This is the Weekly Devotional Message from

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

http://www.JCSM.org

Over 1500 Links!

Hello!

It's the weekend, so this must be your weekly dose of E-encouragement!

During this Christmas season, I pray that God is blessing you a lot. The holidays mean different things for different people. Some of us have fond memories of Christmastime and some don't. I pray we can have God's peace and contentment this year. Remember that He loves you and has awesome plans for you!

Do you know of a Christian web hosting company that may be willing to host JCSM's site? If so, please email me. I'm thankful for the current host, but we may have to change hosts, soon.

We're pleased to share that we shared the gospel to over 168,000 more email addresses this week! Praise the Lord for the internet and the hardware and software to do His will. We've shared the gospel with over 590,000 people since November 12^th.

Please pray for this ministry. We have been encountering new challenges, lately. When you start sharing the gospel to hundreds of thousands of people, apparently the devil and his army tries hard to stop you. However, with God on our side, we won't be stopped. We're going to send the gospel until we're done sending it to the 33 million email addresses we possess.

You can send the U.S. troops a message from Circuit City. Until December 31^st, you can go to a local CC store, record a message (for free) and they will send it to Afghanistan! Make sure to pray for our troops and even send them a message if you can.

November was another record month for hits. Even though the site was down for about three, full days, JCSM received an average of 79 hits per day! If we didn't count the time the site was down, the average would be in the upper 80's. Praise the Lord for "the numbers" and growth of this ministry. I hope we can always be a personal ministry, too.

Have you ever read the Koran? The Koran is the Muslim's holy book and it's quite interesting and sadistic. I've created a web page to share what I found in it. Plus, my site has a link to an online Koran where you can do more research. Here's the site address: http://koran.jcsm.org.

Are you familiar with the "70 weeks of Daniel"? Compass International is giving away "70 weeks of Daniel" bookmarks. They are the same organization that has the "Steeling the Mind" conferences. My wife and I will be attending the one in Anaheim, in February. Here is the link for the free bookmark: http://www.steelingthemind.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/offer/bookmarks.html?L+scstore+bqfl7754ff328932+1013388562.

On December 7^th, Crystal Lewis is singing, at Maranatha Chapel, at 7pm! She'll be blessing us with some Christmas songs. If you live in the San Diego area, you should put this event on your calendar and join us for some singing (plus, there will probably be a Bible study with Ray Bentley).

In each message, I like including an interesting link (or more than one, hopefully!). This week's "interesting link" is our World Religions, Cults, Sects and Movements site. This page is a great resource for studying other religions. You can find everything from the Moonies to the Taliban to the Mormons. Here's the address: http://www.jcsm.org/Contents/WorldReligions.htm.

Please pray for my van. It stopped running the other day. My friend and I replaced the alternator and it ran for a week or two, but now it won't start. I need some divine intervention!

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 59,000 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 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: "You Alone Are Worthy"

Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

Revelation 5:19 "And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."

2 Samuel 22:4 "I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies."

Prayer: "Thank you for being so worthy of our everything. Help us to see You how You truly are. Thank you for setting us free from the bondage of sin! Thank you for touching us in a way that nothing else could. Thank you for giving us the Bible - an absolute truth from outside of humankind. Let us see You like You really are. Thank you for giving your life for us. Thank you for knowing what we need and not withholding it from us. Help us to see how You are a God who meets our needs. Thank you for keeping things from us that would destroy us. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Be A Light For the Lord"

Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

John 1:9 "That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world."

John 8:12 "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

John 12:46 "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."

Psalm 18:28 "For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness."

Ecclesiastes 2:13 "Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness."

Luke 11:35, 36 "Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us a great light! Let us be reflectors of your perfect light. Thank you for lighting our path. Let us be like You and similar lights to the world. Thank you for the chance to glow because You are within us. Help us to understand how You light our countenance. Thank you for wanting to bless us and lift us up. Let us share the things that You give us. Thank you for giving us plenty. Help us to be unselfish and have faith, believing that You have given us things to bless others and believing that You will give us more. You are an awesome God! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "I AM"

John 8:12 "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

John 8:23, 24, 58 "And He said to them, You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

Prayer: "Thank you for being here since before the creation of the world. Help us to understand that concept of eternity. Thank you for making these human bodies have limitations. Thank you for promising us heavenly bodies when we die. Thank you for being outside of time; not simply a person with a lot of time. You are a great God! Praise You for your boldness on Earth. Thank you for claiming to be God and before Abraham. Thank you for teaching us so many awesome things in your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Avoid Hypocrisy and Self-Righteousness"

Proverb 11:9 "The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered."

Matthew 7:5 "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Matthew 6:2, 5 "Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. "

Psalm 4:1 "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer."

Psalm 143:2b "For in Your sight no one living is righteous."

Psalm 99:9 "Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy."

Psalm 53:2, 3 "God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one."

Prayer: "Thank you for being our only righteousness; You in us. Let us see how You are the praiseworthy one and we are simply humans that emulate You. Thank you for the great blessings You give when we do what You wish and imitate You. Let us be exact copies of You, Lord. Thank you for giving us the only role model worth following in this world. Let people see the true heart of any false role models and let them turn to You. Thank you for being righteous and holy. Thank you for changing us and molding us. Let us see your beauty and your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Seek God's Face"

Psalm 69:32b "And you who seek God, your hearts shall live."

Psalm 34:10 "The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing."

Psalm 105:4 "Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!"

Proverb 28:5 "Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand all."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to seek You. Thank you for making us with a need to communicate with the loving God. Let us seek You with our whole heart! Thank you for promising to reveal yourself to us when we wholeheartedly seek You. Thank you for being such a beautiful God that we want to seek and find your face. Help us not to simply seek your blessings, but your face and your will. Praise You for having the best way. Praise You for giving us great things in an instant. Give us what we need and take from us what You will. Teach us to be content in all circumstances. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "God's Help"

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble."

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."

Isaiah 50:7 "For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed."

Proverb 18:24 "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

Hebrews 13:5b "For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Proverb 61:3 "For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy."

Psalm 54:4 "Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life."

Prayer: "Thank you for helping us, Lord! Thank you for being our awesome helper. Praise You for meeting us where we are and taking us where You want us to be! There's no other God like You. Help us, Lord. Protect us from evil. Lift us up. Keep people away from us that have evil intentions and words. Expose the darkness of people without light and let the true believers be safe. Thank you for being inside of us. Thank you for helping our insides and our outsides. Let us give it all to You and trust You more and more. Give us more love for You and for others. To You be all the glory! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Give It Away, Give It All Away"

John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

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."

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."

Prayer: "Thank you for your command to love others. Help us to love them like You would. Show us the value of earthly goods compared to the value of heavenly goods. Let us invest in eternity and give what we have to those who are in need. Thank you for blessing Christians when they give. Thank you for being true to your promises. Thank you for being our awesome example of a person who gives everything they have, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Praise You for never telling us to be quiet. Thank you for being sensitive to our needs. Help us to look to You for fulfillment and not another person or another activity. Thank you for fulfilling us like nobody else can! Thank you for giving us good things that nobody else has! Let us be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and realize what you've done, what you're doing and what You will do! To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Pick one day this week and fast. Abstain from food all day and use God's power to overcome temptations. Spend some extra time in prayer. Write down anything God tells you to do.

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

A Moment of Introspection

What motivates your service?

The Bible Word of the Week

holy: blameless or without fault

The Quotations of the Week

Don't praise God like He's dead.

Be thankful that you can keep 90% of your income.

If someone saves your life, there is a minimum of thanks that is due.

When Jesus saves you, there is a minimum amount of love you should show Him.

One day, you will be aware of your life in Heaven.

Self-righteous people think they deserve Heaven and don't trouble themselves with good deeds.

Would you classify yourself as a sinner, self-righteous person or a saved sinner?

How often do you recognize God's gifts and thank Him?

Remember what your life was like when you were in darkness and share the gospel with others.

Ask God which group of lost people He wants you to minister to.

Don't be an unapproachable Christian.

God sets you up, to see what you will do and how you'll glorify Him.

If you want to hide something, you're probably doing something wrong.

Everything is exposed to God.

How can we think and act like God is limited in His knowledge and power?

It's possible to comprehend everything that Jesus has comprehended.

If you don't worship God, it shows you don't have much appreciation for Him.

Pray with your pen.

When you realize that nobody is going to make you do something, you realize it's your own fault if you don't do it.

Give thanks where thanks is due.

When you work for something, you appreciate it more.

When something is given to you, you tend to appreciate it less.

Worship God with your service.

How often do you serve God?

Going to church and reading your Bible isn't serving God.

Serving God is essential to Christianity.

Your gifts sit dormant when you don't use them for God.

Some Christians don't even know the spiritual gifts God has given them.

The least you can do is know the gospel and help somebody once in awhile.

If you really want to grow, share the gospel often and find God's ministry for you.

Are you in love with God?

Many of us seek God's hand and not His face.

God will make you excited about doing His work.

Is God's will a burden for you?

Worship God with your whole heart.

If God wanted to borrow your car or house, would you let Him?

Dear God, what do you want me to do with what I have?

There's a big difference between someone who appreciates God and someone who doesn't.

God will never leave us and He will always help us when we are tempted.

God loves us enough to make a way to escape or overcome temptation.

The temptations we face are temptations that others have faced.

If Jesus isn't in your lesson plan, let Him in when He prompts you.

Cloneliness isn't next to godliness.

Your kids' perception of you will be different than the perception you think they have of you.

If you change your mind, your mouth will follow.

What motivates your service?

True service is love in working clothes.

What kind of service have you been giving to God?

You still amaze me.

Once I was excited by the thrills that the world could give, but now I'm only thrilled by You.

You fill me with the things I need.

You're bigger than the sky and brighter than the sun.

I'm alive from your gentle touch.

The moment I let go You brought passion to my soul.

If this feeling was a chemical, I don't think it would be allowed.

Just the sound of your name is a beautiful thing.

Your name drips off my tongue like drops of gold.

Your sins are all behind you and they'll never find you; they're on the ocean floor.

Your sins are erased and they are no more. They're on the ocean floor.

I've been forgiven and it feels so free.

Speak to me and tell me all the things I need to know.

Please make your wisdom clear to me.

You make me forget about the world I'm living in.

In old age, if I'm still hanging around, I'll be found with You.

I want to see what I cannot see.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Audio Adrenaline 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 2.5 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 to the address below.

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 Saturday and Sunday 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 39,000 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."