Hello!

We pray that you've having a wonderful week.

Don't forget to visit JCSM!  We're always adding new things and improving things.  Our link is above.

I've founded a brand new ministry called OCCM - the Online Christ-Centered Ministries - http://www.occm.org.  OCCM is a professional, membership association for people and ministries that are proclaiming the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm excited about this new ministry and we're currently seeking serious Christians for our Board of Directors.  If you are interested, please visit the new site and email me.

Did you know that China has a 200 million man army?  There is a passage in Revelation that speaks of an enormous army of this size.  This would have been an unfathomable number in John (the writer's) time.  However, it is very real, today.  If you'd like to see detailed information on this, please go here: http://kenraggio.com/KRPN-China.htm.

A friend of mine has embarked on a 40 day fast.  Please pray for Camille to have strength and guidance from the Lord.  She was inspired by reading my 40 day fast journals and after getting confirmation from God that she should be doing one, she emailed me.  She is nearing the three week mark.

A few days ago, I saw an interview on FOX News.  They were interviewing a photographer who took a picture of the Twin Towers while they were on fire.  You may have heard about this, but a picture of a face was evident in some of the smoke.  This has been labeled the "Devil's Face".  I've uploaded the picture, so you can see it and decide for yourself: http://www.jcsm.org/DevilinSmoke.jpg.

Please pray for the enemies of Christ who read these devotions.  Recently, I've found a couple of people mockingly pasting things I've written and trying to destroy JCSM.  This isn't something new because we've always faced opposition and hatred from people who don't love God.  Nonetheless, we need your prayers as we press on and unashamedly deliver the truth of God to the world.

There have been several attempts to break into my computer, lately.  I've also been made aware of someone wanting to steal my mailing list and email everyone.  While it is extremely unlikely this would ever happen, if you get an odd email in your mailbox about me and/or JCSM, please let me know immediately. 

I pray God blesses you and lifts you up!  He alone is worthy and perfect.  Let Him fill you and you'll never be the same.

I'm in the process of creating a web site with hotlinks to sites about the Noahic flood (the universal, biblical flood).  If you have any research or web sites that you'd like to contribute to our new site, please email me.

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 5000 links (pictures, forums, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals and much more!) and it has registered over 79,000 visits!

If you need to email me, please see the address below. Hitting "reply" to this message won’t send an email to me. I’m sorry if this is an inconvenience to you, however, rest assured that I will answer all of the emails I receive.

Welcome to the new recipients of this message! Here are the devotions, challenge, moment of introspection, the Greek 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

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "The Lovers of Darkness"

John 3:19-21  "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

1 John 2:11 "But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."

Proverb 4:19 "The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble."

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

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.'"

Colossians 1:13 "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

Insight: Are you living in darkness?  Can you see what is making you stumble?  Step into the light and follow Jesus Christ, today.

Prayer: "Thank you for showing us what is light and what is darkness, Lord.  Help us to have great discernment.  Bless us.  Give us self-control to stay in the light.  Thank you for shining into the darkness and being the brightest thing ever.  Remind us that You will light our path.  Forgive us for stumbling in the darkness.  Thank you for revealing yourself to the ones who grope for You!  Thank you for being a God of your Word and not going back on what You have written.  Let us trust You and love You more and more.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Regeneration"

John 1:12, 13   "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Titus 3:4-7   "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 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, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

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 12:2   "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Insight: God wishes to regenerate us.  Being a Christian isn't simply turning over a new leaf or embracing a new hobby.  It's giving your life to God and letting Him redeem and regenerate you into a new person.

Prayer: "Thank you for regenerating us, Lord!  Thank you for living inside of us and being so much more than a new fad!  Thank you for changing us within and helping us see things like You do.  Forgive us for being foolish and wanting our own way.  Lift us up and make us like You.  Thank you for the awesome wisdom You give us in your Word.  Let us cling to You and the things You say.  Praise You for being worthy of our attention and devotion.  To You be all the glory!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Our Pre-Christ Place"

Ephesians 2:1-3   "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others."

1 John 3:8, 10 "He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.  In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother."

1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Colossians 2:13   "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses"

Insight: Before we accepted Jesus Christ, we were in a state of extreme need.  We embraced evil and sickened God with our sin.  Don't forget where God has brought you and that you weren't simply "uneducated" before your conversion.

Prayer: "Thank you for pulling us out of the pit, Lord.  Thank you for giving us free will to discover problems and depravity, then turn to You.  Praise You for being patient with us.  Remind us of the shape we were in before we became like You.  Remind us that You loved us even while we were sinners; You even died for us.  Thank you for giving us what we don't deserve, so we can become something great.  You are an awesome God.  Thank you for redeeming us!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Let's Judge Correctly"

1 Corinthians 2:15, 16   "But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ."

John 7:24   "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Proverb 18:13 "He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him."

Proverb 25:2 "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter."

Insight: The scriptures plainly tell us that we are to make righteous judgments.  The Bible never tells us to avoid making judgments (like some people say).  Get all the information and judge correctly.

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to judge all things.  Help us to be analytical people who think before they do things.  Thank you for giving us tons of resources to acquire the information we need before making judgments.  Praise You for being our righteous judge.  Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit and helping us know your will.  Forgive us for making false and hasty judgments.  Let us have more wisdom and see things like You do.  Forgive us for avoiding making judgments, too.  Let us have courage and boldness to do your will.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Inaction Won't Keep You Safe"

Esther 4:14   "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Matthew 14:24, 29 "But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. So He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus."

Matthew 25:24-30 "“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours. But his lord answered and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 25:21   "His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’"

Insight: Doing nothing is sometimes quite easy to do.  Inactivity isn't a way to obey God.  God clearly requires His followers to obey Him (which is doing what He tells them to do).

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to do stuff, Lord.  Thank you for giving us commands in your Word.  Help us to obey You.  Thank you for wanting us to have a dynamic life of excitement and not a boring, non-supernatural life.  Help us to pray big and see You how You really are.  Forgive us for putting You in a box.  Remind us that we better be glorifying You with our talents.  Forgive the people who use their gifts for earthly, selfish gain.  You are our God and we will glorify You.  Help us to edify others, too.  Give us courage and boldness to do your will.  Help us not to worry about what other people think, say or do.  We have our commands from You.  To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "The Power of Sin and Death"

1 Corinthians 15:55, 56   “O death, where is your sting?  O Hades, where is your victory?  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.”

Hosea 13:14   “I will ransom them from the power of the grave;  I will redeem them from death.  O Death, I will be your plagues!  O Grave, I will be your destruction!  Pity is hidden from My eyes.”

Romans 5:12   “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

James 1:15   “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;  and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Romans 6:12-14   “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

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

Insight: Jesus Christ has overcome the powers of sin and death.  The hopelessness we had has been replaced with great hope and redemption.

Prayer: "Thank you for overcoming death and the grave, Lord!  Thank you for being the giver and the taker of life.  Help us to see things like they truly are.  Praise You for putting your living Spirit inside of us and making us spiritually alive.  Remind us how dead we were.  Thank you for lifting us up and putting light in our eyes!  Thank you for giving us a hope and a future.  There's no other God like You.  Bless us, increase our ministry, lay your hand on us and keep us from evil.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Trust God's Providence"

Psalm 65:9   “You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it;  the river of God is full of water;  You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it.”

Psalm 115:9-11   “O Israel, trust in the Lord;  He is their help and their shield.  O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord;  He is their help and their shield.  You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;  He is their help and their shield.”

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.”

Psalm 132:15   “I will abundantly bless her provision;  I will satisfy her poor with bread.”

Proverbs 3:5,6   “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

James 4:2, 3 "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

Insight: God provides what we need.  He is faithful and loving.  When you need something, don't forget to ask the one who is surely able to give you what you truly need.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us awesome things, Lord.  Thank you for keeping from us the things that we do not need.  Help us to appreciate You.  Thank you for being omniscient.  Increase our faith in You.  Thank you for wanting us to ask for things.  Help us to ask for the right things.  Let us surrender our lives to You.  Take from us what You will.  Fill our open hands with what You will.  Praise You for being faithful.  Remind us of the countless times You were there for us and brought us through difficult times.  Forgive us for forgetting the incredible things You have done or attributing them to luck, good fortune or karma.  You are our God and we love You.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

shepherd: poimen - (literally or figuratively) shepherd or pastor

These quotes came from God, me 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!

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 Mondays, our Bible lesson is sent on Fridays, the gospel is sent in the middle of every month and the monthly newsletter is sent on the 1^st. These are the only messages we send, however, please email me us you wish to be removed from this list.

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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."