This is the Weekly Devotional Message from

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

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Hello!

Original, grabbing paragraph - Visit the JCSM web site!

My wedding went really well! It was beautiful and a lot of fun. Thanks for all of your encouraging emails and gifts.

Married life has been awesome! I could go on and on about it, but these introductory paragraphs aren't supposed to be an autobiography. Simply know that I'm loving life even more, now!

JCSM has hit an important milestone this week! This is the 200th weekly devotional message! For nearly four years, JCSM has been sending these messages to people all over the world. Thanks for being a part of this dynamic ministry!

Have you ever been to Spirit West Coast? If you are within a few hundred miles of Monterey, California, you should seriously consider attending this awesome, Christian music festival. I've been to three out of the first four and had a blast. This week, I paid for my tickets. They are $73 until the end of the week and then the price will increase a few dollars. You can learn more about this festival here: www.spiritwestcoast.org

Would you like to voice your opinion about music on the internet? Napster urges it's users to write their congress-people and senators. If you'd like to write yours (for any reason, actually), you can find their email addresses here: http://speakout.napster.com

Disney is considering playing a Christian video on their station. If you'd like to vote for LaRue's "Jaded" video, please go here: http://disney.go.com/disneychannel/zoogdisney/music/index_frame.html

God bless you as you love the Lord and others! Keep praying for love! Loving God and others are the greatest commandments. You can do it!

Do you need some good, clean humor? If so, you need to visit my Humor site! I have tons of great links and you can find them here: http://www.jcsm.org/Humor/HumorLinks.htm

*** Are you receiving about twelve pages with this message? If this message is truncated, and perhaps you're only receiving half of it, you can always find these devotions on my web site! Simply go here: http://devos.jcsm.org.

This is your ministry, so please feel free to link to JCSM and forward these devotions to your friends and family. On the JCSM website, there are over 1500 links (pictures, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals and much more!) and it has registered over 44,000 hits!

If this ministry has touched you in a special way, please pray and consider sending a gift to Jesus Christ Saves Ministries. On the web, we're encouraging the believers and sharing the gospel with unbelievers. We're also doing counseling on a regular basis. As we do full-time ministry on the web, love and help others, there is never a charge for our time and services.

Would you like to support God's work on the web? You can join us in our vision to reach people on the web with the good news! Please email me or see our address below.

Welcome to the new screen names or recipients of this message! Here are the devotions, challenge, the Bible trivia question, last week's answer and the quotations for the week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason J. Gastrich

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "Overflowing"

2 Peter 2:17, 18 "These (sinners) are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.

Isaiah 48:18 "Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea."

Psalm 45:1 "My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

Psalm 78:20 " Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?"

Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over."

Prayer: "Thank you for overflowing our cups, Lord! There is no other God like You! Thank you for blessing us like nobody else can. Thank you for filling us up with your Spirit and your goodness. Let us be like You, Lord. Give us more of your qualities. Forgive us for our sins. Purify us. Thank you for wanting to fill us up and give us extra, so we can fill others. Let us use our energy and talents for You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "God Rewards Obedience"

Psalm 37:3-5 "Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass."

Psalm 128:1, 2 "Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you."

Proverb 19:23 "The fear of the LORD leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil."

Acts 5:29 "But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: 'We ought to obey God rather than men.'"

Prayer: "Thank you for rewarding our obedience. Thank you for making our lives go smoother when we obey You. Thank you for protecting us when we are in your will. Show us the way, Lord. Make our paths bright. Thank you for your Word. Help us to read and apply it. Thank you for directing the ones who want to be directed by You. Lead us into truth and righteousness. Help us to repent from our sins and seek You. Thank you for forgiving us. Let us forgive ourselves and love You wholeheartedly. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Christ's Victory Over Death"

Isaiah 25:7, 8 "And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 53:10-12 "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors."

John 5:24-29 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

Romans 4:25 "He was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification."

Romans 5:12-21 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:10 "But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

Hebrews 2:14, 15 "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

Prayer: "Thank you for overcoming death! There is no other God like You! Thank you for overcoming death easily and completely. Thank you for giving us hope that we can go to Heaven and be with You. Praise You for your power. Praise You for being an awesome God. Let us know You and see You how you really are. Thank you for beating death and making it the most incredible phenomena that humankind has ever known. Remind us that You are alive. Give us great faith in You, Lord. Thank you for being real, alive and well! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Give to God"

Genesis 28:22 "And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."

Leviticus 27:30 "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S. It is holy to the LORD."

Deuteronomy 15:10, 11 "You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.'"

Malachi 3:10 "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the LORD of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it."

Matthew 22:21 "They said to Him, 'Caesar's.' And He said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'"

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.'"

Romans 12:6-8 "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."

2 Corinthians 9:6-15 "But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever. Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting our gifts, Lord. Thank you for accepting the things we give You. Thank you for giving us everything. Let us understand how the things we have are actually, simply things You have given us. Help us to be good stewards of your gifts. Thank you for being such a giving God! Nobody can give more than You, Lord. Help us to have a lifestyle of giving. Let us obey You and give our things to You and needy people. Thank you for giving us commands in Your Word and having very good reasons for your will. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Well Pleased"

Isaiah 42:1 "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles."

Matthew 3:17 "And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"

Matthew 12:17, 18 "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles."

Matthew 17:5, 6 "While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!' And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid."

2 Peter 1:17 "For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"

Prayer: "Thank you for telling us that You were well pleased of Jesus. Thank you for prophesying about Him and how You will be well pleased. Thank you for the times when You spoke while Jesus was on Earth. Help us to comprehend You and the trinity. Thank you for the complexity of You. Thank you for giving us Jesus Christ and showing us how to live through Him. Thank you for changing us with your power. Help us to be lovers of God, so You will be well pleased of us. Give us great love for You and others. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "The Man and Woman of God"

1 Timothy 6:11 "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

2 Timothy 3:16, 17 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Psalm 4:3 "But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him."

2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter."

2 Timothy 3:12 "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."

Hebrews 12:28 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."

1 Timothy 6:6 "Now godliness with contentment is great gain."

2 Peter 2:9 "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting godliness from us. Thank you for helping us to be men and women of God. Thank you for melting away our ungodliness and putting our feet on the Rock of Christ Jesus. Thank you for hearing our prayers and being faithful to complete the work You have begun. Praise You for being everywhere and being a loving God. I love You, Lord! Thank you for never giving up on us. Help us to be devoted to You and becoming godly. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "True Satisfaction"

Psalm 107:9 "He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness."

Proverb 19:27 "The fear of the LORD leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil."

Proverb 13:25 "The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want."

Prayer: "Thank you for satisfying us, Lord. Thank you for meeting our needs. Thank you for being able to meet everyone's unique needs. There's no other God like You! Remind us that You are everywhere and ready to be patient with us. Thank you for giving us real, spiritual food that satisfies. Remind us that You will always give us great things, no matter what the world gives us. Help us to see what worldly people truly offer. Let us remember the wonderful, spiritual things that You have given! Remind us of the ways You have met our needs. Help us to trust You and believe that You can meet all of our needs. Since You made us and everything we sense and see, You know how to meet our needs. Since You love us more than we love ourselves, we know You will be devoted to satisfying our spiritual and all other needs. To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Count the ways God has rewarded your obedience to Him!

All believers in Christ can see the ways God has blessed them. It's an easy, cause and effect relationship. We obey God and we are blessed and rewarded.

Have you taken time to recount and remember the ways God has blessed your obedience to Him? Take a few minutes and write the things that come to mind. It will help you love God and trust Him more in the future.

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

The Bible Trivia Question

What does the last verse in the Bible say?

Last Week's Bible Trivia Answer

Judas received 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus. See Matthew 26:15.

Quotations

The man of God is protected by God and has God's favor.

An angel once killed 187,000 people. Remember you have one guarding you!

If you only give God part of your life, you'll find yourself neglecting to even give Him that much.

The man of God cannot be bought.

Are you doing what the world wants, so you can get what you don't think God will give you?

Are you compromising your faith, so you don't upset the world?

God hasn't called you to be politically correct; just biblically correct.

I rather live in an apartment that God gave me than a mansion that the devil gave me.

God doesn't want to share you with anyone.

The man of God must obey God.

I cannot complain.

Don't hit the rock when God tells you to speak to it.

There are blessings you don't have today because you were obedient yesterday.

Pray about the things you are afraid to do.

Your face and name are irrelevant if you're a man of God.

The only title I want is "Christian."

Your title dictates your role. Your role dictates your behavior. Your behavior dictates your attitude.

Don't let the devil tell you what you are or aren't.

The man of God has a message from God and no opinion of his own.

Say what God wants you to say.

Allow God to speak through you.

Even if you hurt a friend by telling them what God wants, in the future, they should respect you and thank you.

Christ's death gives us a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

One day, Christ will end sin, temptation and all evil!

What hope does Christ's resurrection offer?

Jesus Christ was divinity in the flesh.

Give us a glimpse into the everlasting so we will live for you whatever the cost.

God has been right with many other things, in fact, everything.

God has been faithful to me and faithful to His promises, so it's an obvious conclusion that He will raise us from the dead.

I should live for Christ because His Word is true.

You don't give for God's sake. You give for your sake.

Giving to God is a confession that God owns it all anyway.

Don't cling too tightly to the things God has given you.

Seek God and allow Him to be the God of your finances.

Proverbs are short sentences drawn from long experiences.

Not to know is bad, but not to wish to know is worse.

Water and words are easy to pour, but impossible to recover.

There's something to laugh about in nearly everything.

To use a few words wisely is wonderful, but to use many words wisely is awesome.

Thou shalt not whine.

Just because someone is being godly, it doesn't mean they've always been godly or that they're righteous in all areas of their life.

Since we don't always know exactly what obedience to God will produce, it takes faith to obey Him.

The casual Christian has little or no influence on others.

The worldly Christian is prepared to do as the world does and will condone practices which are dishonest and unethical because he is afraid of the world's displeasure.

Only by a life of obedience to the voice of the Spirit, by daily dying to self, by a full dedication to Christ and constant fellowship with Him, are we able to live a godly life and have a positive influence in this present, ungodly world.

If we have a right relationship with God, we can more easily have right relationships with others.

If we have a poor relationship with God, it will be more difficult to have godly, successful relationships with people.

Real people help bring out the realness in others.

Understanding someone helps you forgive them.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado) and Miles McPhearson.

These quotes can be used for sanctification and fun. Most of them are directly based on scripture and scriptural principles. Some of my quotes are humorous or rhetorical. Some are written from sermons and Bible studies. Others are lyrics from songs. If you'd like me to go into more detail on any of them, please email me.

Like most verses in the Bible, they can be debated. To use what I have written in the most beneficial way, try and trace them back to the scriptures they were derived from and apply the true principles to your life in a meaningful way! Please don't sell my quotes or publish them for profit. If English is not your first language, you may not understand some of the quotes. I'm sorry, but some of them are English metaphors and deal with multiple word meanings. God bless you all!

Please make a commitment to pray for this ministry. As every believer is tempted and tried, this ministry faces trials also. God has blessed me, JCSM and the people who have been reached! Unfortunately, the enemy knows this and spiritual warfare is the result. Please, at least pray that the devotions continue to be sent religiously, the web pages stay on the www and the subscribers are blessed, sanctified and protected from evil. Thank you very much in advance!

Do you want to help people receive the good news? We have sent over 500,000 emails, encouraging people with God's Word! Please join us in the great commission. We're reaching new people every day with God's awesome Word! If God has blessed you and you wish to send a love offering to me and my ministry, please send it to the address below.

You can join our vision and help this ministry! Your donations will keep these ministries running and further our visions for evangelism. Hundreds of web pages have been created to lead people to the Lord. Frequently, we make new ones and they are used to bring more and more people into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We're certain there will be more ways to reach people in the future. Along with getting support, we also give support! I regularly give to my church and frequently give to needy people. Lastly, I do a lot of research on religious topics on the internet and library. You will definitely see the results of our work and your support, in the web pages, and in the weekly devotional messages!

For more about me and my service history, go to http://resume.jcsm.org. For what I do, my ministries and giving, go to http://vision.jcsm.org.

If you have received these devotions from someone other than I, please email me and I will send them to you, personally, each week. Don't worry. I don't send forwards or any other junk mail. I also refrain from giving your name to anyone.

The devotions are sent on Monday nights. The gospel is sent on the 11th of every month and the monthly newsletter is sent on the 20th. These are the only messages I send, however, please email me if you wish to be removed from this list. If you prefer to receive the devotions in Spanish, send me a request because the devotions have been reaching the Spanish speaking community for over a year!

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please email me! I would love to share the gospel with you. The Bible is very straightforward when it speaks about Heaven, Hell and eternal life. If there is any doubt that you are going to Heaven when you die, please let me know today!

Are you having trouble in life? Do you need someone to talk to? You can call the youth crisis hotline at 1-800-HIT-HOME, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their motto is "help, not hassle". Hotline counselors will listen to you and encourage you. If you are hurting and need someone to talk to, please feel free to call. YDI pays for these calls and has helped over 1 million people! They are also looking for people to answer calls. Their web site is at www.1800hithome.com.

Would you like to feed starving people by simply clicking a button and paying absolutely nothing? Sponsors pay to donate food to hungry people all over the world. I click these nearly every day. It takes about 10 seconds and it donates food to needy people! Go here: www.thehungersite.com and here www.stopthehunger.com.

Go here to donate free Bibles to people: http://www.TheBibleSite.org. If you want to join an organization that helps feed and clothe poor people, check into World Vision. You can see their site here: www.worldvision.com.

JCSM now does regular mailings! If you are getting rid of your email or know someone who wants the devotions, but doesn't have email, please give me their address and we'll send them the devotions. If you don't have internet access, but want to read a certain web page or Bible lesson, let me know. I could copy and paste something into an email message for you. If you have internet access and need a great, online, study Bible, go here: www.biblestudytools.net

Since April of 1997, the weekly devotional message has been sent on the internet. This message currently reaches over 13,000 people in 98 countries. To read a list of these countries, go here: http://www.jcsm.org/misc/countries.htm. To read the archived devotions online, go here: http://devos.jcsm.org.

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