Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-March 24, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“And not only that, but we also glory in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

(Romans 5:3-4).

Not many of us are happy when God sends trials in our lives. Pain, is painful; trouble is troublesome, sorrow is sorrowful. Left to ourselves, we wouldn’t choose trials. Aren’t we glad God knows what we need to grow and please Him?

God loves us so much and trials are a sign of His love and how He produces spiritual results as we go through them. A particular trial has a beginning and an end; but trials never end in our lives until we get to heaven. Therefore we can glory in our tribulations and count them all joy.

James wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-3).

God sees the big picture, taking into account of what He wants us to be. He is isn’t finished with us yet. His goal for us is that we be conformed to the image of His Son. Paul details three things that result from of our trials: perseverance, character, and hope.

Perseverance means to keep going when we feel like giving up. James 5:11 says, “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” As my dear brother in Christ, Walt Huckabee used to always say years ago, “Keep on keeping on.”

Character is who we are at the very core of our being. This why character is the hardest thing to change. There is a big difference between character and characteristics. God wants to change who we are, not just what we do, though what we do is because of who we are. Change me, O Lord!

Hope is looking forward to what is coming with joy and anticipation. Romans 15:13 tells us, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the Holy Spirit.” Hope looks beyond the present difficulties to our future glory in heaven. Hope also looks to God’s answers to our prayers in this life.

God’s trials produce good results. If we could see what what God sees and knows what He knows, we would acknowledge that these trials are needed to make us what He wants us to be in perseverance, character, and hope.

Have a blessed day in God’s crucible. He has a plan for each of us today. Stay safe and healthy.

Fiery trials just burn away the dross and leave the gold refined.

Dean

-March 23, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”

(Psalm 34:18).

The quality that God most desires in His servants is a broken and contrite heart. He wants us to live holy and humble lives with hearts that are soft and sensitive toward Him.

David experienced this after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband Uriah. The Lord brought him under great spiritual, physical, and emotion suffering as a result of his sins. He confessed his sins and God forgave him, showing him great mercy.

David wrote in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.”

The word contrite is defined as, “feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt over improper or objectionable behavior, actions, etc.” To us as believers, we don’t want to sin or displease the Lord in any way. when we do sin, we feel it very deeply in our hearts.

We should hate sin, especially the sin in our own lives. We should never take it lightly. God is always near to those with a broken and contrite heart. God is near to and pleased with when we confess and forsake sin.

Isaiah 66:2 says, “‘For all those things My hand has made. And all those things exist,” says the Lord. But on this one I will look: on Him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My Word.’” God sees into our hearts and looks for genuine repentance and godly sorrow.

To be contrite is to be humble before Lord, seek Him with our whole heart, and keep short accounts with Him by immediately confessing our sins, repenting of the sin, and forsaking it. Revival breaks out when believers give themselves fully to Christ in full surrender to His will.

Let us be those who have a broken and contrite heart that is sensitive to sin and turns from it. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

God cannot resist a contrite heart,

Dean

-March 22, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your they exist and were created.”

(Revelation 4:11).

Yesterday we considered that we are not worthy; not worthy of our salvation and not worthy before the Lord in anyway. Today, we will focus on how Jesus alone is worthy.

The reason we worship Jesus is that He is our God and Savior. He is perfect in all His ways. He sits at the right hand of God. He is worthy of all praise, thanksgiving, and worship.

Revelation 5:11 says, “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’”

There is a beautiful hymn by the great English hymn writer Frances Havergal wrote, “Worthy of homage and praise; Worthy by all to be adored: Exhaustless theme of heav’nly lays! Thou, Thou art worthy, Jesus, Lord.”

The Lord Jesus Christ alone is worthy. Have a blessed day acknowledging His worth, His greatness, His glory. Stay safe and healthy.

“Him we worship, hymn we praise, excellent in Thy ways.”

Dean

-March 21, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now have become two companies.”

(Genesis 32:10).

When we come to Christ we come as we are, sinners in need of a Savior. We must confess our sins, repent, and turn to Christ to save us, forgive us, and give us eternal life. He changes our lives forever.

The hymn writer Charlotte Elliot wrote the beautiful hymn that was sung at end of every Billy Graham rally, “Just As I am, Without One Plea.” Many came to Christ as sinners and left as sinners saved by grace and saints of God.

Jacob, like every believer, recognized how his own unworthiness. He besought the Lord for His mercy as he was about to face his brother Esau, who years before swore to kill him. He understood that he was nothing and the Lord was everything.

We are not worthy, but we are not worthless; we are not worthy but Jesus has made us worthy by His shed blood of the cross. We should never lose our sense of unworthiness no matter how long we have saved.

Besides Jacob, John the Baptist, the Roman centurion, and Paul all described themselves by saying, “I am not worthy.” John felt he was not worthy to stoop down and loose the sandal strap of Jesus; the centurion said to Jesus that he was not worthy to have Him come under his roof; and Paul considered himself the least of the apostles and not worthy to be called an apostle because he once persecuted the church of God.

We should never these forget two things: who we were as lost sinners, and who we are in Christ as saints. Let us then stand in Christ’s worthiness, for we have to other stand. Tomorrow we will look at the topic, “Jesus is Worthy.”

Have a blessed day as one unworthy, but now worthy in Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

No one will enter heaven because they deserve to; all who enter the pearly gates will be because of Christ alone.

Dean

-March 20, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

(Isaiah 41:10).

Yesterday we considered the first two promises of our verse: for I am with you and I am your God. Today, we will look at the last three promises, or as we can say, reasons not to fear. There are three “I wills” in this verse: “I will strengthen you, I will help you, and I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

When God says, “I will,” He means it and will do it. We can count on Him to fulfill His promises. God is always faithful in all things.

3. I will strengthen you – We all need strength, whether spiritual, physical, mental, or emotional. God is our omnipotent God. Sometimes we get tired, even exhausted. The Lord is there for us to give us strength and see us through. Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

4. I will help you – God is our helper. He comes to our aid as our refuge. Psalm 46:10 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” God sometimes uses people to help us. God’s help always comes at the right time in the right way.

5. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand – God is right handed; sorry all you southpaws. Through Scripture, we read of the right hand of God and there is such power in His right hand. The word uphold is defined as, “to give support to; to support against an opponent; to elevate; to lift up. God always holds us up; He has our back, He stands up for us.

Let us then remember the five promised, the five “I wills.” These are promises to cling to in our times of stress and duress: l am with you, I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. I trust the last two days have been encouraging.

Have a blessing standing on the promises of God that never fail. Stay safe and healthy.

Resting on our unchanging God as we traverse this earthly sod.

Dean