Pastor H. Gene Allen

~ Good Morning!

Our Bible verse, and Devotion, comes to us, today, from …

• Psalm‬ ‭126:5‬ •

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!” (ESV‬‬)

The setting, here, in verses 5 and 6 is agricultural. After the land had been neglected for so long, it was almost impossible to work it. The planting would be very difficult, because the ground would be very hard. However, with hard work, and great persistence, you could finally get a harvest.

✝️ Psalm 126:5a says, “Those who sow with tears…”

The sowing with tears, or the agonizing over the work, here, could signify anything someone did to help advance God’s Kingdom; (e.g., encouraging people to respond to the Lord and return to Him).

✝️ Psalm 126:5b says, “shall reap with shouts of joy!”

The joyful harvesting (reap) would then refer to the people who would return to faith in God.

One commentator wrote, “The psalmist was convinced that continued labor, no matter how agonizingly difficult and frustrating, would result in more people returning to the Lord.

FYI … The use of the phrase, “sowing and reaping,” have been widely used by believers (Gal. 6:7). Jesus spoke of sowing as spreading the message of the kingdom, and spoke of reaping the harvest as people who received Him by faith (Matt. 13:1–8, 18, 23).

‼️ Isn’t it about time we do some SOWING and REAPING of our own ⁉️

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene

~ Good Morning!

Our Bible verse, today, is found in …

• John‬ ‭1:12 •

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:” (KJV)

Let’s take a deeper look at this verse.

✝️ “But to as many” — Individual people; people who had before been disobedient and unruly …

✝️ “to them gave He power…” (He gave them power) — The word “power” here means, that Jesus gave those who accepted Him, both the authority and ability, to be saved, changed and to become obedient Children of God.

✝️ “to become” — Jesus is, absolutely, the Son of God and through the cross, and His blood, we become the sons of God.

✝️ “the sons of God” — We become the sons and daughters of God in name and in nature. Through Jesus, we are now the legally adopted children of Father God, with all the same rights that Jesus has.

✝️ “believe on his name” — This is a phrase denoting authority, and having a supreme relationship with God. A person who believes, and accepts Jesus, as Lord and Savior, is from Father God, just as an earthly son is from his father. Because we are now a child of God, Father God has given us an inheritance which is the power to live an abundant life on earth and the supernatural power to have an eternal life in heaven.

⁉️ Have you received Jesus?

⁉️ Have you received the power to become a child of God?

⁉️ Have you believed in His name?

⁉️ Have your sins been forgiven and forgotten?

Today would be an excellent day for you to put your faith, and trust, in Jesus.

‼️ Believe in Jesus!

‼️ Take Him at His Word!

‼️ Trust Him as your Savior, and Lord!

‼️ Become a child of Father God!

❓ What about you who are already believers in Jesus? Are you placing your absolute trust in Him? Are you trusting Him to meet all of your needs? How are you on a Faith Scale today? You really need to think about this!

Don’t let your faith flatten just because you’ve been a believer for a period of time. Ask Jesus to renew your relationship with Him, right now, and then, you work hard to cultivate that relationship with Him every day.

God bless you as you Totally Devote Yourself to Jesus!

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene

FamilyChurchAG.com

~ Good Morning and Happy TGIF!

Our Bible verse, today, is found in …

• Isaiah‬ ‭9:6 •

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (ESV‬‬)

Isaiah 9:6 tells us that “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,” and this child was Jesus. This Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace is the Savior of the world that the Jewish people had been waiting for.

When Jesus came to earth, prophecies were fulfilled. This baby, born of a virgin, grew up to be a man who lived a perfect, sinless life. He died on a cross and rose from the dead, granting us the opportunity to be delivered from our sins.

This is what Christmas is all about! However, many times, December is packed full of things that demand our attention:

• Getting the perfect gifts for those on our list.

• Being unusually kind with our words and actions.

• Preparing a delectable meal for a party.

• Creating the most spectacular card to send to friends and family.

• Etc, Etc, Etc …

And those are all great things! However, if we’re not careful, we can allow the Way We’re Celebrating to Replace the One We’re Celebrating.

We are meant to enjoy the Christmas season, and Christmas traditions, not worship them.

This Christmas season, I remind you of an old saying that simply says, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” Let’s determine to keep Jesus first, and foremost, this year.

Christmas is about an exciting announcement, a tremendous testimony; “For to us a child is born…!” Salvation has finally come!

📍 Wonderful has come!

📍 Counselor has come!

📍 Prince of Peace has come!

📍 Jesus is Savior!

📍 Jesus is King of Kings!

📍 Jesus is Lord of Lords!

• What is your testimony thisChristmas season⁉️

• What has Jesus done for you, thisyear⁉️

• Well, TESTIFY‼️

• Tell Someone About It‼️

The JOY of the Christmas Season comes when we authentically Celebrate the JESUS of the Christmas Season.

Merry Christmas!!!

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene

Governor Stitt has called for Today, Thursday, December 3, 2020 to be A DAY of PRAYER and FASTING for the State of Oklahoma. Let’s Join Him in Praying for Our Great State.

• Let’s Pray for all those who are ill with this terrible COVID-19 disease, that they will be healed.

• Let’s Pray for all of those who have lost their jobs, and incomes, because of COVID-19, that they will receive new jobs and be blessed with great salaries.

• Let’s Pray for all those who have been negatively affected, by COVID-19, that their situation will be turned around and that they will be blessed.

• Let’s Pray for our Governor, state and local leaders, as they make decisions pertaining to COVID-19.

~ Good Morning!

Our Bible reading, and devotion for today, comes from …

• Romans‬ ‭15:13 •

“I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.” (CEV‬‬)

The Apostle Paul says, “I pray that God, who gives you hope…”

What does Hope mean?

The Old Testament:

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew language had two meanings for hope …

1.) Yakhal: To Wait For.

2.) Qavah: A Tense Anticipation/Expectation.

Hopeful people, in the Bible, often recognized that there was no evidence that things would get better, but you chose hope anyway.

In the OT, followers of God learned that it was God’s past faithfulness that motivated hope for the future. In other words, you looked for hope, by looking backwards, trusting in nothing but God. What God had done in the past, (deliverance, miracles, signs, wonders), God could do in the future.

The New Testament:

In the New Testament, the word for hope is:

1.) Elpis: A Tense Expectation for a Living Hope.

In the New Testament, the earliest followers of Jesus, cultivated a similar habit of hope, as did those in the OT. They believed that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection was God’s surprising response to their past slavery to evil, and death. They believed that Jesus’ resurrection, and the empty tomb, opened up a new door of hope, and life, for them.

The Apostle Peter said that Jesus’ death, and resurrection, opened up a living hope, that people can be reborn and become new and different kinds of humans. — “Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, He has given us new life and a hope that lives on” (1 Peter‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭CEV‬‬).

Our hope, today, is based on the risen Jesus, who has overcome death. And this hope isn’t for just humans, but is a foretaste of what God has planned for the whole universe.

Christian Hope is BOLD, waiting for humanity, and the whole universe, to be rescued, from evil and death, through Jesus.

Please understand that Biblical Hope isn’t optimism based on the odds — but it is a Hope for God to bring about our future that’s as surprising as a crucified man rising from the dead.

Christian Hope looks back to the risen Jesus in order to look forward.

Are you needing some extra hope today? Look back at all the miracles that Jesus performed — and Expect, with Great Hope, that Jesus will do some of those same things, for you.

‼️ HAVE HOPE ‼️

Have that Tense Expectation that the same things that the Lord did for the early believers, He’s going to do for you!

I’m believing with you!

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene

~ Good Morning and Happy Saturday!

Our Bible passage, and devotion, today, comes to us from …

• Numbers 6:22-27 •

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (23)“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, (24)The Lord bless you and keep you; (25)the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; (26)the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. (27)“So shall they put My name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”” (ESV‬‬)

This beautiful blessing pronounced God’s favor on His people and was a prayer, that the priest’s would pray over the congregation, asking God to live among His people and meet all their needs.

The three expressions, found in verses 24, 25 and 26, correspond to the respective offices of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

✝️ Verse 24: The Office of the Father —

To “bless you and keep you.”

✝️ Verse 25: The Office of the Son — To “be gracious to you.”

✝️ Verse 26: The Office of the Holy Spirit — To “give you peace.”

✝️ Verse 27: Finally, Putting God’s name upon Israel indicated His ownership, and total responsibility, for His people. Father God said, “I will bless them.”

Father God is totally responsible for taking care of, and blessing His people. No one, nor nothing else.

Every good thing that you have today has come from the Lord. It is our Father, in Heaven, who has blessed us, and taken care of us, throughout our lives. We are on earth, alive, and breathing today, because the Lord has chosen to bless and keep us.

Come on, Somebody! — Give the Lord praise, and gratitude, for your life and all that He has blessed you with!

‼️The Lord is Worthy of Your P•R•A•I•S•E‼️

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene

~ Good Morning!

Following is our Bible verse for today. It’s found in Galatians‬ ‭6:10. For greater clarity, I have copied this verse in both the English Standard Version Translation and the New Century Version Translation.

• Galatians‬ ‭6:10 •

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (ESV‬‬)

“When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers.” (NCV‬‬)

✝️ “let us Do Good to everyone…”

• Do Good!

• Serve Someone!

• Be Nice!

• Be Kind!

• Lend a Hand!

• Extend a Favor!

• Do Something for Somebody!

• Etc, Etc, Etc … ‼️

✝️ “especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

• Especially if they are Brothers and Sisters in Jesus.

• Do Good to those you are most closest to first.

• Serve those you are most loyal to first.

• Be Faithful to the Faithful‼️

How long has it been since you have stepped out of your comfort zone and really did something nice for someone? You know, when it really cost you something⁉️

✝️ “as we have opportunity…”

• When we have the Opportunity.

• When the Opportunity presents itself.

• Look for Opportunities to Serve and be a Blessing.

• Pray for Opportunities to Present Themselves‼️

When you are all about yourself, or when you close yourself off to the world around you, It is possible to go through life and never do anything good for anyone else; but this is not how Father God has saved us, or called us, to live.

We have been saved and called to be

salt in a tasteless world, to be light in a darkened world, and to be servants to a selfish world.

Why?

To proclaim Jesus, the greatest Savior, the greatest servant, the greatest giver, the greatest leader, the greatest, most kind and gracious human who gave His life to save, and serve us. When we were nasty, intolerable and unlovable, God, through Jesus, was “good” to us.

“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. (7)No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. (8)But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.” — Romans‬ ‭5:6-8‬ ‭(CEV‬‬)

From this day forward, commit to be like Jesus, and “do good.”

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene

~ Good Morning and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family‼️

You know, despite the various issues that plague the world that we live in today, and the things which aren’t exactly perfect in our lives — We still have so much to be Grateful, and Thankful for.

The Psalmist David wrote, in Psalms‬ ‭9:1-2 …

“I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart and tell about the wonders You have worked. God Most High, I will rejoice; I will celebrate and sing because of You.” ‭(CEV‬)

This is what each one of us should be doing today, and everyday — that is, praising the Lord, with our whole heart, and testifying of our Lord’s greatness; telling others about what Jesus has done for us in our lives.

What if, either before you eat your Thanksgiving lunch/dinner, or afterwards, we all went around the table/room and each person shared what they were most thankful for this year, or today? I think this would give meaning to your Thanksgiving meal.

Whether you’re having a big Thanksgiving meal in a large family gathering, or you’re eating out of a can of Spaghetti-O’s all alone — You still have so much to be thankful for.

May the Lord bless you abundantly, and may He meet all your needs.

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene & Maria Allen

~ Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving Day Eve!

I have a very appropriate Bible verse for us today. It’s found in …

• Psalms‬ ‭9:1-2 •

“I will give thanks , and praise the LORD, with all my heart; I will tell aloud all Your wonders and marvelous deeds. (2)I will rejoice and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” (AMP‬‬)

Everyday, but during this season, especially …

✝️ We should Give Thanks, and Praise the Lord, — with everything that is within us — for all things! No matter what we have right now, Jesus has been so good to us all.

✝️ We should, “tell aloud,” or TESTIFY, about all the Lord has done for us!

✝️ We should, “exult,” or Paise the Lord Lively, with great Joy!

✝️ We should Always be Singing Praises to the Lord. It’s the Lord who has placed a new song in our hearts.

If you’re a Christian, you should be the loudest one in the group!

We believers, should be Thanking Jesus for what HE has done for us — and — We should be Telling Others about what JESUS has done for us!

‼️ Happy Thanksgiving ‼️

‬

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene

~ Good Morning and Happy Tuesday before Thanksgiving!

Have I got a Word for You today. Proverbs 12:25 says …

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” (ESV)

‼️ Make someone Glad today. Share a “Good Word,” with them ‼️

I hope you’ll remember what I said on Sunday; “With the Lord, Your Altitude is Measured by Your Gratitude.”

The more grateful you are, the more the Lord elevates you to greater things and places.

Be Grateful this Thanksgiving season.

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene