Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-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

-May 23, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

(1 Corinthians 10:12).

It is so easy to think that it could never happen to us. David and Peter, two of the godliest and best leaders in the Bible, found this out. Pride goes before a fall. Our pride can take us down.

Paul warned the Corinthians and us of Satan schemes to make us fall. Over the years I have seen pastors, televangelists, and average Christians fall into sin. It can happen but doesn’t have to happen.

In David’s case, he stayed back at the palace while his men went off to war. He was idle. Because that he was on the palace roof and saw Bathsheba bathing. He lusted for her and sent his servant to bring her and he had relations with her. She found out she was pregnant. He called for her husband Uriah to come home and be with his wife, but his plans failed. David then sent word Joab to put Uriah in harms way where the heaviest fighting took place so that he would be killed.

David’s double sin of adultery and murder damaged his relationship with the Lord and caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Once he confessed his sin and repented, God forgave him and restored him.

Peter fell by denying Jesus three times after our Savior told him what would happen. Peter in the flesh insisted he would never deny Him and would even die with Him. The Lord Jesus forgave and restored him. He went on to be a great pastor, evangelist, preacher, and teacher.

Thus, failure isn’t final but we must suffer much because of a lot. Someone once said, “Even the mightiest can fall in a moment of weakness.” We must stay close to the Lord, spend time with Him, and fully depend on Him, not on ourselves.

Jesus told the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is wiling, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41). God doesn’t want us to fall, neither do we or our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Have blessed day putting on the full armor of God, being careful and watching. Stay safe and healthy.

May we guard our hearts from evil and sin, being watchful without and watchful within.

Dean

-May 22, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

(Psalm 23:6).

David wrote Psalm 23, which is one of the beautiful and familiar portions in the Scriptures. The title of this psalm in my Bible is, “The Lord the Shepherd of His People.

As a young man David was a shepherd boy. He cared for his family’s sheep. He led them, fed them, and protected them. He later communicated to Saul how he killed both a lion and a bear to protect his sheep. David recognized that the Lord is his Shepherd. He is our Shepherd too.

As he comes to this wonderful text, he says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me…” Goodness and mercy are attributes of God that we can emulate toward others.

David lived a godly life, staying to the Lord and tasting God’s goodness in a personal way. We often say, “The Lord is good.” Just think, how good the Lord has been to us through the years. Even if circumstances are bad, God is always good. Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

David also writes of the mercy of God. God’s mercy is free, boundless, and rich. He doesn’t give us what we deserve. Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”

Put together goodness and mercy together, like two strong guardian angels, follow us wherever we go. Some have also used the analogy of two puppies following us.

David was not only a shepherd, a warrior, and a king, but he was a prophet as well. He said that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He looked beyond this earth to heaven in the Lord’s house.

Have a great day walking close to the Lord with His goodness and mercy following our every step. Stay safe and healthy.

Our Shepherd takes care of His sheep whether we wake or whether we sleep.

Dean