This is the Weekly Devotional Message from

Over 2000 Links!

Hello!

Do you need encouragement? Do you want to hear about miracles? Do you want to become wise through Christ? Ok, here ya go.

Have you been memorizing scripture, lately? Last week, I memorized the Beatitudes! It's great to have these in my heart and mind. I'm also memorizing the book of James. Please pray for this endeavor and let me know if you need prayer for a similar one.

A few days ago, God did a great miracle in my life! I had been wearing glasses because of headaches. I went to an eye doctor because they were getting worse. However, just before I went to this doctor, I prayed to God that He would heal my eyes, so I wouldn't have to wear glasses and I wouldn't have any more pain.

It took me awhile to realize what God had done, but God healed me! The doctor said my eyes were fine! For the last couple of weeks, I haven't even worn my glasses. Whenever my eyes start to get tired or hurt, I pray and the pain goes away. Praise the Lord for this miracle and don't forget to pray.

On Saturday, I had an awesome time at the Steeling the Mind Conference in Anaheim! Kent Hovind, Henry Morris, Ed Hindson, Chuck Missler and Frank Peretti were among the speakers. I was pleasantly surprised to find there wasn't a lot of hoopla like Promise Keepers. There was just sound, sincere, Bible teaching!

Did you know that the eruption at Mt. Saint Helens showed how evolutionists were wrong about the Grand Canyon? I've made a web page for the things I learned at the conference. When you read this page, make sure you scroll down and read John Ankerberg's seminar on Hell. It's very moving. You can find it all here: http://www.jcsm.org/BibleLessons/STM.htm.

Are you a member of the Catholic Church? If so, have you investigated your church's teachings? Lately, I've been learning a lot about the traditions of the Catholic Church and how they don't line up with scripture (until their Magisterium interprets the scriptures differently). If you'd like more information about the Catholic Church, please email me.

Have you heard about the little girl from San Diego who has been kidnaped? Danielle is only 7 years old and she was taken from her home a couple of weeks ago. When you have a moment, please go to the following site and examine her picture. If you've seen her, there is an 800 number you can call. Site address: http://www.daniellemissing.com.

I hope you are rejoicing as you grow in the love of our Lord and Savior! Keep your eyes on the prize!

Would you like to help us advertize for this ministry in the Jerusalem Post newspaper? The ads aren't very expensive and they would reach thousands of non-Christian Jews. Please email me if you're interested in helping spread the good news to the people of Israel.

On February 16^th, DC Talk plays a show, at Shadow Mountain Community Church, at 6pm! My wife and I have tickets and are looking forward to this concert. Toby, Kevin and Michael will each do solo sets and then they'll come together for a DC Talk set! Ticketmaster is selling tickets (and so are some Family Christian Stores), but let me know if you need more info.

Are you getting this message every week? Are you receiving about twelve pages with this message? If this message isn't reaching you consistently or if it's shortened, you can always find these weekly 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 2000 links (pictures, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals and much more!) and it has registered over 64,000 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 for more information.

Welcome to the new 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

JCSM@aggies.org

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "Leviathan the Dinosaur"

Job 41 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you? Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens? Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears? Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle--Never do it again! Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine. I will not conceal his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions. Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face, With his terrible teeth all around? His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; One is so near another That no air can come between them; They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted. His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth. Strength dwells in his neck, And sorrow dances before him. The folds of his flesh are joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved. His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone. When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside themselves. Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin. He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him. Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins. His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire. He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. He leaves a shining wake behind him; One would think the deep had white hair. On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear. He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride."

Prayer: "Thank you for making the awesome dinosaurs! Thank you for all the proof that they existed and the proof that they existed with humans. Thank you for the fossils and the carvings of dinosaurs with humans. Help us to understand how You created the Earth, destroyed it with a flood and started things over again. Praise You for creating huge and mighty things like Leviathan! Thank you for humbling us and creating a need inside us that only You can fill. Let us lift our hearts and hands to You, Lord. Fill us and make us like You. Praise You for being our mighty God. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Wield Your Sword"

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."

Ephesians 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;"

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us your awesome Word! Praise You for making it completely perfect and true. Thank you for being unchanging. Help us understand You and your Word. Let us memorize it and apply it to our lives. Forgive us for our apathy, Lord. Forgive us for our foolishness. Change our hearts and give us more zeal for You and the things of You! Thank you for the way your Word satisfies, soothes and heals! Thank you for the way it lights our life. Remind us to read it and give us self-control, so we always make time to read the Bible. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Warnings Against Traditions"

Matthew 15:6b "You have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."

Mark 7:8, 9 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do. He said to them, All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition."

Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."

Psalm 118:8, 9 "It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes."

Acts 20:29-31 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."

Jeremiah 17:5 "Thus says the LORD: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.'"

Acts 17:11 "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."

Psalm 146:3, 4 "Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish."

Prayer: "Thank you for warning us about traditions, Lord. Help us to hold the scriptures in much higher esteem than any traditions. Praise You for being the author of the scriptures. Help people to see when they are doing rituals that go against the Bible. Thank you for giving us godly wisdom. Increase our wisdom and knowledge. Give people humility and prepare the ones who are involved in false traditions to be ready for rebuke and repentance. Let the whole world accept the Bible and not add to it traditions of men. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Be A Giver"

Acts 20:35 "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Matthew 5:42-45 "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

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."

Prayer: "Thank you for the beauty of giving. Thank you for the chances that You have given us to give to others. Help us to see ourselves as trustees of the things You have given us. Praise You for giving us so much. Give us unselfishness and let us be sensitive to the ones who need things. Thank you for blessing us and rewarding us when we give, Lord. Give us wisdom, so we can use your things for the best purposes. Help us not to horde treasures on Earth, where things rust corrode and become worthless. Let us set our eyes and our treasures in Heaven. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "A Call For Holiness"

2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Psalm 29:2 "Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."

Romans 6:22 "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life."

Hebrews 12:14 "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."

Leviticus 20:7 "Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God."

Prayer: "Thank you for being a holy God! Make us holy like You. Thank you for commanding us to be holy, thus taking holiness very seriously. Forgive us for our sins. Help us to see our sins and repent. Thank you for giving us mercy and grace. Thank you for giving us time to repent, even though sin is opposite You. Increase our holiness, Lord. Lift us up and purify us. Show us our hidden sins. Help us to be active worshipers of You. Let us consume more of your Word, so we can know more of your will. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "The Promise of the Holy Spirit"

Ezekiel 36:25-27 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

John 14:16, 17 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Prayer: "Thank you for promising us the Holy Spirit long ago. Thank you for being here before Creation with the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. Praise You for putting your Spirit inside of us! Thank you for wanting communion with imperfect humans. Help us to listen to your Spirit and feed it what it needs. Remind us which things are good, spiritual food and which things are bad for us. Thank you for giving us as much of You as we want. Thank you for always being found when we seek You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "The Promised Seed"

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."

Genesis 12:1-3 "Now the LORD had said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Genesis 49:10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people."

Prayer: "Thank you for promising us Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Thank you for making the Bible true and the prophecies simply unexplainable unless we believe in an omnipotent, omniscient God. Praise You for fulfilling numerous prophecies through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Thank you for making the gospel so awesome, sensible and true. Help doubters to read the Bible and understand the prophecies which could only be talking about Jesus Christ - nobody later in history and nobody earlier in history. Thank you for being so awesome that You can control time, space and creation. You keep the planets in the sky! You make the sunrise and the sunset! You are the Creator and Sustainer of all life and we love You, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Think about your testimony and share it with someone! God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

A Moment of Introspection

What keeps Christians from being faithful tithers?

The Bible Word of the Week

propitiation: an atoning sacrifice

The Quotations of the Week

An attribute isn't something that is a part of God. It's something that is true of God.

When God loves, He is simply being Himself.

Jesus was just as much man as if He had never been God and just as much God as if He had never been man.

You're a steward of your time and possessions.

Do you know the difference between a steward and an owner?

Our money and possessions are God's tools.

Think about your testimony and share it with someone.

What keeps Christians from being faithful tithers?

Recognize Satan's weapons of delay and procrastination.

Why are the people that are the most critical the people that do the least to change things?

Pray about the things you have being criticizing.

Generous people seem to be the happiest ones.

A critical spirit follows the ones that don't give.

You can't fake what your checkbook, credit card statements or receipts reveal.

Don't neglect your individual responsibility.

God's Word, obeyed and followed, will leave the follower full.

Analyze your spending.

Give your friends your silence when they're trying to speak.

When you have extra faith, you may receive extra trials.

There's rest in submission to God.

One person devoted to our one God can amount to numerous blessings.

What kind of person does God use to bless others?

God uses people that give to bless others.

Givers are people who do the right things.

If God is to use you effectively, you need to make a commitment to Him to do the right thing, at the right place, at the right time.

Are you willing to be interrupted for God's plans?

God wants to spice up your life and have your adrenaline flow.

Be prepared to have your schedule interrupted with what God says.

Interruptions can be viewed as sources of irritation or opportunities for service.

Givers are people who pay attention to the needs of others.

There are people in your classrooms and in your jobs that are hurting.

Givers are not people with fewer needs than others. They are people that believe it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Givers inspire hope in others.

Hope is an expectant desire.

Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are in making them feel good about you.

Givers are people who use what they have.

Takers always look for a way to take.

When God saves you, He gives you eternal hope that you can pass on to someone else.

If you are saved, you have exactly what everyone on planet Earth is looking for.

Givers realize the source of giving is God.

If you don't have any extra money, then you can give your time or whatever else you have.

Because God has given to us and blessed us, we must give to others and bless them.

You are in a partnership with God 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There is not a significant event since the flood that God has brought to pass without the assistance of man.

How is God using you?

Give yourself to God, so He can give you to others.

God supplies and man shares.

God is the Creator and humans are the channel.

God pours it in and we pass it on.

God owns all our toys (and everyone else's toys).

Everyone's body belongs to God.

We are in trouble when we feel independent like we are the source of supply.

God is the source of everything.

Don't feel inadequate like there is no source of supply.

God wants to hear you tell Him that you want to do more than you could naturally do for Him.

Having a dream about doing greater things for God than you could do by yourself is vision.

God wants you to pray and do things for Him that you know you can't do and know you don't have the resources to do.

God uses people who are willing to try and trust God for the rest.

Givers want God to receive the glory.

There's always a price in forgiveness.

Freedom is to have the power to do what you know you ought to do.

If education were really the answer to all our problems, the university would probably be the most morally upright society in existence.

There are probably more people in universities with misconceptions about Christianity than anywhere else in the world.

Walking into a church doesn't make you a Christian any more than walking into a garage makes you a car.

Jesus won't always remove you from conflict, but He will help you cope with conflicts better.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Josh McDowell 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 email me and I'll give you our mailing address.

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 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 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 2000 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."