Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-May 28, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”

(Psalm 150:6).

We do not know who wrote Psalm 150, but one thing is obvious: he was a man of praise who praised the Lord for everything. He desired that every believer praise the Lord as well.

The title of the psalm is, “Let All Things Praise the Lord.” The psalmist uses the word praise thirteen times in short psalm of six verses. Thus, to me we should call this the praise chapter; just 1 Corinthians 13 is the love chapter and 1 Corinthians 15 is the resurrection chapter.

Today’s verse is the pinnacle of the mountain of praise. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” This word praise could be rendered “Hallelujah.” We Christians have our own language. We say Hallelujah, praise the Lord, thank God, the Lord is good, blessed and thankful, and amen—just to mention a few. Do you use all these in your daily vernacular? Why not start today?

Many hymns speak of praising the Lord. In our hymnal, there are ten praise hymns and many others that mentions praise in the lyrics. My favorite is, “Praise Him! Praise Him!” by Fanny Crosby, the prolific hymn writer. The chorus says, “Praise Him! Praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness! Praise Him! Praise Him! ever in joyful song!” I count no fewer than six exclamation marks in the chorus alone!

But as good as it to read about praise, study about it, preach it, and teach it—but the best thing is to praise Him everyday. The Lord has given me breath, He has lent it to to me while I am living. I will praise Him and sing His praises.

The more we praise the Lord, the more we thank Him for who He is and what He has done for us. Have a blessed day praising the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Let me praise the Lord all my days in all ways.

Dean

-May 27, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”

(1 Peter 4:13).

No one enjoys trials and tribulations, pain and suffering, sorrow and hardship. In fact, we don’t connect joy with difficulties. One day when we stand before the Lord in His glory, we will fully recognize the benefits of the trials that we went through.

The word exceeding is defined as, “very great; exceptional in amount, quality or degree.” Our joy should exceed our pain and help us to see the benefits of our trials to our spiritual grown.

But how should react to them now as we experience them. Peter tells us we should be glad with exceeding great joy. Not just joy but exceeding joy. Our perspective changes when we see things from Christ’s vantage point.

We must make the conscious decision to rejoice. It is easier said than done. James wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (or endurance)” (James 1:2). Paul told us to, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)!

Let us then be glad in what God is doing in our lives and of His ultimate purpose of making like Christ. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

God’s fiery trials never burn us, but beautify us and bless us.

Dean

-May 26, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday, happy Memorial Day,

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

(John 15:13).

Today is Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember and honor those who died in the service of our country. It is a somber day. Since the nation’s inception there have been countless men and women who paid the ultimate price.

It takes love and sacrifice to give one’s life to save another. How do we thank those who did that? “Thank you,” seems so inadequate. When a soldier enlists into the armed forces, he or she knows there is the possibility of being killed in the line of duty.

Many of us would die for those we love, but how about dying for strangers or even enemies—Only Jesus could do that. He willingly laid down His life to save us.

Jesus said of His life in John 10:18, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment I have received from My Father.”

The sacrifices we make seem so minute compared to our brave men and women in uniform. 1 John 3:16-18 says, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

May the Lord help us to remember those who died for us, and especially Jesus who willingly gave His life us to save is. Have a blessed Memorial Day. Stay safe and healthy.

Let us live in appreciation, for those who died because of their dedication.

Dean

-May 25, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, ‘Is this not he who sat and begged?’ Some said, ‘This is he’ Others said he is like him.’ He said, ‘I am he.’”

(John 9:8-9).

John chapter 9 gives the account of how Jesus met and healed a blind man, who was born blind. Jesus passed his way and he was so glad. The disciples asked Jesus a theological question, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus immediately answered that it was neither he or them but that the works of God would be revealed in him. We are all sinners and all the things we do wrong are from our sinful flesh. This man was no worse a sinner than anyone else. We must be careful not to judge why certain bad things happen to people.

This healing of the blind beggar made quite a stir. Some thought he was the blind beggar and others thought he was like him. The blind man left no doubt, when he said, “I am he.” What a great testimony he had.

This man didn’t know it was Jesus who healed him. The Jewish leaders grilled him over and over how he was healed. They disparaged Jesus as a sinner. He simply and sweetly responded, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

The blind man’s story is our story: once we were blind, but now we can see. Only Jesus can transform lives. Scoffers may dispute our words, but they cannot dispute our changed lives. People who knew this man before could only marvel at his healing. We all have a testimony of how we got saved.

There is a beautiful hymn entitled, “The Light of the World Is Jesus” by Phillp Bliss. The chorus says, “Come to the Light, ‘Tis shining for thee! Sweetly the Light has dawned up me; Once I was blind, but now I can see—The Light of the world is Jesus.”

Having a blessed clearly seeing Jesus who gave us spiritual sight. Stay safe and healthy.

We can see! We can see! The blinders removed and now we are free.

Dean

-May 24, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

(Genesis 1:1).

There is no explanation given as to the origin of God—He has no beginning. He has always existed and will exist for all eternity.

As human being we know everything we see and hear has a beginning. Therefore, trying to grasp the greatness and power of love is nearly impossible. We speak about God and try our best to describe Him. He is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.

God created the heavens and earth and everything in them. The limitless, almighty, loving God created man in His own image. The debate rages on in the world between creation and evolution. Stop the presses, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This ends all speculation and doubt. As the songwriter wrote, “God said it, and I believe it, and that settles for me. Though some may doubt that His word is true, I’ve chosen to believe it, now about you. God said it, and I believe it and that settles it for me.

John 1:1-3 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. Only God can make something out nothing. He spoke the world the whole universe was made.

Is it any wonder that Paul writing to the Romans, said, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable as His judgments and His ways past finding out” (Romans 11:33).

Have a blessed and wonderful day. Stay safe and healthy.

How great, great is our God

Dean