Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-December 25, 2024-

Good morning beloved, Merry Christmas,

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

(John 1:14).

Today we celebrate Christmas once again around the world. It is way more a tradition or mere holiday, it is a holy day. When Jesus was born over 2,000 years ago, He changed the world, He changed our lives.

John was an eyewitness of Jesus, what He did, what He said, how He died, and rose again. He saw and heard it all. He speaks these four glorious words, “We beheld His glory.” Glory is one of the attributes of God.

The emphasis of John’s gospel is, Jesus is the Son of God, God manifested in human flesh. It is a great mystery that God became flesh in order to ransom, redeem, and reconcile us to God through His sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection.

We are all part of the “we.” The shepherds beheld Him, Simeon beheld Him, Anna the prophetess beheld Him, the angels beheld Him, the wisemen beheld Him, the disciples beheld Him, and all believers have beheld Him.

Hundreds of years ago, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 40:5). All the OT prophecies of the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus.

The glory of Jesus was revealed in a special way at His birth, at Cana of Galilee when He performed His first miracle of turning water into wine, and at the Mount of Transfiguration. We as believers have seen His glory by the eyes of faith.

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:7-8, “That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”

Let us then behold His glory on this beautiful Christmas morning and worship our King. Have a blessed day with family and friends. Stay safe and healthy.

When we see His glory we can tell His story.

Dean

-December 24, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday, happy Christmas Eve,

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him with swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

(Luke 2:7).

This was quite a scene; Jesus was born in a manger, a feed trough. Our precious Savior was surrounded by animals with all their sights, sounds, and smells. There were no family or guests present, neither any dignitaries.

There was no palace or family home, just a humble, simple manger. The hymn writer said it so clearly and beautifully, “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head. The stars in the sky all looked down where He lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.”

It should humble us. We have homes, but we complain they are not big enough; we have central heat, but we complain it costs too much; we have doctors and nurses in hospitals, but we complain about our aches and pains.

Mary didn’t complain nor did Joseph. They knew that they were in the center of God’s will. Though the night was cold, their hearts were warmed by the Holy Spirit. Mary and Joseph had some swaddling cloths which were fairly smooth and soft. Swaddling is an ancient practice of wrapping infants in blankets or similar cloths so that the movement of the limbs is tightly restricted. Swaddling bands went out of favor in the seventeenth century.

God took care of the birth of His beloved Son. It is a great lesson for us to trust God no matter what happens, no matter the circumstances, and be thankful. The birth of Christ was both heavenly and divine.

So this Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, when we are tucked in our warm, comfortable beds, let us reflect on how Jesus was born, where Jesus was born, and why Jesus was born. He came into the world that He had created to save us His sinful people.

Which one of us would choose a manger? God’s ways and God’s thoughts are higher and better than ours.

Have a blessed Christmas Eve. Stay safe and healthy.

In the words of hymn writer Joseph Mohr, “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright, round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.”

Dean

-December 23, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose going forth are of old, from everlasting.”

(Micah 5:2).

Bethlehem was the biggest small town in the world. What it lacked in size it more than made up for in significance. It was the birthplace of Naomi, Boaz, King David, and most notably Jesus, the Son of God.

All the Jews knew from the Scriptures that Messiah would be born there—they had God’s word on it. When the wisemen arrived in Jerusalem they went to King Herod inquiring of where the King of the Jews had been born. Herod was no biblical scholar, far from it, so he called in the priests and scribes to inquire of them where the Messiah was to be born.

These religious leaders responded in Matthew 2:5,6, “So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’” They quoted directly from Micah 5:2.

Most small towns are famous for one or more people who were born there. They sometimes place signs, “The birthplace of…” For example President Abraham Lincoln was born in Springfield, Illinois. Bethlehem of Judah will forever be known as the birthplace of Jesus.

Our Savior was born in Bethlehem, in a manger, because there was no room for Him in the Inn. But really it was God’s will, and the rest is history. Jesus changed the world forever by coming down from heaven to take on human form, growing up to die on the cross for our sins and then to rise again from the dead. The two greatest miracles of all time are the Virgin Birth and the resurrection.

Though one’s birthplace can certainly be important, and how one dies is noteworthy, but how we live our lives is what really counts. We can’t control how or where or to whom we were born, but we can control how we live.

In Jesus’ day, most people didn’t even know that He was born in Bethlehem. They associated him with His residence in Nazareth. Speaking of cities, Nazareth had a very bad reputation and connotation.

For us, what is important is that Jesus was born at just the right time, in just the right place, to just the right young virgin, Mary, by the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fulness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

The hymn writer Phillips Brooks wrote, “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark street shineth the Everlasting Light: the hope and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Have a blessed day preparing for Christmas, which is only two days away. Stay safe and healthy.

Bethlehem was the birthplace of Christ in a manger; my heart is His residence and throne forever.

Dean

-December 22, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

(Matthew 1:21).

This verse is one of my favorite Christmas verses. Of course, there are many great ones. This particular verse was spoken by an angel, most likely Gabriel, to Joseph in a dream. The angel tells a troubled Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife because the baby in her womb is of the Holy Sprit and is the Messiah.

Jesus was no ordinary, average Jewish boy—He was and is the Son of the living God. The name Jesus means “Jehovah is salvation.” His life and mission is summarized in this one statement, “for He will save His people from their sins.” He did just that. He became the Savior of the world, our Savior, my personal Savior.

When the angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, they said in Luke 2:11, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” These simple shepherds were the first to hear of our Savior’s birth. They were also the first ones to see the Baby Jesus and were the first missionaries who shared the glad tidings with others.

Later, when Jesus was in His earthly ministry, He visited Samaria and spoke to the woman at the well. She shared with the townsfolk what He had said to her. They made the wonderful discovery for themselves and said to them woman, “…Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Have you met the Savior? Have you received Him into your heart? Do you know Him or just know about Him? A savior is one who saves someone. There is a rescue, a deliverance from some danger or calamity. Jesus saved us from our sins by dying in our place on the cross, and nailing our sins to the cross.

Peter said in Acts 5:30-31, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging Him on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be a Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

Have a wonderful Lord’s worshiping our Savior. Stay safe and healthy.

Jesus is my Savior forever and ever; I am His saved one, and He will leave me never.

Dean

-December 20, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”

(1 Peter 5:4).

Today is the fifth and final crown of believers in Christ. As we have seen there is the Imperishable Crown, the Crown of Rejoicing, the Crown of Life, the Crown of Righteousness, and today we will study the Crown of Glory.

I trust that these meditations have been helpful and encouraging to everyone. I know I have been blessed by them. One day when we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will receive our crowns and rewards from our Lord Jesus Christ, whom Peter calls the Chief Shepherd. Our Savior is the threefold Shepherd: the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us the sheep (John 10:11); the Great Shepherd who was raised from the dead, having shed His blood (Hebrews 13:20-21); and the Chief Shepherd who will come again (1 Peter 5:4).

When someone is a chief, he is the head, the leader, the man in charge. 1 Peter 2:25 says of Jesus, “For you were like sheep going astray, but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

When Jesus appears, He will come with His rewards with Him. Near the end of Revelation 22, Jesus tells John, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

The Crown of Glory is for the faithful elders in our local churches who shepherd the flock. Jesus told Peter in John 21:15-17, “Feed My lambs” (v. 15); “Tend My sheep” (v.16); and “Feed My sheep” (v. 17). Peter carried on this work the rest of his life with love, compassion, joy, and patience.

The leaders of the local church are elders (in the spiritual work) and deacons in the physical work). It is a great work, especially by the elders who teach, counsel, encourage, discipline, reprove, and rebuke. They will have to give an account of their ministry. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey those who rule (or lead you), and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”’

Jesus is the Shepherd, the elders are under shepherds. It is a huge responsibility that carries with it tremendous accountability. Though this crown is for elders, we should all strive to be faithful to our Chief Shepherd in all that we do and say.

Have a blessed day following our Shepherd and helping others in their walk. Stay safe and healthy.

Faithful service today, leads to future rewards in glory.

Dean