Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-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

-January 19, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or what shall we drink?’ Or what shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need these things.”

(Matthew 6:31-32).

They need a worry anonymous club. The problem is there would no meeting spaces available to hold so many people! I know I am guilty of worrying. Worry isn’t an epidemic, it’s a pandemic.

When I was growing up we had an old time expression, “don’t be a worry wart.” Worry warts only worry about two things: anything and everything. They must worry about something everyday or else they worry what they aren’t worried.

Worry is a sin. It shows we don’t trust that the Lord to provide what we need. Our heavenly Father loves us and cares for us. We are His dear children. It must hurt His heart so much when we worry.

The word worriless is defined as, “free from care or worries.” Did you ever notice that young children have no worries. They trust that their parents will provide for them. Why can’t we stop worrying? It is so habitual. There is no rationale for worry in the Christian life.

Worry should be a banned substance. Athletes take PED’s (Performance Enhancing Drugs). They take them to get faster and stronger. Worry works has opposite effect: it ruins our day, distracts us from what is important, and makes us a nervous wreck. What then is the answer: pray, trust God, and thank Him. And when we turn to the Lord in faith, worry and its twin brother fear will be driven out.

Have a blessed and worriless day. Stay safe and healthy.

You can’t worry and praise God at the same time. Choose to trust the Lord and lay your worries before Him in prayer.

Dean

-January 18, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him.”

(Matthew 9:9).

Christianity is not just a religion, a movement, or cause; it is a way of life. To be ardent followers of Christ we must be committed, obedient, and faithful to Christ, without reservation or hesitation.

The word ardent is defined as, “enthusiastic or passionate; characterized by warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager zealous support and activity.” Are you an ardent follower of Christ?

Jesus called Matthew the tax collector with two simple, clear, and direct words: “Follow Me.” Some like Matthew followed right away, others it took more time. In Matthew’s case he was a tax collector for the Roman government. Tax collectors cheated their own people, overcharging them and pocketing the rest. They were hated by the Jews and despised by the Romans.

Tax collectors had few friends, especially outside the circle of tax collectors. Jesus showed that He was the friend of tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees blamed Him for it, God commended Him for it.

We may have one or more passions in life. As believers Jesus should be our passion; the Word of God should be our passion; the people of God should be our passion; the love of God should be our passion. Paul was so passionate for Christ, He said, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He was willing to live for Christ alone, and die for Christ and he did.

Nothing and no one can stymie, slow down, or stop an ardent follower of Christ. There is a wonderful hymn entitled, “I Have Decided to Follow Christ.” The first verse says, “I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; No turning back, no turning back.”

Let us be ardent followers of Christ, with no turning back. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Following Jesus is living with Him, for Him, and by Him with joy and zeal.

Dean

-January 17, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28).

There is very little rest in this world, because so few find the true rest in Jesus Christ. We can rest our bodies, but only God can give rest for our souls.

This portion in Matthew 11:28-30 is both a gospel invitation for salvation and a receipt for rest for the believer in midst of trials, burdens, and difficulties. The key to this text is found in Jesus’ words, “Come to Me.” There can be no rest without Him.

Only Jesus can make the promise, “I will give you rest.” There is a close link between peace and rest; Jesus gives us both. Peace is the absence of conflict and agitation; rest is the comfort of relying on what He has done for us and will do for us.

Jesus gives a very interesting way to appropriate His rest in our lives: by taking His yoke and learning from Him. Two animals that are yoked together are joined to together to work as one. Often to similar animals, such as oxen, would be paired up to pull a plow and furrow a field. It was best to put one mature, experienced one with a younger, inexperienced one. The former helped the latter to stay focused and get the job done.

The lesson for us is to take the yoke of Jesus and be yoked together with Him. He will bear the brunt of the labor and give us the bulk of the rest. When we try to do things on our own, we fail, fall short, and get frustrated.

My friends, come to Jesus, rest in Him, yoke yourself to Him, and rely fully on Him. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

The hymn writer Mary James wrote, “O what wonder! How amazing! Jesus glorious King of kings, deigns to call me His beloved, lets me rest beneath His wings. All for Jesus! All for Jesus Resting now beneath His wings; All for Jesus! All for Jesus! Resting now beneath His wings.”

Dean