This is the Weekly Devotional Message from

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

www.JCSM.org

Over 1500 Links!

Hello!

I hope you had an awesome Easter weekend!

I was blessed with two sermons from Miles McPhearson. He preached at Humphrey's By the Bay and SDSU's Open Air Theater. In both locations, he had a nice crowd and an incredible message.

The Good Friday service was at Humphrey's. Miles reminded us how much pain Jesus went through to die and save us. The Bible tells us that Jesus' beard was ripped out, so the pictures that we conjure in our heads (the ones of him looking clean and normal on the cross) are very different than the way He truly looked.

At SDSU, Miles gave another great sermon. He also gave an altar call and many people accepted Christ! Praise the Lord. There was communion at both services. I was very blessed to be at two great, encouraging services. I hope you were encouraged this weekend, too.

A special thanks goes to my Dad. He's given me many great ministry ideas. Without his love, support and prayers, this ministry wouldn't be as dynamic as it is today. Thanks Dad!

After I sent this month's gospel message, I had several people write me and confess they accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior! Praise the Lord! Please pray for these new believers. I'll be encouraging them on the web and hoping they grow in Christ.

JCSM needs one person to help with mailing the devotions in the regular mail. One of our previous senders is no longer able to help. If you are a reliable person and want to serve God in this way, please email me. I'll email you the details.

Two milestones have just been reached. One is a ministry milestone and the other is about my van. In their own ways, both are awesome.

First, JCSM is now sharing the gospel over 1 million times each year! Through the web site and emails, we're able to reach an enormous number of people! Praise God. I'm thankful that we can offer personal love and attention while the numbers keep growing.

Please continue to encourage and support Jesus Christ Saves Ministries. We always appreciate your prayers, encouragement and donations. A ministry like this one takes determination and perseverance. Godly people help it continue.

The other milestone, which now pales in comparison to the first one, is this: my 1985 Toyota Van reached 200,000 miles! Woohoo! It's running all right and I'm thankful to be driving the "Miracle Machine" (not to be confused with the Mystery Machine).

Do you need a Bible? Please email me and I'll try and send you a Bible. If you need an online Bible, you can find one on the link at the bottom of this message.

Sarine and I were really blessed this weekend. Not only were the Good Friday and Easter services awesome, we saw Delirious perform in Irvine! These guys had an incredible show and totally encouraged me. If you're unfamiliar with them, they've written songs like, "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever," "History Maker", "Bliss", "Lord, You Have My Heart", "Heaven" and many others. Their web site is here: http://www.delirious.co.uk

Have you seen the movie Left Behind or read any of the books? These books have been on the best sellers list and currently "The Mark" is intriguing and entertaining people across the world. Here is their web site: http://www.leftbehind.com. This achievement is a first for a Christian novel and has been done twice by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (the 7th and 8th books in this series hit number one).

Do you feel called into internet ministry? Is God constantly tugging at your heart and telling you to reach the lost and hurting people on the web? If so, email me. I began this ministry four years ago and we are raising up new ministers all the time. I'd love to encourage you and see your ministry flourish.

Keep persevering in your walk with the Lord. Time spent with God is never time wasted!

An interesting JCSM link: An Ode To Animals - http://www.jcsm.org/Contents/Ode.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, moment of introspection, 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: "Illogical or Faithful?"

Genesis 6:13, 14 "And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch."

Genesis 22:2 "Then He said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

Luke 1:30-34 "Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I do not know a man?"

Matthew 14:28, 29 "And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. So He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus."

Isaiah 55:8, 9 ""For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."

Prayer: "Thank you for telling us to do what we need to do, Lord. Help us to trust and obey You. Thank you for being such an awesome God. Give us more faith in You. Thank you for asking us to do things that don't make sense sometimes. Help us to obey You and not worry about the consequences. Help us to discern your voice, too. Praise You for being a faithful God and never giving up on us! Help us to be faithful to You. Remind us that Your ways are not our ways. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "The Promise of Forgiveness"

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, Says the LORD, Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool."

Ephesians 1:7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

Colossians 1:13, 14 "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

Psalm 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."

Prayer: "Thank you for your sweet forgiveness! Thank you for washing away our sins and forgetting about them. Help us to forgive others and ourselves like You do. Thank you for being such a loving God! There's no other God like You. Let us understand your forgiveness. Teach us your ways. Give us the right attitude and a right heart. Thank you for lifting our heads. Thank you for giving us second chances (and third and fourth chances, too). Help us to extend grace to others and forgive them quickly. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Eat Spiritual Food"

John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

1 Corinthians 3:2 "I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?"

1 Peter 2:2, 3 "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

Hebrews 5:12-14 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Prayer: "Thank you for the spiritual feast that You give us! Remind us how your food is better than the world's. Thank you for never making us go hungry. Praise You for always knowing what to give us and how much to give us. Let us trust You more and more. Thank you for giving us awesome things and wisdom and knowledge. Let us use them for your glory! Thank you for wanting us to be full and healthy. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "He's Urging Us"

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13 "And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves."

2 Corinthians 2:8 "Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him."

Romans 16:17 "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple."

Ephesians 4:1-3 "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Prayer: "Thank you for the way you wrote the Bible, Lord. Thank you for the ways you prod us to godliness. Help us to read your Word and understand it. Help us to purify ourselves and live for You. Thank you for meeting us where we are and taking us where You want us to be! Reveal the divisive people in our midst and help us to avoid them. Thank you for wanting peace and unity. Let us also lift up the people who are over us. Give us courage and the ability to encourage. Help us to reaffirm our love to You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Victory Over Lawlessness"

1 John 3:4 "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."

1 Corinthians 15:6 "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Titus 2:14 "He gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."

Hebrews 10:17 "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

Prayer: "Thank you for helping us overcome lawlessness. Thank you for forgiving our sins, too. Remind us that sin is very ugly. Show us the problems and consequences of sin. Thank you for being the opposite of sin, Lord. Remind us that You are always ready to give us your helping hand. Thank you for saving us from Hell and the consequences of sin. Remind us that You are the life-giver! Thank you for purifying us and helping us live godly lives. Thank you for the victory You give through Christ! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Abundantly More"

John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

Ephesians 3:20, 21 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

John 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."

Hebrews 6:17, 18 "Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to have more life! Remind us how You offer more life and the world offers less life. Thank you for being so righteous and perfect. Thank you for always answering our prayers. Remind us that You can and will do more than we can imagine. Help us to pray big and believe in You! Thank you for wanting to do incredible things around and through us! Give us more faith in You, Lord. Praise You for keeing your promises! Praise You for answering prayer. To You be all the glory. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive!"

Luke 24:23, 24 "So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"

Revelation 1:18 "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."

2 Corinthians 13:4 "For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you."

Luke 24:5, 6 "Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee?"

Prayer: "Thank you for being alive, Lord! Thank you for being the way, the truth and the life. Thank you for giving us the promises of Heaven and eternal life. Let us trust You because You are alive and You have kept all of your other promises! Thank you for doing what You said You would do, when You said you would do it. Thank you for being a God of order and truth. Praise You for your sovereignty. Thank you for giving us the Bible and revealing what You have done. Remind us that You are alive and well. Remind us that we can be alive and well, too. Thank you for healing us and making us whole. Thank you for being alive! To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Write a poem for a friend or loved one!

Have you ever written a poem? Would you rather just write a letter?

Poetry is a beautiful form of expression. Don't worry about anyone criticizing you. If you write someone a poem, I'm sure they'll be thankful, even if it's not super good.

It can be a poem of thanks, a poem of exhortation, a poem of celebration, a humorous poem, etc. Have fun with it! God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

A Moment of Introspection

Are you only praying the same four word prayer every day?

Miles McPhearson asked us this question. He's encouraging us to have a meaningful prayer life. A meaningful prayer life includes a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

It's unfortunate that some people only know one prayer and it goes like this, "Dear God, bless my food. Amen." Miles humorously reminds us that our food is fine (in the United States). God doesn't need to bless our food.

We need to have a deeper prayer life. We have needs that require God's help. We also need to intercede for others in prayer.

Don't neglect the important discipline of prayer. Pray for discipline and set aside some time to pray. You won't regret it! You'll find you actually have more time for things and you'll have a better quality of life!

The Bible Trivia Question

What did John the Baptist eat?

Last Week's Bible Trivia Answer

The last verse in the Bible says, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." (Revelation 22:21)

Quotations

Are you learning more about Jesus or the world?

God doesn't want us to worship anything fake.

Beware of preachers who love money more than Jesus.

When people are hurting, don't ask them for money, give them the Word.

Anything that hinders you from loving and serving God wholeheartedly is an idol.

Open your spiritual ears and hear what God is saying to you.

Sin is like earwax because it keeps us from hearing God.

Pray for godly, understanding friends.

Don't forget that your family is already partying in Heaven!

If you can be a friend to your best friend, why can't you be a friend to Jesus?

When China's 200 million soldiers attack Israel, they will have to cross the Euphrates River on Russia's bridge (fulfilling prophecy).

Russia is currently arming Iran (Persia) and China.

Don't be ignorant of the end times prophecies.

God's holiness reveals His grace.

Be content in taking a back seat to Christ in everyone else's life.

Don't think that just because you can't see Jesus He isn't here.

Jesus will have the mutilating scars from Earth on His body in Heaven.

Don't be perplexed about the empty tomb.

When you ask God for things according to God's Word, don't be surprised when they happen.

Don't forget that God can do much, much more than you could ever ask or dream of.

Are you ready and willing for God to do miracles in your life?

Do you want to have a supernatural life?

Are you only praying the same four word prayer every day?

Don't forget God's words and promises.

Don't pray to be blessed and act like you'll never be blessed.

Don't pray for godly friends and hang out with ungodly ones.

Don't pray for spiritual gifts and act like you don't have any.

Don't worry about the seemingly irreparable problems in your life.

Jesus is every word of the Bible, not just the red letters.

If He was wrong, surely millions of discerning Christians would have discovered that Jesus and the Bible were wrong by now.

Look for life in the one who has life, controls life and gives life.

When you see Jesus in Heaven, the only question He'll want to know is, "Did you accept Him as your Lord and Savior?"

Jesus wouldn't have died and went through so much pain if He didn't love us more than we understand.

God will give you thoughts that go against our logic.

Jesus had His hands and feet nailed, so ours could be pure.

Remember, when you go to church, you can minister and be ministered to.

Let Jesus change the way you think.

There is no sin that God didn't die for.

The Son of God doesn't need to prove things to you simply because you don't believe His Word.

You cannot wash your hands of Jesus.

Jesus is either your Savior or your judge; there's no in between.

You don't want to pray to a dead god.

Jesus faced every temptation we may face.

Jesus was wounded in all five ways possible: contusion, laceration, penetration, perforation and incision.

Believe that God can help you.

Don't waste Jesus' death.

The human head is full of blood.

Jesus was wounded in every way to remove our every sin.

Jesus took 351 lashes across His back (thirty nine times nine).

The Jesus we see in pictures of Him on the cross is the Hollywood version. The Bible says His beard was pulled out and people couldn't even tell if He was a man or a woman.

Jesus wants to carry your burden on the same back that was scourged.

The more you know God, the more you understand Him.

A happy wife is a helpful wife.

A close friend or spouse can see the dirt in your life that you can't see.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Tyrone Moore, Kent Hildebrand 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.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

http://www.jcsm.org

Over 1500 links!