Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 24, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.”

(Psalm 145:3).

The word great is used for many people and things in this world. There can be a great leader, a great teacher, a great speaker, a great singer, a great man, great woman, a great actor, a great artist, a great athlete, etc.

There are also great things such as great houses, great cars, great restaurants, great careers, great products, and the like. But no one and nothings is great like our God—He is the greatest of all. The psalmist proclaims, “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.” He alone is worthy of our praise.

The latter part of today’s verse is equally wonderful, “And His greatness is unsearchable.” The word unsearchable is defined as, “unable to be clearly understood; inscrutable; not capable of being searched or explored.” Another rendering of unsearchable is, “beyond our understanding.”

We ask ourselves, how can mortals understand the immortal? How can the finite define the infinite? How can the limited grasp the limitless? God is far above our understanding, yet the more we read His Word, pray, and seek the Lord, we learn more of Him and His ways, His power, and His love.

The wonder of salvation is why such a great, holy, righteous God would love us and die for us on the cross. Amazingly we have a personal relationship with Almighty God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us bow in reverence before Him and praise Him all our days. Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” Have a blessed day praising Him. Stay safe and healthy.

The more we explore and experience God’s greatness, the more we praise and worship Him.

Dean

-January 23, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“But when he saw the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord save me!’

(Matthew 14:30).

Peter was scared to death. Thankfully he cried out to Jesus, the only One who could rescue him. Fear does incredibly damaging things to the mind and heart.

Peter and the disciples were in the boat that was struck by a storm. Jesus wasn’t with them, for He sent them on ahead while He went up on a mountain by Himself to pray. I believe that He wanted to show them His power and authority, and to test their faith.

Jesus came to them walking on the water. All the disciples were terrified, thinking He was a ghost. He assured them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Peter wanted a confirmation, and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

Peter walked on the water toward Jesus, but when he saw the wind and waves, he panicked and began to sink. Jesus reached out and saved him. Jesus then rebuked his little faith. We are much like Peter. We need to call out to the Lord. It’s doesn’t it a long prayer, but it needs an earnest one.

Let us pray and trust the Lord to help us and save us in troubled times. Have a blessed day; Stay safe and healthy.

It is always clear, that faith conquers fear.

-January 22, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

(Ephesians 5:19).

Music is an integral part of the worship of the people of God around the world. The Bible contains the Psalms, the greatest hymn book in the history of mankind.

All through Scripture, singing and the playing of musical instruments is on prominent display. David is called the “Sweet Psalmist of Israel.” Asaph is referred to as the chief musician and directed the choirs in singing hymns of praise to the Lord.

Whether you hear them, read them, or sing them, the great hymns of the faith that have been passed down to us are such a blessing. I love to sing. I lead the singing at church and sing in our Worship Team. I consider it one of most greatest privileges and most special ministries for the Lord. I have been singing hymns and spiritual songs since I was a teenager.

Singing collectively at church is great, but singing wherever we are is even better. I have several hymn books at home and I quote them in my messages all the time. Martin Luther once said, “Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through music.” I have a plaque in my office at church with this quote on it.

God has also blessed us with wonderful instruments such as the piano, the organ, the guitar, the violin, and many others to accompany and enhance our singing.

It is so good to read a hymn and spend some time meditating on it. Then if we know it, we can sing it. It gives us the opportunity to praise the Lord for who He is, what He has done for us, and what He has promised to do for us for the future, yes, for all eternity. We will all sing in heaven.

The anonymous psalmist wrote in Psalm 104:33, “I will sing the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” I live by this verse.

One of the greatest hymns is called, “Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow.” It is commonly called “The Doxology.” We sing it at the conclusion of the Lord’s Supper each Sunday morning. It says, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.”

Have a blessed day and keep a song in your heart and on your lips. Stay safe and healthy.

Let us all sing praises to our King who rules and reigns over everything.

Dean

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-January 21, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“I have waited for Your salvation, O Lord.”

Before Jacob passed away and went to be with the Lord, he gave his final words to his twelve sons. He had something to say about each one of them. Right in the middle of his speech he spoke the words of our text.

He said, “I have waited for Your salvation, O Lord.” Most often the word salvation in the OT refers to deliverance. This expression “Your salvation occurs many times in Scripture, especially in the OT.

David wrote in Psalm 13:5, “But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.” David, like Jacob, waited for God’s salvation. Both men had to wait years for the fulfillment of God’s promises to them.

As I had shared before, salvation in the NT is in three tenses: past—He has saved us from the penalty of our sins; present—He is saving us from the power of sin; and future—He will save us from the presence of sin.

So whether we are going through difficult trials and or experiencing God’s blessings—we must wait for His future tense salvation and trust the Lord. We wait for the Lord Jesus to come and take us home to heaven. We should never lose hope because the Lord Himself is our hope.

Let us pause to remember what we have in the Lord and what is promised us in the future. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Waiting on God for His answers brings abundant joy that builds our faith.

Dean

-January 20, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

(Genesis 1:27).

The simple fact is all of us were created by God and for God. Man’s original purpose was not only to care for the Garden of Eden, but to have fellowship with Him and glorify Him.

It is quite a realization that we were created in God’s image. Just as God is a tripartite being: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we exist in three parts: spirit, soul, and body. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved complete at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As we look around at all the billions of people in this earth, we come to the inescapable conclusion that we have a lot more in common that first meets the eye. We may come from different countries, have different skin colors, speak different languages, originate from different traditions and cultures; we are also all sinners needing to be saved and come into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

God’s plan of salvation is for everyone to come to Christ in repentance and faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross. His goal for us now is to be conformed to the image of Christ. This won’t be complete until we enter heaven and see Him face to face.

The great hymn writer and teacher of the Word, J. N. Darby wrote, “And is it so— I shall be like Thy Son? Is this the grace which He for me has won? Father of glory, (thought beyond all thought!) — In glory, to His own blessed likeness brought!”

From being created by God in His image to sinner separated from God, to child of God born into His family to be with Him and like Him forever. What a glorious transformation!

Have a blessed day, living for Christ and serving Him. Stay say safe and healthy.

Freed from sin and made holy within; let be like Jesus.

Dean