work.”

(2 Corinthians 9:8).

God is a very generous God. No one can out give Him. What we give to the Lord is such a paltry amount in comparison to what He gives to us. 2 Corinthians 9 deals with the subject of giving, especially monetarily.

God promises to bless our giving by giving us His abundant grace so that we will have all sufficiency and abundance. Paul uses the little, yet powerful word “all” three times in this one verse. He says “all grace, all sufficiency, and all things.”

This verse is packed with promises and encouragement. The key phrase to the whole verse is, “God is able.” There is nothing God cannot do except lie or sin in any form. It is a great study to consider the nine times in the NT where it is mentioned that He is able.

Here are the references: Acts 20:32; Romans 14:4; Romans 16:25; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 3:20; Philippians 3:21; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; and Jude 24. I suggest you look them up, they are very encouraging.

There is a beautiful praise and worship song, entitled, “He is Able.” It says, “He is able, more than able to accomplish what concerns me today. He is able, more than able to handle anything that comes my way. He is able more than able, to do much more than I could ever dream. He is able, more than able to make me what He wants me to be.”

Have a blessed Lord’s Day reflecting on God’s ability to cause His grace to abound toward you. Stay safe and healthy.

Since God is able, our lives are stable.

Dean