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Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

www.JCSM.org

Over 1500 Links!

Hello!

There's links, there's awesome information, there's encouraging scriptures and so much more! This must be the weekly devotions.

We have chosen a day and time for our online Bible study! We'll be meeting, in the JCSM chat room, on Thursday evenings. The time will be 9pm Pacific Standard Time. Please come and have fun! Here is the link: http://pub2.bravenet.com/chat/show.php?usernum=116813548

Recently, I've been using a firewall program to keep people from breaking into my broadband, internet connection. In less than a week, I've had more than ten people try get into my computer! If you have DSL or cable, I strongly suggest getting one of these handy programs. I downloaded a free one called Tiny Personal Firewall from this site: http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10105-100-5728829.html

This is the day that I'm beginning my 40 day fast. I'm excited to be doing this again! I'll be journaling, praying and having only two glasses of fruit juice each day. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. I'll let you know how it goes! I'm sure it will be an awesome time of intimacy with God.

Do you like soccer? I'm directing three soccer camps this summer! The first one started on Monday. I have 19 kids and a few volunteer coaches. Please pray that the kids have fun, don't get injured and meet our three objectives: play to glorify the Lord, never give up and come off the field sweating. The first day of camp was great.

I've been reading an awesome book by Dave Hunt called, "A Woman Rides the Beast." It is about the woman and beast in Revelation chapters 17 and 18. I've only read the first 100 pages, but I've learned awesome things about Messianic prophecies, prophecies about Jerusalem and Israel and the history of the Catholic church. I recommend reading this book, but as a preview, the woman riding the beast is Vatican City. See Revelation 17:18 and email me if you would like any more information.

Do you remember Chernobyl? Perhaps you're trying to forget about the terrible meltdown that occurred in the mid-1980's. Nonetheless, Chernobyl is the Ukrainian word for Wormwood. Wormwood is the name of the "star" that falls from the sky in Revelation 8:11. Chernobyl is the place where a nuclear meltdown happened and they couldn't fix the situation, so they built a huge, stone sarcophagus to cover the smoldering mess. Russian scientists have given this sarcophagus a couple more years before the weak, temporary structure's ceiling blows. You can read about it and see pictures here: http://www.nea.fr/html/rp/chernobyl/c07.html, http://www.chernobyl.com/info.htm, http://atom.pnl.gov:2080/?library/uk_ch_1

Would you like to see an interesting "flash" movie about God and creation? If so, go here: http://www.dbtech.net/umc/flash.html

I'm selling a new, DSL modem on eBay. It's super fast and currently selling for $12.50! I've decided to keep my cable modem, so if you'd like to see it and bid, please go here: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1246888033

Do you like Delirious? They've released a great, new single. You won't find it in America, though. This single is only being released in the UK. However, you can order it online, for $6.95 (total cost after shipping) and it will arrive at your house in a couple days! I received mine, today, and it's way cool. "Waiting For the Summer" can be found and ordered here: http://www.goldusa.com

Last week, the JCSM main site received an average of 65 hits per day! The long-term average is 42. This increase can be attributed to the links I'm allowed to send through the new, Eudora mailing program (earthly reason) and God's grace and will (spiritual reason). Praise the Lord!

Guess what?! Four, great Bible lessons have been on my site for a long time, but somehow they links got removed. In my opinion, two of these lessons are the best ones on the site (Praise and Worship, Parts 1 and 2). If you'd like some fresh inspiration, go to the bottom of this page: http://www.jcsm.org/BibleLessons.htm

I pray that God blesses you, your family and friends. He will be faithful to you all. This week, I pray that He reveals Himself to you in an awesome way.

Are you in the San Diego area? If so, you don't want to miss Horizon Christian Fellowship's worship night! This Friday (6-22), we are meeting there from 7pm-Midnight. There will be lots of awesome worship. Since The Kry and Luna Halo are local bands and attend Horizon, there is a good chance they will be there! Even if they can't make it, I'm sure there will be an excellent worship band (if not several). Mike Macintosh is the head pastor and their phone number is 858-277-4991.

* 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 our 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 47,000 hits!

Would you like to support God's work on the web? If this ministry has touched you in a special way, please pray and consider sending a gift to JCSM. 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 recipients of this message! Here are the devotions, challenge, moment of introspection, the Bible word of the week, the Bible trivia question, last week's trivia answer, an excerpt from "The Revised and Expanded Answers Book" and the quotations for the week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason J. Gastrich

Contact Us: http://jcsm.org/contact.php

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "God Gives Us Rest"

Psalm 23:2 "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters."

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us rest, Lord! There's no other God like You. Thank you for giving us incredible peace that the world can't take away. Remind us to pray to You when we need your peace. Thank you for loving us so much. Thank you for calming our nerves. Remove our worries and nervousness. Put our feet on the Rock. Thank you for wanting our burdens and problems. Help us to continually give them to You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Same Old Signs"

Matthew 12:39-40 "But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Luke 17:26-30 "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Matthew 24:6, 7 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."

Zechariah 12:1-3 "The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it."

Matthew 24:11, 12 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."

Prayer: "Thank you for all the interesting signs in the Bible. Thank you for the way you speak to people. Thank you for telling us so much about the end times. Help us understand your prophetic words. Help us to confide in reliable teachers that can help us understand Bible prophecy. Let us have great discernment and wisdom. Thank you for having so much incredible prophecies in the Bible and letting absolutely none enter many religious books (Book of Mormon, Koran, Vedas, etc.). To You be all the glory, honor and praise! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Pay Attention to Emphasis"

Matthew 27:54 "So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God!"

Matthew 14:33 "Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God."

John 6:14 "Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

John 7:40 "Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, Truly this is the Prophet."

Luke 24:34 ""The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"

John 8:31 "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."

John 8:36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Prayer: "Thank you for teaching us about emphasis. Let us understand your Word better. Help us to look into the original languages and be diligent students of your awesome Scriptures. Thank you for being the Savior of the world. Thank you for paying the total price for my sins! Help us to remember You are the foundation of salvation. Don't let us get into petty arguments over insignificant differences in opinions. Thank you for giving all believers the same Holy Spirit. Make us like You, Lord. Help us to fight the good fight and contend earnestly for the faith. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "The Father's Day"

Luke 6:2-11 "And some of the Pharisees said to them, Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath? But Jesus answering them said, Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat? And He said to them, The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, Arise and stand here. And he arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy? And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, Stretch out your hand. And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other."

Prayer: "Thank you for being the God of the Sabbath. Thank you for understanding when things must be done on the Sabbath. Help us to take sufficient time to worship You, love You and obey You. Let us always put You first. Thank you for being a practical and understanding God. Thank you for being perfect. Thank you for the story of what David did on the Sabbath. Let us always do your will, Lord. Lead us and guide us. Thank you for our pastors that work hard on the Sabbath. Bless them and all the laypeople. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Have Compassion"

Psalm 86:15 "But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth."

1 Peter 3:8, 9 "Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."

Prayer: "Thank you for being so compassionate, Lord. Thank you for being our perfect example. Help us to be like You, Lord. Thank you for having compassion on the needy and hurting people. Let us see those same people and do what You would do. Break our cold hearts. Fill them with love. Remind us that it only takes a couple minutes and a small amount of your resources to bless someone tremendously. Forgive us for being selfish. Let us be selfless. Thank you for being such a great God! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Pure and Awesome Words!"

1 Thessalonians 2:13 "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe."

Proverbs 30:5, 6 "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar."

Isaiah 66:5a "Hear the word of the LORD, You who tremble at His word."

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."

Luke 4:4 "But Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us your awesome Word! Thank you for making something so incredible that it could never be proven wrong. Thank you that it is historically accurate, as well as morally perfect. Thank you for encouraging us and convicting us with your Word. Help us to memorize it and apply it to our lives. Thank you for giving us so much wisdom! Thank you for giving us stories of people of faith and people who opposed You. Let us be people of faith. Increase our devotion and faithfulness! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "The Importance of Worship"

1 Chronicles 13:8 "Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets."

Psalm 81:1-4 "Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and strike the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the lute. Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, At the full moon, on our solemn feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, A law of the God of Jacob."

Psalm 100:1-5 "Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 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."

Matthew 2:11 "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

John 4:21-24 "Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Prayer: "Thank you for letting us worship You, Lord. Thank you for the awesome way that worship changes our hearts and minds. Thank you for commanding us to do something that benefits us. Remind us of the benefits and blessings of worship. Help us to be determined to worship You; no matter what the costs. Give us discipline and self-control, so we can set aside meaningful times of worship! Thank you for being so worthy of our worship and praise. Thank you for keeping the enemy away form us when we are worshiping You. To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Go on a fast! It doesn't have to be a 40 day fast. Pray and ask God how long and which kind of fast you should do.

I have a web page on fasting on my site. You can read it and you'll find great links for further research into the subject. I bought a great book called "God's Chosen Fast" and it has increased my knowledge about the subject.

Fasting is an awesome spiritual discipline. You will be blessed and drawn closer to God. There is really nothing quite like it! It's great to be more spiritually sensitive.

Jesus talked about fasting. He said that when He was gone, His disciples would fast. He also said, "When you fast......" not "if you fast......" He knew fasting was something that believers would and should do.

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

A Moment of Introspection

How can we incorporate more worship into our daily routine?

Do you sing in your car? At church? At home? With a guitar?

There are many times when we can worship. It doesn't have to simply be at church. Yes, we should worship the Lord at church, but our worship must go beyond that building.

God is everywhere. He will always hear our worship. If we rely on worshiping God one day a week, we will have a poor relationship with Him. He wants to be our God every day. He wants us to obey Him all the time.

Examine how much you worship God. Be frank and honest. Pray and consider worshiping God more. You won't regret it.

The Bible Word of the Week

Vicarious (like vicarious atonement): performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another : substitutionary

The Bible Trivia Question

Which day of the week did Jericho fall?

(Email me your answer!)

Last Week's Bible Trivia Answer

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." See John 14:6.

An Excerpt from "The Revised and Expanded Answers Book" by Ken Ham, Jonathan Sarfati and Carl Wieland

All People Are Descendants of Noah and His Family

The genealogies of Adam (Gen. 4:17-26, 5:1-3) and Noah (Gen. 10:1-32) are exclusive -- they tell us that all the pre-flood people came from Adam and all the post-flood people came from Noah. The descendants of Noah were all living together at Babel and refusing to "fill the earth," as they had been commanded (Gen. 9:1). So God confused their one language into many and scattered them (Gen. 11:1-9).

There is striking evidence that all peoples on earth have come from Noah, found in the flood stories from many cultures around the world -- North and South America, South Sea Islands, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Japan, China, India, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Hundreds of such stories have been gathered. The stories closest to the area of dispersion from Babel are nearest in detail to the biblical account -- for example, the Gilgamesh epic.

The Quotations of the Week

As I stand and wait, I see You move around me.

As I stand and pray, I feel You move around me.

I want to be clothed in Heaven.

Let God swallow You in His love.

Jesus' love is all over me!

After Christ's salvation, life is a sea of rediscovery.

Break the masks that make me blind.

How long will we wait for Him to come?

Satan will try and keep you from forgiving people and he'll try and make you forget that you've forgiven people.

Satan will never stop trying to build walls and grudges in your life.

Sin leaves believers feeling embarrassed.

When Adam and Eve sinned, the Earth's deed went to Satan.

If God calls you to do something on a Sunday, obey Him.

Revelation is a prophetic book which reveals God's long-awaited judgment on the world.

Rejoice if you have a Christian heritage!

Has a Christian ever claimed to be abducted by aliens?

Ask yourself why people are saying the things they are saying.

Enjoy and accept godly correction.

The world runs and breathes differently in light of biblical prophecy.

No matter what good we do, God knows our motivation for doing it.

Conscience is like a compass. If it's off, you'll quickly get off course.

Live a genuine life of faith today by praying that God will guide your heart and mind.

Use your will to obey God.

Use your mind to know God better.

Study the doctrines that put steel into the cement of your faith.

Let God's Word, not just your opinion or experience, shape the way you see God.

God is willing to let you do your own thing, but it doesn't mean He approves of what you are doing.

God will totally fulfill us.

God knows how you hurt, why you hurt and how you'll feel when He heals you.

Don't come to God and tell Him about your righteousness; seek His.

Jesus' holiness consumes and purifies any amount of sinfulness.

God is cleaner than Mr. Clean!

We are not all children of God.

The difference between a counterfeit $100 bill and a real one is very little. However, using one or being in a religion that is really close to Christianity is dangerous and against God's will.

Do you have any idea how hard they party in Heaven?

Music is what makes the words of worship flow.

What attributes of God do you concentrate on in your worship?

We feel a release after we've done what we are supposed to do.

When you recognize God's wisdom, you will learn from him.

When God saves you, you will worship Him.

A season of suffering is a small price to pay for a clear view of God.

We cannot thank God enough for His redeeming blood.

How can I incorporate more worship into my daily routine?

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Kent Hildebrand, Chuck Swindoll 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've written in the most beneficial way, try and trace them back to the scriptures 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! JCSM regularly gives to churches and needy people. Another function of this ministry is to do counseling. We are always answering questions about life, the Lord and everything in between. Lastly, we do a lot of research on religious topics on the internet and library. You will definitely see the results of our hard work and your loving support, in the web pages, and in the weekly devotions!

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 JCSM, please email us and we will send them to you, personally, each week. Don't worry. We don't send forwards or any other junk mail. Plus, we 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 we send, however, please email me us you wish to be removed from this list. If you prefer to receive the devotions in Spanish, send us 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 and 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". 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 us 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 us know. We can 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 16,000 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

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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."