Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-December 2, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(Romans 5:1).

One of the greatest possessions we have in this world is peace with God. Today’s verse reminds us that through faith in Christ we are justified (i.e. declared righteous) and have peace with God. It gives us such assurance, confidence, and hope.

The moment we receive Christ, our separation from God is taken away, our alienation is destroyed, our sin is forgiven. We never again face judgement or condemnation from God as we deserved; Christ died for us, in our place on the cross.

The war with God is over. We who were lost are found, we who were dead were made alive, and we who enemies have been adopted into God’s family. Peace was won through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

The hymn writer Edward H. Bickersteth wrote in the first verse his hymn, “Peace, Perfect Peace,” “Peace, perfect peace in this dark world of sin? The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.” Through the blood of Christ we who were once far from God are brought near to God.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:13-14, “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.”

May we rejoice in our peace with God that is ours now and for all eternity. Because we have peace with God, we can have peace with others. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Peace through reconciliation and a great salvation.

Dean

-December 1, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, ‘Where is He who was born the King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’”

(Matthew 2:1-2).

You have undoubtedly read this portion countless times and listened to many sermons on it. I was thinking about how far the wise men or magi traveled to see the newborn King. I searched on the internet and found that they journey was more than a thousand miles!

They had to travel on camels and carry supplies with for such a long, arduous trip; to them it was well worth the time, effort, and sacrifice. Also, just think of the Israelites who transversed through the wilderness for 40 years on the way to the Promised Land.

I always remark on our missionaries who visit from Spain, that they commuted the farthest of any of us. These wisemen didn’t follow a map, they had no GPS. They followed a very special star and eventually found their way to Bethlehem and saw the baby Jesus, Mary His mother, and His earthly father Joseph. They worshipped Jesus and presented Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

To these men the star was exciting but seeing Jesus, who by this time was about two years old, was even more thrilling. Just think of the stories they had to tell when they got home!

Some people have a hard time just driving a few miles to church. If Jesus came to your church, it would packed. Every seat would be taken and every parking spot filled. But shouldn’t it always be that way. The Lord Jesus promised, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

Is Jesus worth the trip, no matter how far? Let us go to church today and worship with our sacrifice of praise. Jesus will be waiting for you. I open the church for all our meetings; Jesus is already there waiting for all the saints.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day. Please pray for my sermon tomorrow on faithfulness. Stay safe and healthy.

I would travel the world to see Jesus; because He came from heaven to earth to save me.

Dean

-November 30, 2024-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”

(Matthew 1:23).

Jesus was sent by the Father to be born of a virgin, as the Son of God. His mission was to die on the cross to save us from our sins. He came as Isaiah the prophet prophesied in Isaiah 7:14, hundreds of years before Christ.

Immanuel is both a name and a title. The meaning is defined as, “God with us.” God came down in the person of Jesus Christ. He identified with us, yet without sin. He felt our pain, bore our shame, took our blame, and carried and buried our sins.

It is so encouraging to know that our Lord Jesus is with us and will be with us forever. In Revelation 21:3 we read of the final triumph of Jesus and we His people with Him, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”

He is with us now spiritually, but in a coming day, He will be with us physically. We belong to Jesus, and Jesus belongs to us. Have a blessed day with the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Immanuel came the first time to die; Immanuel will come again to reign.

Dean

-November 29, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

We are all very familiar with the expression, “There was an after effect.” It is defined as, “an effect that follows after the primary action of something.” We often think of negative consequences after a main event such as an earthquake, fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, tsunami, cyclone, certain drugs, foods, or even strenuous exercise.

Many of us ate too much yesterday, and may feel some aftereffects today. But for the believer in Christ there are good aftereffects when it comes to God’s grace. When we are saved, we are saved by God’s grace. As we grow we experience His grace through our trials, and sufferings; His grace gives us the strength to handle whatever comes our way.

Peter, the disciple and apostle of Jesus learned from his sins, failures, and mistakes. He was the outspoken leader, but his tongue often got him into trouble. On one hand he confessed that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” But later denied Jesus three times. We are like Peter in so many ways, God’s grace is always there for us when we need it the most.

Peter lists four good aftereffects of the grace of God who has called us to eternal glory. His prayer is that God would perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle the saints through their trials and sufferings. They experienced severe persecution and many were put to death for their faith in Christ.

We also need to be perfected (meaning to be completed or made mature); established (grounded in the Word); strengthened (from on high); and settled (calmed by His peace). We can face anything or anyone by the grace of God.

May the Lord perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you today. Have a blessed day by the grace of God. Stay safe and healthy.

We can either be bitter or better as a result of what we go through; let’s choose the latter.

Dean

-November 28, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday, happy Thanksgiving Day,

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures mercy endures forever.”

(Psalm 136:1).

Today across America we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, not with fireworks, but around the dinner table with those we love. It is fitting because the pilgrims ate a meal in peace and harmony with the native Americans.

The pilgrims were thankful to God for bringing them to this land and for all that God had provided for them. Like them we should collectively thank Him for all that He has done for us and given to us.

The unknown psalmist writes, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” This phrase, Oh, give thanks to the Lord” is found 11 times in the Scriptures. It is a call to action—thanksgiving from the heart.

You can just imagine the joy, excitement, and gratitude in his voice and in his words. In my translation (NKJV), there is an exclamation point for emphasis. I love exclamation points; they express fervor and excitement to what is being said. It is a writer’s way of speaking loudly and clearly.

The psalmist tells what to do: give thanks; who to render it to: the Lord; and why we should do it: For His mercy endures forever. All the blessings we have as individuals, as a church, and as a nation are because of the Lord alone.

The hymn writer Seth Sykes wrote the short chorus, entitled, “Thank you, Lord.” He proclaimed, “Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul, Thank you, Lord, for making me whole; Thank you, Lord for giving to me Thy great salvation so rich and free.”

Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving Day. Stay safe and healthy.

Blessed and thankful we come to Jesus, thanking Him for our salvation; and so much more.

Dean