Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-April 21, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”

(Luke 24:45).

Imagine the disciples, also called apostles, spent about three years with the Lord Jesus. They heard His teaching, witnessed His miracles, saw Him die on the cross, and testified of His resurrection. Our Savior appeared to them and taught and encouraged them for forty days before ascending to heaven. He could gone straight to heaven but spent a little more time with them.

Of all the gospel writers, only Luke devoted so much to this time period. We pull back the curtain and see a glimpse of what our Lord taught His followers in Luke 24:44-49. He gave a review of how He fulfilled everything written of Him in the law and the prophets. What a great Bible study!

So often during Jesus’ earthly ministry, the disciples didn’t always understand what He was saying. Now in these forty days, Christ opened their hearts and minds that they might comprehend the Scriptures. It all came together for the eleven disciples who would turn the world upside down.

The best analogy that I can think of is a college education. The student completes his or her undergraduate studies and receives a diploma. Some then go on to postgraduate studies for Masters and Doctoral degrees. The courses are more advanced and help students to focus just on their particular field of study. Some professions require postgraduate degrees such as doctors and lawyers.

We have some much to learn from God’s Word. It takes years of prayer and Bible study. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. Jesus is found in all the OT. Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

St. Augustine once said, “The OT is the NT concealed. The NT is the OT revealed.” Thus we must understand the OT in the light of the NT and comprehend the NT in the light of the OT. Jesus fulfilled the law completely and ushered in the New Covenant of love and grace, with salvation by grace through faith.

Have blessed spending time with Jesus, in His Word and prayer. Stay safe and healthy.

The whole counsel of God is given to us, the people of God, in the Word of God.

Dean

-April 20, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day, Happy Resurrection Day!

“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said, Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

(Matthew 28:6).

The account of the resurrection of Christ is found in all four gospels. The resurrection, along with the virgin birth of Christ are the two greatest miracles in the Bible, yes, in history of the world.

Because Jesus died and rose from the dead, we live and have a future with Him in heaven. The women who followed Jesus came early Sunday morning to anoint His body for burial, only to find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. The angel at the tomb announced the great news that Jesus rose from the dead and would meet His disciples in Galilee.

The resurrection is a well established and confirmed fact attested to by eye witness accounts of so many, as many five hundred as Paul states. It must have been so exciting, encouraging, and energizing for all the believers in that day just as it is to us today.

There is a great hymn written by Alfred H. Ackley, entitled, “He Lives!” You can almost feel the excitement in his words. The first verse says, “I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today; I know that He is living, whatever men may say; I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him He’s always near.”

While it is important to believe the facts of Christ’s resurrection, nothing can compare to our personal experience and relationship with Him. He lives in our hearts.

Let us rejoice that Christ is alive and seated at the right hand of God. He still bears the wounds in His hands, feet, and side. Have a blessed Easter. Stay safe and healthy.

Because His lives we live; and we can face whatever comes in life.

Dean

-April 19, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Holy Saturday,

“Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”

(Luke 23:56).

Today is the day we focus on the tomb. To the average person they saw the death of Christ as an end, a defeat, and a disappointment.

Though Jesus had told His disciples on three occasions that the Son of Man would be killed and rise from the dead, they didn’t look for the resurrection. Luke 18:32-33 says, “For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit on. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” It could not be in more clear.

Joseph of Arimathea went Pilate to body to ask for Jesus’ body to give Him a decent burial. Pilate first verified with the Roman Centurion that Jesus was really dead. The centurion who had likely presided over many crucifixions and carefully examined Jesus at the cross and certified that He was dead.

Nicodemus joined his friend and colleague Joseph from the Jewish Sanhedrin. They carefully and skillfully took out the nails and removed the crown of thorns. They washed His body and laid Him in Joseph’s new garden tomb located near Golgotha. They rolled a huge, heavy stone over the tomb. The Jews also went to Pilate to get his permission to set a guard over the tomb. Interestingly, they remembered that Jesus said He would rise again and were afraid the disciples would take away His body and claim He rose from the dead.

There was no way for anyone take the body with such a heavy guard and stone over the tomb. The women who were the last ones at the didn’t expect Him to arise for they prepared spices and fragrant oil to anoint His body; Joseph and Nicodemus didn’t either, nor did any of His disciples.

But this of course was not the end of the story of Jesus, for He would rise from the dead to give us a living hope. Hollywood couldn’t write such a story. It wasn’t just “based on a true story,” it was a true story with as many as five hundred eyewitness of this true story.

Have a blessed day awaiting Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day. We know the rest of the story. Stay safe and healthy.

God certified that He was pleased with Jesus’ sacrifice by raising Him from the dead.

Dean

-April 18, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Good Friday,

“Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.”’

(John 19:16).

How can we call Good Friday good when Jesus suffered such agony, pain, and anguish on the cross? The depths of His spiritual and physical pain was unbearable. Christ took our place as our Substitute, bearing our sin, becoming sin for us. The worst part of His suffering was being forsaken by God and enduring the wrath and judgement of God that was our due.

Our Savior stood before the chief priests, Pilate, Herod, and Pilate the second time who condemned Him to be crucified. He was nailed to the cross and agonized from the third hour (9:00 am) to the ninth hour (3:00 pm). Darkness fell over the land from sixth hour to the ninth hour when all the waves and billows crashed against His soul.

Back to my question, how can Good Friday can be called good? It was good that Jesus accomplished the Father’s will and brought about our salvation by grace through faith. We are now the beneficiaries of such a great salvation.

Have a blessed Good Friday reflecting on what our Savior did for us at the cross. Stay safe and healthy.

As someone said, “He paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.”

Dean

-April 17, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”

(Luke 22:19-20).

Today is Holy Thursday, also called Maundy Thursday. So much happened on the day before the crucifixion of Christ. The entire week portrays the Passion of Christ.

Jesus and His disciples celebrated the last Passover and the first Lord’s Supper. Also, Jesus predicted Peter’s denials, and was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and all the disciples fled. It was a blessed but difficult day.

We remember Christ every Sunday in the Lord’s Supper. Twice in our text we have the beautiful phrase “for you.” His body was given for us and His blood was shed for us. Jesus desired that His people remember His death and resurrection. Our Savior gave His life a ransom for many.

The events leading up to the crucifixion were very full. Tomorrow we will meditate on Good Friday. Have a blessed day and week. Stay safe and healthy.

Jesus sacrificed all for us; we should sacrifice all for Him.

Dean