Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

September 17, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

(2 Corinthians 8:9).

This verse is one of the most amazing verses in the Scriptures. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of glory, the Creator and sustainer of life, the God of the universe became poor.

Our Savior chose to be born in a manger, into a poor family. It is said that Jesus had just one cloak. When the soldiers took it from Him they gambled for it. Jesus never owned a home, had no money, but changed the world.

It was God’s grace that He would lay down His life for us on the cross. Someone once said, “He paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.” He was rich and yet became poor so that we might become rich. He gave us the most valuable thing on earth: His precious blood.

It is humbling to think of how emptied Him and how He sacrificed His life for us. Philippians 2:5-8 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Because of what Jesus went through for us we are rich in salvation, forgiveness, eternal life, and with all spiritual blessings in Christ. Our riches are immense and eternal. We have them now and forever.

Sometimes we as children of the King live as paupers instead of sons of the Most High. We must remember that we have such a high calling and an exalted position in the kingdom of God. We should point people to Jesus and glorify Him.

Have a blessed day in Christ, following His example of humility, sacrifice, and service. Stay safe and healthy.

True riches cannot be be lost, stolen, or worn out—they last forever and ever.

Dean

-September 16, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

(Proverbs 28:13).

It all started in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned against Him. Innocence was forever lost. They felt guilt for the time, but instead of turning to God, they hid themselves from God among the trees of the garden. Hence, the first ever cover up.

The first couple also sewed fig leaves and covered their nakedness. Ever since sin has caused people to hide from God and come up with own ways to of salvation. Only the the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse our hearts from sin. He died for our sins to forgive us from our sins.

Solomon wrote, “He who covers his sins will not prosper…” His father David went through this himself in his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah. No believer cannot continue in unconfessed sin without God’s heavy hand coming upon him or her.

God loves us too much to let us go. He is so gracious, merciful, and forgiving toward us. We just need to confess our sin, repent, and turn back to the Lord. When we come to Him, He will restore us.

Sin takes a huge toll in the believer. We are cut off from the sweet fellowship with the Father, we lose the peace of God, and it can affect us spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. We can lose everything, but never our salvation.

Look at what David went through, He said, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer” (Psalm 32:3-4). He finally said in Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

The last part of our text is the solution for us: “but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” God will always shower us with mercy and forgiveness, just as the father did in the Parable if the Prodigal Son. John wrote in 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

As soon as we become aware we have sinned, let us confess it, forsake it, repent of it, and fall upon the mercy of our Heavenly Father. He will restore our fellowship, peace and fellowship. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Confession is good for the soul, and absolutely essential.

Dean

-September 15, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

(Proverbs 27:1).

Everybody plans for tomorrow, looks forward to tomorrow; some may dread what may happen tomorrow. Solomon under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit makes it clear: “for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

Our future is in the Lord’s hands. He alone knows all about it. We hope tomorrow will be good; we hope to avoid mishaps, mistakes, failures, cancellations, postponements, and disappointments, injuries, sicknesses, and accidents.

Because our heavenly Father knows best and loves us intensely, we should fully trust Him for tomorrow. None of us even knows he or she will be here tomorrow. Each day is a gift, it is on loan from God while we are here on earth.

Song writer Bill Gaither wrote, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.

I think if I knew what would happen tomorrow, one of two things may take place: If things were bad I would be scared to face them or if things were good I would be complacent or overconfident. God gives grace to face tomorrow at just the right time: tomorrow.

The best way to live is one day at a time. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Why ruin today with tomorrow’s troubles and burdens; there are enough today to concern ourselves with.

Have a blessed day tomorrow. Stay safe and healthy.

We don’t know about tomorrow but we know Him who does.

Dean

-September 14, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.”

(Proverbs 24:16).

Everyone falls at one time or another. The difference between the believer in Christ and the unsaved is: the Lord is with us. He cushions our falls and raises us up. The wicked fall by calamity.

Physical falls are more and more common, especially among older folks. They can be very dangerous and even life threatening. Spiritual falls are even worse than the physical ones, but God’s grace is sufficient in ou

Solomon wrote, “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again…” No matter how many times we fall, even in the same day, the Lord is there to pick us up. He is so kind, loving, and patient with us.

So many times we don’t feel like we can get up. We are either powerless or we are feeling self pity. It doesn’t matter how many times we fall, what matters is how many times we get up.

Let us remember, God doesn’t want us to fall; but He knows there will times we fall, and we must get up each time and continue the race until the end. Our faith grows stronger through the tough times.

Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Christ is our stability in an unstable world.

Dean

-September 13, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

(2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Today’s text explains why so many unsaved people do not receive Christ as Savior: they are blinded by Satan. He is a master deceiver, manipulator, scammer, liar, and thief. His main mission is to keep people from getting saved.

What chance then do people of forgiveness and eternal life? The Holy Spirit continues to work in their lives to touch their hearts and point them to Jesus.

Jesus spoke of three types of soil in the hearts and minds of the unsaved: seed that fell by the wayside, seed that fell on stony ground, seed that fell among thorns, and seed that fell on good ground. Jesus in his parable explained how the devil comes along and steals the seed before it can take root; the stony ground represents shallow ground where the seed cannot take root; the thorny ground speaks of the cares of this world that choke the word; but praise God for the good ground, the fertile soil that produces good fruit.

Every soul saved is a miracle of God’s grace. God desires each person to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. A good example is the proconsul Sergius Paulus who sought to hear the Word of God from Saul, latter called Paul. There was a certain sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul from the gospel. Paul called on the Holy Spirit to strike him with blindness, very fitting for an emissary of the devil who had tried to blind the proconsul who did get saved. Bible scholars believe that Saul took the name Paul after this encounter with Sergius Paulus.

Let us be courageous in proclaiming the gospel. God is responsible for the results, we just need to be faithful. All sinners are blind spiritually. Only God can open their eyes so they can be saved.

Have a blessed day sharing the gospel with the lost. Stay safe and healthy.

There is rejoicing in heaven over every soul who is saved. Thank God when Christ wins, the devil loses.

Dean