Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-November 20, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy without blemish.”

(Ephesians 5:26-27).

The past two days we have been meditating on the church as the building and the body of Christ. Today, we consider the precious truth that the church is the bride of Christ.

Christ is our heavenly Bridegroom and we as His church are His bride. In the OT, Israel is the wife of Jehovah; in the NT, the church is the bride of Christ. The reason for this is that a bride awaits her wedding day with great joy and anticipation. The wedding is a consummation of a promise and commitment made to the bridegroom.

We belong to Christ as His precious bride. But what did He ever see in us? We were sinners, defiled, lost, condemned, and bankrupt. There was no beauty or goodness in us. Christ loved us and gave Himself for us, shed His blood to wash us, and clothe us in His righteousness. Paul describes our position in Christ as “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; holy without blemish.”

Christ sees us so differently from the world, even from how we see ourselves. We are sinners, but sinners saved by grace. Brides in ancient times wore beautiful jewels and adornments. The wedding day was her special day. Even today this is true, a bride wants to look her very best for her bridegroom. This is why they say every bride is beautiful. Some are just more beautiful than others, but to the bridegroom, she is the most beautiful in the world.

The Lord Jesus is looking forward to taking us to His home in heaven that He has prepared for us. Hymn writer Anne Ross Cousin wrote, a beautiful hymn, entitled, “Immanuel’s Land.” The fourth stanza says, “The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear Bridegroom’s face; I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace—Not at the crown He giveth, but on His pierced hand: The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel’s land.”

Let us live as a holy bride awaiting our wedding day, which will be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We are dressed in white, which is the righteousness of the saints.

Have a blessed day, be safe and healthy.

Those who are made holy must live holy. Our Bridegroom is coming!

Dean

-November 19, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”

(Romans 12:4-5).

We discussed yesterday, the church is a building, founded on Christ, the Chief Cornerstone. All of us as believers are living stones in God’s spiritual house. Christ has built His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Today, we will consider that the church is also the body of Christ. Paul spends an entire chapter teaching on this in 1 Corinthians 12. He speaks of the spiritual gifts God gives to His people to employ in serving one another. Each one is important and needed.

Paul uses the human body to illustrate the various functions, ministries, and gifts in the body of Christ. Just as all the the members of a human body are important to the health and wellbeing of a person, so too, we need each other in the body of Christ to function spiritually at an optimal degree.

If one member suffers, we all suffer; if one member rejoices, we all rejoice. When we love Christ and love one another, it is vital that we pray for one another and build each other up in the Lord.

Christ is the Head of the body, and we are the members of His body. 1 Corinthians 12:18 says, “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” God created us as unique individuals and gave us different gifts and ministries. It is true of the whole body of Christ around the world, and well as in our local churches.

There is a beautiful hymn that we sang as young people, entitled, “They’ll Know We Are Christians.” The first verse says, “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, we are in the Spirit we are one in the Lord, and we pray that all unity may one day we restored.” The refrain says, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, and they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” You can search it on the internet and find the entire text.

Have a blessed day as a member of the body of Christ, living for the Lord and serving Him in the body of Christ. Stay safe and healthy.

We need Christ and we need each other, to further His Kingdom every day, every hour.

Dean

-November 18, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.”

(1 Corinthians 3:9).

What makes a great building in this world? It must be strong and able to withstand earthquakes or other natural disasters; it must be beautiful; and it must be functional. If it meets these criteria, people will want to live in it or work in it.

The church is the body, the building, and the bride of Christ. Each of these metaphors is worthy of our study and consideration. Today, we look at the church as the building of Christ.

Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, which is a worldwide living structure. Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail (or be victorious) against it.” What an encouragement that is!

The church is not of man or by man, but is of God and by God. It will last for all eternity. The reason the church is so strong is because it is built on the rock, Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone. Peter was a stone but Jesus is the solid rock that our faith is based on.

The first and strongest part of any building is the foundation. Without a solid foundation the building will not stand the test of time. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:19-20, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”

The devil tries his utmost to take down this building and destroy it; he can’t do it, for it is the church of the living God. Our hope is built on Christ and it is solid. The building of Christ is a work in progress, one soul at a time. Each new person who gets saved is like adding a brick to the building.

The hymn writer Edward Mote wrote, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand” Let us then build our lives, our faith, our hope in Christ who never fails.

Have a blessed day working together with the Lord on the building. Stay safe and healthy.

Founded and grounded on the solid rock, we can withstand any storm without a doubt.

Dean

-November 17, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

(Hebrews 6:10).

The phrase “labor of love,” is found in today’s verse as well as in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, which says, “remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.”

We still use this expression in our world today. It is defined as, “a labor voluntarily undertaken or performed without consideration of any benefit or reward.” As believers whatever we do for others can be a labor of love, if we do it the name of Christ as unto Him.

In our church we have an all volunteer staff as well as all the workers. It is a blessing to see it in action at church and outside of church. I have two signs, one on my refrigerator and one in my office at church that reads, “I am called to serve Jesus —A mission of mercy and a labor of love.” It serves as a good reminder of why I am here: to serve the Lord.

Paul is my example in the way he served the Lord. I am in no way close to him, but I strive to be like him. He said in Acts 20:35, “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

May the Lord help us in our labors of love. God will never forget them and will reward us. Stay safe and healthy.

Laboring in love, by love, and with love always.

Dean

-November 16, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

(John 15:11).

Joy in Christ is a wonderful thing. It is one of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul mentions in Galatians 5:22-23). Joy differs from happiness; happiness refers to feelings and circumstances which ebb and flow in life, whereas joy is not dependent on our circumstances, but is based on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The joy that Jesus gives us remains in us, now and through all eternity. When something remains in us, it lasts, it continues, it abides. In John chapter 15, Jesus uses the word abide or abides nine times. We abide in Christ the Vine, in the Word of God, in His love, and in the Father. Herein lies the true source of our joy.

Joy can’t be manufactured, concocted, or maintained on our own—it comes from Jesus and flows through us to others. Jesus is the Vine, we are His branches. We have nothing in and of ourselves apart from Him. Just as the vine produces the grapes that make wine, so too, His joy comes through the crushing of the grapes. Our pride, selfishness, and self-will must be crushed. In the old days, people stomped on the grapes to make wine. Wine in Scripture is a symbol of joy.

They ran out of wine at the wedding that Jesus, the disciples, and His mother Mary attended in Cana of Galilee. Jesus turned water into wine. He still does this spiritually in our daily lives. Only Jesus can turn our ordinary times into times of joy, even in the most adverse circumstances. Nehemiah says, …the joy of the Lord is your strength” (See Nehemiah 8:10).

Jesus wants our joy to be full to the brim and overflowing. There is a hymn I sung years ago, entitled, “I’ve Got the Joy.” that is so beautiful. The first line says, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in heart; I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.”

May the joy of Jesus flow from our hearts as we walk closely with Him. Be safe and healthy.

The joy in the heart shows on the face, as we travel through life in every place.

Dean