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The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "The Greatest Commandment"

Luke 22:37, 38 "Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment."

John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."

1 John 3:17 "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?"

1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."

Prayer: "Thank you for loving us so much, Lord! Let us love like You do. Help us to be selfless. Increase our love for You and others. Thank you for accepting us even though we are selfish and unwise. Praise You for changing us and promising to complete the work that you began in us. Help us to cling to You and be sensitive to your Spirit! Thank you for lifting us up and giving us moments of great love and unselfishness. Help us to seek ways to give and love others. Remind us how awesome it is to love others. Thank you for coming to Earth and showing us about love. Thank you for being love! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Let It Go....Just Let It Go"

Matthew 18:21, 22 "Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

Luke 17:3, 4 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him."

Ephesians 4:32 "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

Prayer: "Thank you for telling us to forgive others. Help us to forgive everyone without reservation. Praise You for giving us the perfect example of forgiveness in your character. Thank you for forgiving people no matter what they've done! There's no other God like You. Help us to be like You, Lord. Let us forgive people even before they approach us and seek forgiveness. Remind us that forgiving someone is freedom to our minds. I love You, Lord! Thank you for having our best interests in mind when you wrote the Bible. Thank you for giving us a perfect book; even though we are imperfect. Praise You for helping us do your will and forgive others. Remind us that forgiving someone isn't saying what they did was okay, it's just saying that we love them anyway. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "One Lord and Savior"

Philippians 2:10, 11 "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

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

1 Timothy 2:5, 6 "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

1 Corinthians 8:6 "Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live."

Ephesians 4:4-6 "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

John 10:29, 30 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us one Savior! Thank you for not giving us tons of gods to worship. Praise You for being awesome and all we need. Remind us that You should always be number one. Thank you for letting us know and understand You. Thank you for doing things that are far beyond our understanding, too. Thank you for coming to Earth and showing us the way. Praise You for being a perfect God and knowing what we need. Thank you for giving us the mystery of the trinity. Help us to understand You better. Thank you for holding dimensions that we have not seen. Thank you for having new colors for us to see when we get to Heaven! There's no other God like You. Thank you for our limitations, now. Help us to cling to You and know that only You will get us through. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "He Never Rejects You"

1 Corinthians 1:9 "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one."

Prayer: "Thank you for never rejecting us, Lord! Thank you for always having your arms wide open. Thank you for wanting to hear us even when our best friend on Earth is tired of us. Thank you for loving the homeless, the fatherless and the widows. Praise You for being a God for everyone and anyone. Thank you for not judging us on the outward appearance. Thank you for loving us through our imperfections and mistakes. Remind us that You are always faithful. Thank you for being the one, constant source of truth and friendship! Help us to cultivate our relationship with You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Pure Speech"

1 Peter 1:22 "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart."

2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

1 Thessalonians 5:11a "Therefore comfort each other and edify one another."

James 3:10 "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so."

Proverb 27:6 "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to speak purely. Forgive us for using our speech to hurt or condemn. Let us edify one another with our words. Thank you for telling us the truth and not just what we want to hear. Thank you for giving us positive things to say. Help us to be wise with our words. Let us be quiet instead of speaking out of turn or speaking too much. Thank you for the power of being silent and strong. Let us pray to You and renew our strength during our silences. Thank you for being there to lift us up. Give us great words to say and help us do mighty things in your precious name! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Generosity and Kindness"

Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil."

Galatians 5:22, 23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."

Proverb 22:9 "He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor."

Proverb 11:25 "The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself."

Luke 14:13, 14 "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Mark 10:21 "Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."

Prayer: "Thank you for reminding us to give, Lord. Help us to give unselfishly to You and your people. Thank you for sending poor and needy people to us, so we can clothe, feed and help them. Remind us that some people we meet are actually angels! Thank you for always rewarding us richly when we give to others. Help us to realize the spiritual battle that ensues when we have chances to give and help other people. Let us win these battles with your strength and be very determined to do your will. Thank you for being stronger than Satan! Help us to do your will. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Jesus' Name"

Mark 16:17, 18 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

John 14:13, 14 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

Luke 28:10 "And He said: Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, I am He, and, The time has drawn near. Therefore do not go after them."

Luke 9:48 "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great."

Mark 9:41 "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Acts 16:18b "But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out that very hour."

Philippians 2:10, 11 "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

John 16:23b, 24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

Prayer: "Thank you for the power of your name! Thank you for telling us your name and being a personal God. Thank you for the awesome things that people have done in your name. Help us to understand your power and how to use it. Forgive us for being afraid or not asking for miracles in your name. Give us boldness and courage. Help us to listen closely to You and do what You want. Thank you for wanting to use imperfect people for your perfect work! Thank you for giving us the awesome scriptures. Let us memorize them and apply them. Thank you for the examples of great faith in the Bible. Increase our faith, Lord. Make us like You. Lift us up and put a smile on our face! To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Donate money to a charity that is helping the disasters in New York and Washington!

You can find a number of organizations that are helping. These include the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, the September 11 Fund and many more. You can find them here: http://www.helping.org.

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

A Moment of Introspection

"Come with us if you want to live" was a quote I copied from Skillet's new album.

I like this quote because it's true, yet ambiguous. At first glance, it looks like the alternative to coming to us would be physical death. Actually, the alternative to coming with us and following Christ is spiritual death.

Christ is life and He promises true life on Earth and eternal life in Heaven! He also promises "abundant" life! This life is far better than any other; far better than what the world could offer us.

I hope Christians all over the world tell their unbelieving friends, "Come with us if you want to live!" We know what living really is. Living with Christ is the most exciting and incredible, supernatural existence there is! If we're truly living with Christ, we'll have a lot to offer to people who are seeking something more from life.

The Bible Word of the Week

Grace: getting something we don't deserve

The Bible Trivia Question

What did Jesus do before he picked the 12 apostles?

(Email me your answer!)

Last Week's Bible Trivia Answer

The Lord's presence was seen in the temple as a cloud. See 2 Chronicles 5:14.

The Quotations of the Week

Try hard to understand God.

Sometimes You try to move me to You.

I don't need your alibis because I can see through your lies.

Every storm deserves an ending.

Every road I travel leads back to You.

Only your words are words of life.

I can lose myself in the light I've found.

When I'm in need, my heart receives your love.

I bonded with the Son today.

God is love and He longs to be more than You can believe.

Take me to a higher place!

Everybody has their up and down times.

There's a reason for changing seasons.

Everybody needs to know how much they're loved.

Talk about Jesus and how He set you free.

When a man leaves his darkness, he follows the Son.

Love is an ocean as deep as the sky.

Changing your world means changing yourself.

We're never gonna shine until we swallow our pride.

If we just believe, we all can be free.

Love is our common ground.

All the hate I see is a tragedy. Am I left to be a slave to history?

You crossed the oceans to set me free.

Doubt may whisper in my ear, but I will love in spite of fear.

I'm finally finding my way back to love.

You're never gonna get my crown.

We're all about to move on.

Just take it all; make it work and make some sense.

Be yourself. There's no one who does it quite like you.

Don't let the losers tell you what to do.

Be no one else.

There's only one road to go down.

Are you like an angel with no wings?

Are you flying with strings attached?

Here we are again to mystify their narrow plans.

You and I were meant to be much more than they could see.

The Bible is the blueprint for the journey home.

God is the cure for your growing weakness.

I struggle with a word of truth, but You would wither if a lie passed your teeth.

We're separately in control of each other.

I don't belong here. Say I'm wrong, but I don't belong here.

I'm deaf, dumb and blind to it all.

The story is far too old to know it all.

Turn me from this wall I've faced for far too long.

Will you let the little people see inside of you?

Rise like a chosen generation.

He's coming for your souls.

There's one man, one mission and one plot to save the world.

Join us in the army that's arising.

We're gonna shake the world with God's love.

You can't stop the revival.

We're not gonna leave this world alone.

My skin is just a shell and underneath is my reality.

I breathe unknown dimensions and it conquers my mortality.

Death is just the beginning.

Come with us if you want to live.

Everyday the Kingdom is advancing.

Times are hard and times have changed, but I keep holding on to You.

You're the hope of all the Earth.

You're my hope, my life, my strength and everything I need.

Nations stream and angels sing "Jesus reigns".

All the times that I start to sink, You come and You rescue me.

How can I scream when the pain of repentance is such a sweet release?

Your peace inhabits my blood.

The thirst for your love is taking over.

I could swallow your beauty whole.

I'm searching for the One who can conquer me.

I crash in the sweet obsession of You.

I'm gonna swim and drown in the wake of You.

I am drinking You in.

You are the one real thing that I know.

No matter what the future brings, you're the one real thing.

Truth renews my mind.

I rest because I know you're faithful.

I know your name and I can trust You.

I get down on my knees and I feel your love wash over me!

I smile at my demise because my skin is my disguise and I'm more than a man.

All creation watches for Christ to return.

You say that God is dead, but you're rippin' me off.

You can't infect my mind with your vanity.

My pain is released at your mercy seat.

These quotes came from God, Skillet, Kevin Max and Tait.

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!

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Dr. Jason Gastrich

4000 Mystra Dr.

Oceanside, Ca 92056

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.

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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!

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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.stopthehunger.com and here www.thehungersite.com.

Go here to donate free Bibles to people: www.TheBibleSite.org. If you want to join a Christian organization that helps feed and clothe poor people, check into World Vision. You can see their site here: www.worldvision.com. Compassion International is another, great Christian organization that rivals World Vision. You can visit them here: www.ci.org.

Do you believe in evolution? If you can prove that the evolution of species has happened, Dr. Dino will give you $250,000. I know Kent Hovind and this is a legitimate offer. For more information, please see his web site: http://www.drdino.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. I recommend using either the King James Version or the New King James Version Bible.

JCSM operates in Oceanside, California, United States. This ministry has been certified by the Evangelical Ministries to New Religions. EMNR is an accrediting body for sound, Christian ministries that preach the true gospel of God to people in other religions and cults. Their web site is located here: http://www.emnr.org.

Since April of 1997, the weekly devotional message has been sent on the internet. This message currently reaches over 28,000 people in 99 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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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."