This is the Weekly Devotional Message from

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

http://www.JCSM.org

Over 1500 Links!

Hello!

I pray you had a great week!

With all of the fighting against terrorism, you may like to see something funny. If you'd like to see the most powerful man in the free world dancing around with disco lights, please go here: http://webpages.charter.net/brenda/bush.html.

Would you like a free God Bless America t-shirt? Apparently, this web site is giving them away. If you'd like to check it out, please go here: http://www.milespree.com/merchant/10152001.asp?o=1145&u=1164369&m=235526e80a2b69da32183a5638bf230d.

A large milestone was passed this week! JCSM's mailing list has exceeded 30,000 email addresses! Praise the Lord! We're praying that we reach 1,000,000 email addresses. If you just laughed or had feelings of doubt, you need more faith. Please pray that we reach this goal. It can be done with God's help!

On October 23, two new albums are being released. Do you like the WOW albums? Well, WOW 2002 is coming to a Christian book store near you! Plus, "Happy Christmas Volume 3" is also being released (I haven't heard the series, but the musicians on this album are making it appealing).

God bless you as you grow in Jesus! God loves you and so do we. We're encouraged to see your growth and interest in Jesus! "Keep on, keepin' on!"

A very interesting JCSM link: http://www.jcsm.org/Contents/WorldReligions.htm

Don't forget to visit the JCSM site! There are so many links that we're sure you haven't seen them all! Just click the link above or copy and paste the web address into your address. Happy surfing!

Have you ever been to San Diego, California? JCSM is located in the 6^th largest city in the United States. Technically, we're in Oceanside (which is in North San Diego county), but why be picky? If you'd like to see what's happening in our neck of the woods, simply go here: http://www.union-tribune.com, http://www.nctimes.net, www.sdreader.com.

Promise Keepers 2001 - Anaheim: The conference was awesome and my notes will be available soon! I'll post them on the web site and have a paragraph about PK in next week's devotions.

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 56,000 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, last week's trivia question answer and the quotations for the week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason J. Gastrich

http://jcsm.org/contact.php

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "A Brand New Day"

Lamentations 3:22, 23 "Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassion doesn't fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."

Hebrews 8:12 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us sleep and a new day! Thank you for helping us recover from yesterday and face today with renewed fervor! Praise You for having a perfect way. Help us to see how awesome You are. Thank you for showing us your glory each day. Praise You for giving us wonderful things to see and do. Help us love You more and more. Forgive us for failing to see your glory and love You. Give us more faith. Eliminate our distractions, so we can see You better. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Jesus Loves Us Dogs"

Matthew 15:22-28 "And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed. But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, Send her away, for she cries out after us. But He answered and said, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me! But He answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs. And she said, Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire. And her daughter was healed from that very hour."

Psalm 117 "Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!"

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."

Luke 17:11-16 "Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! So when He saw them, He said to them, Go, show yourselves to the priests. And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan."

Prayer: "Thank you for loving everyone! Thank you for coming to save the Gentiles and the Jews. There's no other God like You! Thank you for giving your Holy Spirit to anyone who accepts You as Lord and Savior. Thank you for seeing deeper than the color of our skin; deeper than the race of our parents. Praise You for being a perfect judge and a perfect Heavenly Father! To You be all the glory. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "It Is Well With My Soul"

Philippians 3:20 "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."

John 10:28-30 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 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."

Romans 8:38, 39 "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us citizenship in Heaven! Thank you for giving us abundant life on Earth and eternal life in Heaven. No other god offers anything close to what You do! Thank you for giving us a personal relationship with a living God. Thank you for giving us eternal security. Help us not to worry about our salvation. Give us confidence that You will honor your promises and take the believers to Heaven when they die. Remove our worries and fears. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Not By"

Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit."

Zechariah 4:6b "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the LORD of hosts."

2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Prayer: "Thank you for doing things that we can't! Thank you for wanting us to do things with your power and not by our own. Help us to walk by faith. Help us to stay in your will. Praise You for showing us where to walk. Thank you for helping us do so much. Lift us up, Lord. Help us to know your Word and apply it to our lives. Thank you for having supernatural, spiritual principles that defy logic and imagination. Praise You for giving us something that is worth our time and energy. Help us pursue You with a passion! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "You're Saved, Now What?"

Matthew 22:37-40 "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. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?"

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Acts 8:12 "But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized."

Prayer: "Thank you for saving us through Jesus Christ! Thank you for giving us eternal life. There's no other God like You in all of the universe! Touch us and make us like You, Lord. Praise You for giving us the Bible, so we can know what to do to get saved and what to do after we are saved. Inspire us to obey You by doing good deeds. Thank you for saving us by faith and grace, not by works. Thank you for telling us to do good deeds, though. Praise You for having more wisdom and knowledge than we have! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Wait On God"

Psalm 62:5 "My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him."

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

Psalm 37:34 "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."

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Isaiah 40:31 "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."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to wait for You! Help us to be patience. Forgive us for being anxious and demanding. Thank you for hearing us and doing what is best, despite our selfishness. Thank you for the awesome things You give the ones who wait. Let us pray and remember what we've prayed. Let us look for your answers and be ready and willing to do what You want. Thank you for blessings the ones who wait on You. Help us to rejoice while we are waiting. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Why Isn't God Answering My Prayers?"

Matthew 6:8b "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."

James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

Proverb 15:7 "The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so."

Proverb 28:9 "One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination."

Prayer: "Thank you for showing us why our prayers aren't being answered. Help us to pray according to your will. Forgive us for asking amiss. Thank you for hearing the righteous prayers and doing what is best. Help us to stop praying vain prayers. Remove our selfishness and foolishness. Lift us up, Lord. Help us to be like You. Remind us of the prayers You have answered. Let us see like You do. Thank you for answering us when we ask You things. Let us develop an awesome relationship with You. Thank you for doing what is best, despite our whining or impatience. Please do what You will and don't listen to us when we want things that are bad for us (or when our timing is wrong). To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Write Your Own Psalm!

David wrote many of the Psalms in the Bible. He was a "man after God's own heart", not because he was perfect or knew how to write well, but because he loved God and was honest with Him.

Here are the basic instructions and framework for a psalm. Try and include about four lines for each number below. You can see my sample psalm below for help. Rhyming is optional.

1) Include one simile. For example, "God is like a strong tower because I ran to Him and He protected me." Similes use the word "like" or "as'. Relate our awesome God to something.

2) Recall a time when you asked God for help and He answered you. How did you feel?

3) Tell about how you were sad or hurting (possibly physically) and God lifted you up. What did God do? How? How long did you suffer?

4) Praise God for His character. Use colorful adjectives like awesome, incredible, deep, gracious, mighty, perfect, fantastic, etc. Consider using a thesaurus for interesting words!

5) Tell what you've learned and how you've grown.

Don't forget to personalize your psalm with words like "Me" and My". When you're finished with your psalm, write a title for it. Make something creative and grabbing!

What Lions, Tigers and Bears?

My awesome God is like a million horses!

As He tramples over the enemy,

His strength is immeasurable!

I was weak and hungry.

I hadn't eaten for weeks.

My God lifted my head and

Gave strength to my heart and bones!

When my head was hurting,

The Lord relieved my pain.

When my world felt like it was flooding,

My supernatural God stopped the rain.

Jesus is the Holy Savior of the world.

His grace extends further than the solar system.

My perfect Savior's incredible love

Is deeper than the deepest Sea.

The Almighty One sees me and cares!

He's taught me to trust Him

And not to worry

About the lions, tigers and bears

That prowl in the corners of my mind.

A Moment of Introspection

Does Jesus love Osama bin Laden? Should we love him?

The answer to both of those questions is yes. Jesus said that we should love even our enemies. He said we should love the ones who persecute us and hate us.

Loving someone like Osama isn't saying that he is right. Loving him isn't condoning his evil actions. Conversely, loving him is simply being obedient to God.

Pray for Osama bin Laden's salvation. Ask God to save his soul and have his entire organization turn to Christ. God can do anything.

The Bible Word of the Week

sanctification: the process of becoming like Christ (repenting from sins)

Last Week's Bible Trivia Answer

The three people saved from the fiery furnace were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. See Daniel 3:26.

The Quotations of the Week

Without God I'm nothing, but with God I'm something.

The quiet, spiritual gifts are just as awesome as the loud ones.

When you pray, you need to be aware of what God can do.

God's 4 answers to prayers: 1) Wait, 2) Already Done, 3) No, 4) Yes.

Accept it when God says "no" to one of your prayers.

Faith is having an anticipated desire to get something, not knowing how you'll get it, but trusting God for Him to give it to you.

Most of the world doesn't have what the average American has.

Focus on God's care for you as you wait for Him to answer you.

Take a deep breath when you are under pressure.

Some things require nothing but prayer and waiting.

Seek eyes to see what God is doing in your life.

There may be times when you can see how God is working in someone else's life even when they can't.

There will always be "practical" reasons why you can't do what God wants.

A person with vision sees things more clearly, more accurately and further down the road than people without vision.

If we could see everything God has planned for us, we would never worry.

Your prayers can be an abomination to the Lord.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

The (insert your name here) that I am today isn't the (insert your name here) God wants me to be in one year.

My biggest challenge is me.

God will not give tomorrow's blessings to us today.

God has something for us every day.

When God tells you to wait, He's not telling you "no", so keep pursuing it.

Would Jesus love Osama bin Laden?

God protects us from the spirits and people who hate us.

Have you thanked God for your freedom, lately?

Let God change your heart.

Your prayer life will become more mature as you grow spiritually.

How many of your resources are being used for God's kingdom?

Having a ministry doesn't necessarily mean you're teaching the truth, but not having a ministry could mean you don't know the truth.

If you want to know what God wants you to do, you should ask Him.

Jesus is the only one who always listens.

When you're ready to listen, you'll hear God's voice.

There's no wound you have that God can't heal.

Don't ever neglect your spiritual needs.

When you neglects your spiritual needs, you will suffer in a very painful way.

Remember who has the lotion that soothes the sunburns of life.

Try taking some time to simply meditate and think.

The important, spiritual things that you continuously neglect, over time, will cause character problems.

Have you ever made or sang a song that made no sense?

Don't forget to give your brain a rest; and put it in motion again.

Don't let your pastors, friends or anyone do all the thinking for you.

If you don't think Satan's army wants to keep you from doing what you need to be doing, you're mistaken.

God helps you do what you need to be doing, but He gives you a free will to decide if you'll do it or not.

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

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

Like most verses in the Bible, they can be debated. To use what I'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 share the gospel over 1 million times each year! 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 here:

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.

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 Tuesday nights. The gospel is sent on the 11^th of every month and the monthly newsletter is sent on the 20^th. 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.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 30,000 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.

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."