Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-March 2, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

(Galatians 6:14).

There is no boasting in heaven, neither should there be on earth. We have nothing to brag about in our own self worth, accomplishments, or talents. Paul recognized this early on in his walk with the Lord.

He simply says, “But God forbid that I should boast,” but gives the one exception, “except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…” He was right on point; it is never about us, it is all about Him and what He has done for us.

If anyone had reason to boast in his earthly achievements it was Paul. His resume included: “circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:5-6). Pretty impressive wouldn’t you say? Yet, counted all things loss, like rubbish when comparing them all to knowing Christ.

I love hymns, as you well know. There is a great hymn, entitled, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The second verse is especially moving. Issac Watts wrote, “Forbid it, Lord that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my God; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.”

As we go to church today, let us remember who Jesus is and what He has done for us on the cross. He paid our sin debt to see us free. All boasting should be in the cross, in Christ alone. Let us think soberly and thankfully as we bow at the foot of the cross to see Him by the eyes of faith.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day giving Christ all the glory. Stay safe and healthy.

“Boasting excluded, pride I abase, I’m only a sinner saved by grace.” – James M. Gray).

-March 1, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

(2 Timothy 1:7).

God is not the author of fear and doesn’t want us to be fearful. Fear immobilizes and paralyzes us. We live in a world of fear with many fearful things happening on a daily basis.

God wants to be fear-free. He has made provision to change our vision from fear to faith. Instead of being fearful we must have faith in Him. Paul speaks of three things God does give us: power, love, and a sound mind.

• Power – God’s power is the most potent power in the world. We have the same power in us that raised Jesus from the dead. The Holy Spirit dwells in us and works His mighty power through in and through us.

• Love – Another tremendous reason not to fear is God’s perfect love. John wrote, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).

• Sound Mind – God gives us a sound mind, the mind of Christ to think clearly, insightfully, and rightly. They used to tell in school, “you have a brain, use it.”

May the Lord encourage us to dwell on God’s power, love, and soundness to mind. It will give great stability and tranquility.

Have a blessed day without fear. Stay safe and healthy.

Fear robs us, faith enriches us.

Dean

-February 28, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

(Psalm 46:10).

It is so encouraging to know that we have a God who is with us and will help us in all we are going through. Another rendering for this phrase is, “an abundantly available help.”

The Lord is with us 24-7 and we can run to Him, seeking His help. He is our refuge and strength. I know that I need God’s help for everything. As the song writer Bill Gaither wrote, “The One who knows me best, loves me most.”

Psalm 46 begins with God being our refuge and ends with the same thought. Psalm 46:11 says, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” God is the ultimate aid giver.

We can look to the Lord in the dark times, the silent times, the stormy times, yes, in all times. He is a very present help just when we need it most. All we have to do is call upon Him.

Psalm 121:2 says, “My help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth.” The word help is defined as, “to give assistance or support to someone; to provide someone with something that is useful or necessary in achieving an end.”

God is our help, He is our Helper. The hymn writer Issac Watts wrote a wonderful hymn entitled, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” The first verse says, “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.”

Have a blessed day seeking God’s very present help. Stay safe and healthy.

When God is our help, we need nothing more; we can truly rejoice forevermore.

Dean

-February 27, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

(Ephesians 1:7).

We often look at the price of something expensive and ask the question, “is it worth it?” There is no doubt with us sinners, we weren’t the price but Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. He loved us so much and saw well into the future what would become of us.

We often hear it said, “I was unworthy but not worthless.” Jesus died for us, His enemies, to redeem us with His own precious blood. 🩸 The Lord brought us the forgiveness of sins by the riches of His grace.

Even with all our sinfulness, weaknesses, and failures, He still loves us and cares for us; He invested so much in us, His very life. He considered us worth more than the whole world.

Have blessed day living for the One who bought us with His blood. Stay safe and healthy.

“Redeemed! Redeemed! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! Redeemed! Redeemed! His child and forever I am.” (Fanny Crosby).

Dean

-February 26, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.”

(James 4:8).

These last couple of days we have considered two important ways to victorious living in this sinful world: submit to God and resist the evil. The third thing found in James 4:7-8 is today’s topic, to draw near to God.

Drawing near to God is both a privilege and a responsibility. We have fellowship and communication with the living God. We then find that God will draw near to us. The great hymn writer Fanny Crosby wrote, “Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord to the cross where Thou hast died; draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to Thy precious bleeding side.”

Before we were saved we fled from God’s presence because of our sin and had no access to His holy presence. We were separated from God and dead in our transgressions and sins. God reached out to us in love and we responded in saving faith.

Ephesians 2:13 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Christ’s shed blood has opened to us a new and living way into God’s presence. God is our Father and Jesus is our Lord and Savior. We are invited to come to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.

The word near is such a beautiful one. It means, “to come near (to someone or something); approach; in a close or intimate manner.” When you have intimacy in a relationship, there is a two-way communication. We draw near to God and He draws near to us. We need no appointment, for we can come before at anytime, any place, and tell me anything. We long to spend time with Him whom we love.

Coming into God’s presence we must cleanse our hands (what we do) and purify our hearts (what think and feel). This is where we start as we come before Him, confessing our sins to be right with Him. John wrote in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Let us then submit to God, resist the devil, and draw near to God. It is the best way to live as God’s holy people. Have a blessed day drawing near and walking close with the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

God makes it clear that we should always draw near.

Dean