Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-May 8, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

(John 1:17).

Moses is commonly called, “The Law Giver.” God spoke the law to him on Mount Sinai, and he brought the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets written by the finger of God.

No one, not even Moses, could keep the law perfectly. James tells us, “For whoever keeps the whole law, yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). Jesus, the God-Man was the only who could and did keep the whole law.

Only Jesus could bring grace and truth. We used to sing from a hymn book called “Hymns of Truth and Praise.” The word grace is only found in the NT. We are not law but under grace. I was recently reminded of the acronym GRACE, which stands for “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” God grace is showered on us at salvation and in sanctification as We can’t survive without God’s grace.

Truth is another wonderful word. Jesus is the truth and through Him we have the truth of His Word. His truth convicts us and His grace comforts us.

Jesus did what no one else could, what no one else would, and what no one had the ability try to do.

Have a blessed swimming in the ocean of God’s grace and truth. Stay safe and healthy.

God’s grace and truth are measureless.

Dean

-May 7, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

(2 Corinthians 4:18).

You don’t need special glasses, infrared vision, powerful microscopes or telescopes to see the invisible. By faith we can see the invisible. Scientists describe things that are invisible to the naked eye.

Paul tells us that we should look at the things which are unseen. We are so dependent on our vision, which is super important to us. We want to see it, touch it, and hold in our hands.

Everything we see with our natural eyes is temporary; everything we see with our spiritual eyes is eternal. H.G Wells wrote a book entitled, “The Invisible Man.” A number of movies have made based the Wells’ theme. The last one was in 2020.

If we we should have a choice, wouldn’t we rather see the unseen, eternal things, rather than the temporary earthly things. Temporary riches, health, strength, position, cars, and the like. That being said, why do we put such emphasis on earthly things that a best will only last for this life? Let us focus on the eternal, heavenly things.

Have a blessed day, stay safe and healthy.

Let is walk by faith and not by sight, not in the darkness but in the His wonderful light.

Dean

-May 6, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

(2 Corinthians 4:17).

This portion, written by Paul, is full of comparisons and contrasts. Today’s verse highlights how we should view our trials in the light of God’s eternal plan for our lives. What God considers light and heavy are totally opposite of our human view.

Paul calls our afflictions light and momentary, though to us they seem very heavy and long at times; but they are light and short compared to eternity. If we could see what God sees, and know what God knows, our whole perspective would change completely.

I am reminded of the words of the Lord Jesus, who said, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Anytime we fully surrender to the Lord, He will use our trials to grow us, mold us, and make us what He wants us to be.

Our trials are temporary and serve a purpose, which we don’t always recognize at the time. Our trials are working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. When we get to heaven, the pain will be gone, the sorrow be passed, and death will be swallowed up in victory.

Our future is eternal, and we will receive a weight of glory. Stay safe and healthy.

Counting our trials as blessings according to God’s plan, He knows what’s best for us in this foreign land.

Dean

-May 5, 2025-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”

(2 Corinthians 4:16).

We all love renewals. It be a home improvement, or getting away for a restful vacation, restarting a diet or exercise program, or even washing and waxing your vehicle. All those are good things to renew. The word renewal is defined as, “the process of starting again or starting to do something again; a process in which something improves or is improved after being in a bad condition.”

Spiritual renewal is the most important renewal in our lives. In this case, it is not so much what we do as much as what He does in our lives by the Holy Spirit. We need our Lord’s help to be refocused, revived, and refreshed in the Lord’s presence and in prayer and in the Word each day which is our part.

Paul wanted the saints to appreciate the value of the inward over the outward. He reminds us that the outward man is perishing, that is, growing older, These bodies are not made to last forever. One day the Lord will give us a new spiritual body that will last forever.

Yes, we slow down, we have aches and pains, perhaps some health issues. We can’t hear or see as well as we once did. We may even trouble sleeping. It all comes with the territory of growing older. Paul encourages us not to lose heart because God is renewing us on the inside, which takes precedence over our physical condition.

God’s renewal process goes on daily as we grow in Christ. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Have a blessed day being renewed spiritually. Stay safe and healthy.

How well is my soul? It is with well with my soul through Jesus.

Dean

-May 4, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

(Psalm 32:1).

David, the writer of this wonderful psalm, knew something of being forgiven. God forgave him of his double sin of adultery and murder. Some of the greatest men of God were forgiven greatly. The list includes Moses, Jonah, and Peter.

Our thanksgiving should be commensurate with our blessings. We are blessed in so many ways, but none more than our salvation. Jesus died to save us from our sins.

Jesus said of the woman in Luke 7:47-48, “Therefore I say to you, her sins which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. Then He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” The more we sense His forgiveness, the more we love Him.

There is a great song I hear on Family Radio quite often. It is entitled, His Mercy Is More” by Matt Papa. The first verse says, “What love could remember, no wrongs we have done. Omniscient all-knowing, He counts not their sum, thrown into a sea without bottom or shore; our sins they are many, His mercy is more.”

God’s mercy was shown to us in not giving us what we deserve; God’s grace was demonstrated by giving us what we didn’t deserve. And He blessed us over, and over, and over again on a daily basis. We can never thank Him enough if we had ten thousand tongues, wrote ten thousand words for ten thousand years.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day remember what Christ has done for us in forgiving us of our sin. Stay safe and healthy.

The blood of Christ paid the price of our sin, so that one day we’ll stand at gates of heaven and be let in.

Dean