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Hello!

Welcome to the weekly installment of God's love!

We pray that you experience God's love this Christmas season. Don't forget to dust off those Christmas albums and stand in awe of Jesus coming to Earth, dying on the cross and being raised from the dead! He is faithful and will bless you throughout eternity.

We pray that you are praising the Lord as you grow spiritually. Like there is friction when a dull blade is sharpened, we should expect our sharpening to take work and energy as we are changed into a usable tool for God.

Have you ever wondered if the Genesis account of creation was true? Have you ever wondered what the ancient Chinese thought about it? Genesis has been discovered in the Chinese language's ideograms (word pictures). This was an awesome discovery and I read a book on the subject. You can find it here: http://www.rohlin.com/pastors/Research/Chinese/chinese.htm.

Even if you don't get the book, this site shows you several of the Chinese ideograms and how they relate to Genesis.

Israel is a country that is approximately as big as San Diego county. However, it's in the news more than any other place on Earth. If you'd like to see some maps of Israel, please go here: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/english/newspaper/ondisplay/maps/maps.htm.

Please pray for my wife and I. We are flying to Israel on December 16^th and returning on December 30^th. We won't be visiting most of the areas that are experiencing bombings (Haifa, Gaza, etc.). Nonetheless, we need God's supernatural protection and blessing. We're going to visit the holy sites and it should be awesome!

Since we'll be in Israel, there won't be any devotional messages on December 23^rd or December 30^th. We've decided to leave our computers at home. If you need some spiritual food from us, please visit the archived devotions and the Bible lessons on our web site.

The United States has issued a terrorist watch for December 12^th. We shouldn't worry about this date, but since Islam offers their adherents special forgiveness if they die on this day, the U.S. has gotten some threatening messages from Islamic extremists. I pray our nation is safe.

Would you like to help JCSM send the gospel? All you need is a broad band connection (cable modem, DSL modem, T-1 or T-2 line, etc.) and a willing heart. Please email me if you'd like more details. We could use your help!

Providence, Rhode Island (USA) is home of the "dancing cop"! He was on CNN, so I visited his web site. This valiant man has been a police officer for many years and now he only directs traffic during Christmas. However, he doesn't just direct traffic, he dances and jumps around! You can learn about him here: http://www.providencedancingcop.com.

If you haven't changed passwords in awhile, please do. There are internet hackers who try and steal passwords, so they can use them for evil. It's wise to change them often.

An interesting JCSM link: The Proverbial Stories. This site has numerous links to classic, proverbial stories. Here is the site address: http://www.jcsm.org/ProverbialStories.htm.

Are you receiving about twelve pages with this message? If this message is truncated, and perhaps you're only receiving half of it, you can always find these devotions on our web site! Simply go here: http://devos.jcsm.org. Plus, if www.jcsm.org isn't working, please try www.jcsm.net.

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 70,000 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

http://jcsm.org/contact.php

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "Completely Trust In the Lord"

Proverbs 3:5, 6 "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

Romans 10:17 "So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."

Psalm 7:1 "O LORD my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me."

Psalm 56:3, 4 "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?"

Isaiah 50:10 "Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD And rely upon his God."

Prayer: "Dear Lord, I pray that we can learn to trust You more. Thanks for meeting us where we are and taking us where You want us to be. Increase our faith in You, Lord. Forgive us for the times when we didn't have enough faith. Remind us of the people in the Bible and the people we know that have had lots of faith. Give us courage and bless us. Thank you for giving us great things when we have faith in You. Thank you for giving us your Word and teaching us great things through it. Thank you for being faithful to us. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Eternal Separation From God"

Revelation 20:13-15 "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."

Matthew 13:49, 50 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Prayer: "Thank you Lord for telling us about Heaven and Hell. Thank you for telling us how to go to Heaven. Thank you for dying for our sins, so we can have eternal life with You. Help us to realize the truth about Hell. Motivate us to tell this dying world about You and your gift of eternal life. Show us the people that need the gospel. Thank you for wanting us to spend eternity with You in Heaven! Thank you for all the angels, saints and wonderful things You have prepared for us. Thank you for the new bodies that we will have in Heaven. Let us understand what it means to have no faith and be headed for eternal separation from You and let us spread the good news to the world. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "The Importance of Confession"

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, Says the LORD, Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool."

James 5:16 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

Psalm 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."

Philippians 2:9-11 "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that 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."

Prayer: "Thank you for forgiving us when we ask you, Lord. Thank you for loving us so much that You do not hold grudges! Thank you for being our perfect example. Let us forgive ourselves and others like You do. Thank you for wanting to hear us confess Christ, first, then we can confess daily sins to You. Praise You for giving us salvation! Thank you for telling us what is right and wrong and giving us absolute truth outside or humankind. Remind to us the value of having a source of absolute truth that does not change. You are an awesome God! Let us love like You do. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Take Steps of Faith"

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

Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Galatians 5:22 "The fruit of the spirit is......faithfulness...."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to take steps of faith, Lord. Thank you for all of the people who have made a difference for You and your kingdom. Help us to have boldness and courage! Lift us up and remove our worries and fears. Thank you for having faith in us and giving us your Holy Spirit to complete your work. Thank you for having patience on us and holding our hand as we walk through the maze of life! You are an awesome God. Praise You for never leaving or forsaking us. Let us give to You because You have given so much to us. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Spiritual Discernment"

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Proverbs 2:3-6 "Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;"

Philippians 1:9 "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment."

1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

2 Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to be discerning people. Give us great discernment, so we can know what is right and what is wrong. Help us to judge righteously like You command us in John 7:24. Thank you for giving us your perfect and holy Word. Let us use the Bible as a litmus test. Expose false doctrines and teachers. Don't let the elect be deceived, Lord! Open the eyes of the blind ones. Help people to cling to You at all costs; not their doctrines. Thank you for rewarding the ones that truly love You and want nothing more than to do your perfect will. Give us great joy as we live the life You have set before us. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Jesus Was Sinless"

Isaiah 53:5, 6 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

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

1 Peter 2:21, 22 "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth;"

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

John 1:29 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Prayer: "Praise You for being our sinless Savior! Thank you for coming to Earth and loving us. Let us understand how You are perfect. Thank you for wanting us to be perfect, too. Forgive us for our sins. Cleanse us and make us like You. Thank you for being here and experiencing the same temptations that we face, but being completely victorious! Let us have hope in You because You remained pure. Thank you for always knowing what to say and what to do. Thank you for being able to relate to us. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "I Will Sing!"

Psalm 104:33 "I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."

Psalm 18:49 "Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name."

Psalm 27:6 "And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD."

Psalm 47:6, 7 "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding."

Prayer: "I will sing to You, Lord! Thank you for wanting us to sing to You. Thank you for appreciating our songs, even when we can't sing well. Give us courage, so we can sing loudly and love You through worship. Thank you for the awesome times of worship I've had. Let me continue to raise my hands to You in praise and sing in and out of church. Thank you for the times in my van that I've sang to You. Let the world know the joy of worshiping You! Thank you for the cultures and peoples that have discovered the awesome, therapeutic value of worship long before we did. Thank you for the people who love You and are not ashamed. Let more and more people choose to sing your praises! To You be all the glory, forever and ever. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Buy a Christian book and read it from cover to cover!

There are all kinds of Christian books. Choose a well known author that has written something that would enjoy reading. Christian authors have written on a huge variety of interesting subjects, such as worship, prophecy, personal devotion, marriage, original scriptures, missions, archaeology and much more!

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

(If you need a tip for a good book, email me!)

The Bible Word of the Week

justification: being forgiven by God

The Quotations of the Week

Faith goes beyond the use of our senses.

Your senses are not dependable.

Everyone has a degree of foolishness in them.

God's Word is 100% factual and completely reliable.

Distinguish between relying on yourself and relying on God.

When storms happen, we have an opportunity to draw closer to God and let go the things we hold dear.

When trials are in your life, you are being tested.

When trials come, you can reveal the hope that's inside of you.

Christians are like tea bags. You don't know what kind they are until you put them in hot water.

Walking by faith enables you to do things you couldn't normally do.

Miracles don't follow the laws of science and mathematics.

When trials come, will you make decisions based on God's Word or based on what you think?

If you have a decision to make, don't make it until you discover what God says on the subject.

If you don't know what God wants, you're playing Russian roulette with your life.

If you can't hear God's voice, get some counsel from a mature Christian before you make a big decision.

How many times does God have to call you before you trust Him and do what He says?

How many times does God have to tell you to be godly before you repent?

Fear is always wrong and God is always right.

Faith is not deciding on information. Faith is taking information and using it in light of God's promises and personal words to you.

You either trust God, His Word and His promises or you trust what you think.

The majority of the problems in our lives are from doing what we think is best without consulting God.

If through prayer you get power, faith is the key to turn on the engine.

Faith is dependence on God and it comes when dependence on yourself ends.

God will never tell you the whole story if faith is involved.

You're only in sin if you know God is telling you to do something and you are ignoring Him.

Is there something that God is telling you to do, but you aren't doing it?

When the devil uses his fiery darts on you, use the shield of faith and the pure water of God's Word to defend yourself.

Rely on God.

Faith is based on facts.

Your experiences change, but God's Word doesn't.

Put your faith in the facts in God's Word.

Don't put all your faith in people because people can let you down.

Know the difference between faith and superstition.

If you want to have secure footing, you have to step on rocks that don't move and don't change.

If you step on the rocks that don't move, you'll never fall.

Anything done outside of faith is sin.

Let God's logic become your logic.

God renews your mind and makes you think like Him.

See if all the areas of your life agree with scripture.

Act on your reliance on God.

If you say you have faith and your faith is not causing you to repent, what kind of faith do you have?

Unless you act on what you believe, your faith hasn't done you any good.

Faith has to cause you to act.

If your faith doesn't cause you to act, it is inoperative and dead.

Human logic will tell you the opposite of what God is telling you.

What God does as a result of my acting on my faith is infinitely greater than my action.

When you obey by faith, God unleashes power in your life.

If you think that your faithful action is the end of it, you won't be very interested in obeying God.

After you say a simple prayer, God does things that you could never do.

God matches our natural actions of faith with His supernatural actions of faithfulness.

God doesn't want to set you up for failure. He wants to love you.

Take steps of faith and watch for what God does!

Rely on the fact that you are a sinner who needs Jesus.

What God does after you trust Him and act in faith is immeasurable.

After you take steps of faith, you'll see how God has changed your life in awesome ways.

Few have more opportunities to be heroes than do teachers.

While it's not expected that teachers shed blood, they are known to contribute more than their share of sweat and tears.

Student's success in school starts in the heads and hearts of his or her parents and teachers.

The way we see students, the way they see themselves, is what they will become.

Don't just teach; be.

When parents raise a child, that child imitates and adopts some of the parents' ways.

When a teacher teaches a student, what is learned is always greater than what was in the book.

Just like an automobile needs a driver; a classroom community needs a motivator.

Children have a positive response to the classroom environment if they are motivated.

When teachers turn the key of motivation, they will get much more mileage from the class.

The difference between memorizing and learning is understanding.

Memorizing produces familiarity, but it is the relevant application of the lesson that forms understanding.

The child who is the least creative is the child who is more fearful of failure.

Success can never happen without trying.

Teach children that trying is far more important than succeeding.

All of the lessons are only as good as the examples set by the teacher.

Students glean much more from actions than from words.

You must live it to teach it successfully.

It's only work if you don't enjoy it.

Teaching is one of those vocations that becomes a job only when you no longer want to do it.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires!

It's easy to give water to the thirsty people.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), "365 Devotions for Teachers," Linda Holt, William Arthur Ward 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 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 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.net

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."