This is the Weekly Devotional Message from

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

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Hello!

Hey you, I love your soul!

Would you like to take a trip through "God's Plan Through Pictures"? This simple trip will take you through the highlights of the Bible. Check it out and share it with an unsaved friend: http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/streetsharks/76/index.htm.

We have a need for someone to send the devotions in the regular mail. One of my senders has disappeared, so five people who don't have email are no longer being blessed with the devotions. If you have a few minutes to devote to this ministry, please email me!

The International Church Directory has changed. We are now including Christian ministries. When you have a minute, please tell us about your favorite church or ministry! Here is the site: http://pub.alxnet.com/guestbook?id=1321937

Please pray for my friend Don. He is studying hard for his final exams. He's graduating from college on June 3rd. If you want to send him an encouraging email, his address is propdrc@hotmail.com.

Miles McPhearson has been pursuing a loan and some buildings for his church. Just recently, he was approved for a conditional 15 million dollar loan! Please pray that everything goes as planned. God is opening some big doors for his ministry and we're excited about what we see happening. He wants to have a church, a school, a university and much more!

Seventh Day Adventists don't simply go to church on Saturday. They have many other religious beliefs. Please learn what they believe here: http://www.sdaoutreach.org/

Please email me the names of anybody who needs God's Word. It doesn't matter if they hate God, like to dispute His Word, belong to a cult, etc. I'll email them and encourage them with the true gospel. Plus, if someone you know needs the devotions, email us their address, too.

Have you ever heard Jeremy Camp perform? He is a great musician with a heart for the Lord. He's playing this Friday at our Quest service. For the details and the unofficial Quest page, go here: http://www.quest4life.org.

Two new artists are releasing albums this week - The Elms (Sparrow Records) and The Benjamin Gate (Forefront). I've heard The Elms in concert (and I have their LP) and they're awesome. They have a Christ-centered, rock sound. I'm interested to see what Forefront will be giving us with their new band. Check your local Christian book store for these albums and more details.

I pray that God blesses you tremendously as you grow spiritually! Desire spiritual growth and God will draw you closer to Him. He will reward you and bless you!

This week's super Bible lesson is on Prayer! Take a minute to read about prayer. God bless you as you type this address in your browser: http://www.jcsm.org/biblelessons/prayer.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 46,000 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 trivia 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: "Wait On God"

Psalm 27:14 "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"

Psalm 37:9, 34 "For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it."

Isaiah 40:28-31 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

Philippians 3:20, 21 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to wait on You. Help us to wait and be patient. Forgive us for being lazy, Lord. Give us more faith in You. Let us trust in You. Thank you for giving us David's example of a godly man who waited on You. Forgive us for being distracted with worldly things. Thank you for giving us awesome things when we wait on You! Thank you for your perfect timing! There's no other God like You! When we need an answer, or something supernatural done, help us to pray, trust in You and see what You do. Give us great hope in You and your promises. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Desire Holiness"

1 Peter 1:15, 16 "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy."

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

1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

Psalm 93:5 "Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, forever."

Psalm 29:2 "Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."

Romans 6:19 "I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness."

Prayer: "Thank you for being holy and wanting us to be holy! Make us holy, godly and pure, Lord! Thank you for being our perfect example. Thank you for telling us in your Word what is holy and what is unholy. Help us to label things like You do. Give us frankness and truth. Thank you for ministering to us, Lord. Thank you for helping us become godly people. Remove our sin and purify us. Thank you for taking us through an awesome purification process! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Our God is Merciful"

Job 11:6b "Know therefore that God exacts from you Less than your iniquity deserves."

Psalm 116:5 " Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful."

Hebrews 2:17 "Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."

Psalm 52:8 "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever."

Prayer: "Thank you for being such a merciful God! Remind us that You have shown us more mercy than any human could ever show. Praise You! Thank you for withholding the punishment that we deserve. Thank you for giving us grace! Thank you for giving us mercy every day. Thank you for disicplining us, from your love, but not destroying us every time we sin. Help us understand You and your ways, Lord. Thank you for being so great! Let us be merciful, too. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Christ's Unique Life"

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

John 7:46 "The officers answered, No man ever spoke like this Man!"

Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

1 John 3:5 "And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin."

2 Corinthians 5:21 "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

John 8:29 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."

John 3:2 "This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."

Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Prayer: "Thank you that Jesus had a very unique life! Thank you for the prophecies that pointed to His birth. Thank for the miracle of His conception and all the miracles He did! Let us trust in You more, Jesus. Thank you for having a truly unique purpose. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins and rising from the dead! There's no other God like You! Thank you for walking this Earth and teaching us how to live. Thank you for taking the sins of the world on your back and being our perfect sacrifice. Help us to understand exactly what You did for us. To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Put God First"

Deuteronomy 5:7 "You shall have no other gods before Me."

1 Samuel 14:36 "Now Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatever seems good to you. Then the priest said, Let us draw near to God here."

Psalm 86:11 "Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name."

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Prayer: "Thank you for reminding us that we must put You first. Help us to die to our own selfish ways. Thank you for making things go smoother when we put You first. Forgive us for being rash and doing things quickly and doing them our way without consulting You. Remind us that You always help us. Remind us that we need to recognize You in all areas of our lives. Thank you for being a faithful God! There's no other God like You! Touch us and make us like You, Lord! Help us to seek You first and hear You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "God is Great!"

Psalm 100:4, 5 "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations."

Psalm 135:3 "Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant."

Psalm 145:8,9 "The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works."

Lamentations 3:25 "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him."

Matthew 19:17 "So He said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

Prayer: "Thank you for being so great, Lord! There's no other God like You in all of the universe. Thank you for creating everything! Thank you for always listening to us. Thank you for giving us great things that we could never earn on our own. Thank you for making our paths straight. Thank you for giving us your Word! You are such a great God! Thank you for being almighty and perfect! Thank you for being so worthy of our praise and devotion! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Rejoice In the Lord!"

1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice always!"

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Isaiah 61:10 "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to rejoice! When You are at the center of it, thank you for making life worth rejoicing. Thank you for being such a loving God. Thank you for putting a smile on our faces! Give us great, unexplainable joy, Lord! Thank you for always hearing and answering our prayers. Help us to pray according to your will and your Word. Thank you for putting joy in our hearts. Help us to share our joy with others. Give joy to our friends and families, Lord. Thank you for the power of prayer! Help us to be devoted to talking and listening to You. Praise You for wanting a relationship with us! Remind us that we are on our way to Heaven and we always have a reason to rejoice! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Write your fears and pray against them! It may be difficult to list the things you are afraid of, but you can still try. You don't have to share it with anyone.

Remember this verse, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

God wants to relieve you from your fears. He wants you to be victorious. Pray for God and ask for strength. He will help you! He will give you peace and courage.

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

A Moment of Introspection

Do we really know what it means to wait on God? Is waiting on God sleeping as we wait for His calling? Is waiting on God filling our lives with our hobbies until God gives us ideas for ministry?

Some people adhere to one of Webster's Dictionary's definitions of the word "wait". Webster says, "to remain temporarily neglected or unrealized." This is not the kind of waiting God expects from us.

When David wrote that he was waiting on the Lord, he was using the Hebrew word "qavah". This meant to "look expectantly and patiently." God never expected for us to be lazy as we waited on Him.

The Bible Trivia Question

Which disciple of Jesus walked on the water?

Last Week's Bible Trivia Answer

On the fifth day, God created sea creatures, winged creatures. See Genesis 1:20-23.

Quotations

Christ doesn't want lukewarm churches.

Have you ever prayed and asked God whether you should raise someone from the dead?

We can never build the kingdom of God on Earth, no matter how hard we might try.

If your love for God is waning, fan the flame!

Jesus wants to bring honor and glory to Himself through our lives.

What is motivating my service and sacrifice for God?

Prepare for as many of your spiritual battles as you can.

Besides God, is there anyone or anything that deserves first place in our lives?

Does God need to write you or your church another personal letter before you repent?

Keep your relationship with God your top priority.

Is an earthly relationship taking first place in your life?

Are you afraid to admit your fears?

Don't fear the prophecies of God unless you are an unbeliever.

Christianity is much more than TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network).

Today, trust fully in Christ as your antidote to God's punishment for sin.

In Heaven, maybe God will let us do t he things that we wanted to do on Earth, but never could.

The worship experiences we have on Earth are just a taste of what we'll have in Heaven.

When you feel like you're being persecuted relentlessly for the cause of Christ, remember how the apostles were crucified.

God can break your materialistic habits.

Show the world Jesus by the way you act.

God wants you to walk in His powerful Spirit, not in fear.

Being chosen by God for salvation gives me something to be eternally thankful for.

Faith in God is evidence that He exists.

The redeemed of the Lord, those whose lives are built upon the sure foundation of God, will shine forever.

Don't reproduce the garbage you hear and see in this world.

How are you preparing for spiritual warfare?

Memorizing the Word will help you win your spiritual battles.

God has symbolically pulled believers out of excrement. Why would anyone return to it?

Are you introspective at church and Bible study?

Without purity, how can you love someone?

Do a Bible study that you don't have to do.

Satan's imps and wimps don't wanna get near God's Word.

God cannot be defeated.

Over 285 times in the Old Testament, God is referred to as a God of wra.

The minute you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior is the minute you enlist in spiritual warfare.

Which desires or goals do you have that may be weakening your faith?

Which comforts or successes cause you to depend less on God?

Do you leave church full or still in need of spiritual nourishment?

When a difficult situation arises, today, turn to God before trying to decide on a solution.

Though hard times can bring frustration, easy times can cause us to forget God and depend on ourselves.

If you don't know your enemy, you shouldn't be in the battle.

Because He loves us, God may let difficult situations enter our lives to redirect our attention to Him.

If you're not walking with God, the enemy will throw things in your life that you won't be prepared to overcome.

The key to strength is remembering God's strength.

When you need God's power in your life, recall the things He has done.

Know your strengths and weaknesses.

Pray to God and ask Him to make your weak areas stronger.

Can other people see God's strength through you because of your obedience to Him?

Does it take a total lack of strength before you ask for God's strength?

Grudges can create emotional walls between people.

Holding a grudge will always be a negative factor in your life.

Assured victory empowers your life.

People can't be moral on their own.

The death of a moral man is his spiritual birthday.

The Greek word for repentance means "having a change of mind."

When you come to God, you stop exalting yourself and start exalting God.

The yearning for God's cleansing is so strong that we cannot find peace until we've repented.

Let the Lord fight your battles.

Are you committed, devoted and surrendered to God?

There's nothing normal about what God is doing.

With God, you will do things you couldn't do before.

It doesn't matter what you've been through, God is bigger than your problem.

God has the willingness and ability to get you through your problems.

Try and understand why God lets you experience pain.

When you think that God isn't merciful, remember every impure thought that He didn't punish you for.

God is merciful to you, so be merciful to others.

If you assume suffering comes from sin alone, you will have trouble comforting others.

Thank God for everything you have taken for granted.

Be careful to choose counselors who can listen as well as advise.

Don't ever ask God for justice in your life.

After God heals the pain from your suffering, you'll be better off than before.

The devil will tell people around you what he wants you to do and they will tell you.

The devil wants you so low that it's easy for you to curse God.

Do you have any evil contacts or friends you should share the gospel with? Or perhaps you should simply avoid them until you are strong enough to stay pure in their presence.

Give up on fighting God.

Sin promises to please you, but it's desire is to imprison and kill you.

Let God give you everything you've been reaching for.

If we don't have Christ in common, let's have nothing in common.

Make me smaller than I was before.

You breathe your breath and I'm sustained.

Hold me down because I want to know you.

You bring calm to my rage.

I love to be caught by You and trapped in your arms.

I don't want to live, dying on the inside.

Your love is better than life. Your love keeps me alive.

Your voice heals me inside.

You have been more faithful than the morning sun.

You have been more faithful than the changing of seasons.

Falling at your feet, I kneel perpetually.

I'd give everything to know who You are.

All You are is all I need.

You're in my blood and you're all around.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Tyrone Moore, William James, Charles Colson, Billy Graham, Skillet 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!

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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.

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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.

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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 14,000 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!

Jesus loves you!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should have everlasting life."