Hello!

I pray you're having a great week.

Today is the one year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States.  Please pray that nothing like that happens, again.  God is good and He can protect us.  However, He wants devoted followers and not lukewarm believers. 

Some have said that God has only had mercy and blessings for the United States because this country funds the majority of the world's Christian missions.  Whatever the reasons may be, let's make a commitment to seek God wholeheartedly, love others deeply and do His will always.  If God is for us, then who can be against us?

Last week, I began working for Fishes and Loaves (FALO).  This is a new and exciting missionary training and sending ministry.  Our vision is to evangelize the country of Turkey.  Please pray for this ministry and my role in it.  Here is the FALO web site: http://www.gofalo.net.

Starting this Thursday, The Rock Church and Calvary Baptist Church are teaming up for weekly Bible studies.  They will be on the campus of Calvary Baptist Church and it will be primarily for college students.  My wife and I will be there and if you want more information, please email me.  It should be an awesome time of spiritual growth, worship and Christian fellowship.

Have you ever heard of Dan Barker?  Dan has been on the major, television talk shows, countless radio and internet shows and he's debated numerous, Christian apologists.  The interesting thing about Dan is that he is an ex-preacher atheist.  Yes, he denies that God exists, now.

Dan has written a book called "Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist".  Many of the atheists I share the good news with have told me to debate Mr. Barker, so  I emailed him and requested he debate me.  Today, he emailed me a letter of acceptance!  Please pray for our upcoming debate.  Countless atheists will be listening and it will be an awesome opportunity for God to move in their midst.  If you'd like to learn more about Dan Barker, please go here: http://www.ffrf.org/lfif/biodan.html.

Please pray for my friend who is doing a two week fast.  They could really use your prayers.

I pray that you know God is with you all week.  He promises to be faithful to you.  Don't forget that He's only a prayer or a thought away.  He's closer than a brother and will never leave or forsake you.

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 81,000 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: "I AM"

Exodus 3:14   "And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM.'  And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you."

John 8:58   "Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.'"

John 6:35   "And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.'"

John 10:7-9   "Then Jesus said to them again, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.'"

Isaiah 44:6   "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.'"

John 10:11   "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."

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 11:25   "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.'"

John 15:5   "I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

John 14:6   "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

Insight: There are many names for God.  As we try and describe a supernatural being that cannot be completely comprehended by our earthly minds, we can only recognize certain characteristics of God and compare them to the things we know on Earth.  All glory to God in the highest!

Prayer: "Praise You for being higher than us and wiser than us.  Help us to see You like we should.  Help us to keep You in your holy and lofty place.  Praise You for being the door to Heaven.  There is no other way, but through You.  Thank you for being the way, the truth and the life!  We are the people of the Way.  Thank you for being the vine and having us be in You.  Prune us, so we can bear more fruit, Lord.  Thank you for being a great vinedresser and not wasting the vines, but pruning them, so they can be even more productive.  Lift us up and put us on the Rock that is You.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "The Bible Divides"

Matthew 10:34-39   "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

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."

Insight: The Bible is not a respecter of titles or persons.  The Bible is an integrated, supernatural message from God Almighty.  Let the Word do it's work in you and submit to God; no matter what the cost.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us your awesome Word, Lord.  There is no other God like You.  Bless us and make us like You.  Praise you for having the Word become flesh and dwell among us!  Thank you that Jesus was the living Word and told us exactly what we should do to have eternal life and please You.  Praise You for giving us a source of truth that is outside of humankind.  Help us to appreciate the objective truths that lie in the Bible.  You are an awesome God.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Where Do Our Blessings Originate?"

John 3:27   "John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven."

1 Corinthians 3:6-8   "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor."

James 1:17   "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

1 Timothy 6:6   "But godliness with contentment is great gain."

Insight: Although we work for things, God is the one who gives us our opportunities and blessings.  Without Him, we would not receive good gifts.  Thank Him and seek the things He wants you to have.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us awesome gifts, Lord.  Thank you for reminding us that You are the great giver.  Help us to give like You do.  Thank you for being an unselfish God who gives to everyone!  We can never give more than You, Lord.  Thank you for giving Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross.  Help us to understand this gift and always thank you for our salvation.  Remind us that You are the giver and we need to talk to You about things we want.  Help us to conform our will to yours.  Break us and make us see things like You do.  You are our help and our first love.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "The Command to Give and Tithe"

Malachi 3:10   "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,' says the Lord of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it."

Psalm 96, 7,8   "Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength.  Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts."

Psalm 54:6   "I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good."

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.’"

Insight: God has commanded us to give to His people and the church.  Remember that you are merely a steward of God's riches and blessings.  Be a good steward because He will expect you to do something with the things He gave you.

Prayer: "Thank you for having us give to You and others.  Show us how giving and tithing can fill us with joy!  Praise You for making us stewards of your things.  Remind us to see things in this way and not to refuse to use them for your glory.  Remove our selfishness and give us thoughtfulness.  Thank you for surrounding us with needy people.  Help us to think locally and internationally.  Remind us that there are people all over the world that need You and your blessings through us.  Thank you for the ways that we can reach others with your love.  Inspire us to give to them and your purposes.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Christ the Bridegroom"

Matthew 9:15 "And Jesus said to them, Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."

John 3:29 "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled."

Insight: Jesus is the bridegroom and we are His bride.  Wait eagerly for His return and the marriage we will experience when we know Him fully, in Heaven.

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us and loving us, Lord.  Thank you for being the church's bride.  Help people to understand the deep and meaningful relationship You want with us!  There is no other God like You.  Thank you for waiting for us and preparing a place for us.  Thank you for thinking about us and loving us more than we can understand.  Increase our love for you and our faith in You.  Lift us up and help us to look up.  Remind us how You fulfill prophecies and show yourself to us all the time.  You are our God.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Examine Yourself"

Joshua 3:5 "And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."

1 Peter 2:1-3   "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

2 Corinthians 13:5   "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified."

Romans 13:13, 14   "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

Insight: Life requires self-examination.  Look at your motives and actions.  What motivates you?  Do you have any sin in your life?  Don't be afraid to swiftly repent and turn toward God.  He will help you in your time of need.

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to examine ourselves.  Help us do this often.  Thank you for looking at us and seeing both a forgiven, Heaven-bound saint and a person who needs daily forgiveness and help.  Show us our hidden sins.  Let us know what You know.  Let us be honest with ourselves and cause us not to deny our sins.  Thank you for making us human.  Remind us that we should try and be perfect, but must forgive ourselves when we aren't.  Thank you for loving us and forgiving us!  You are a loving God.  In Jesus' name, Amen." 

Day 7: "With Child (Not With Fetus)"

Genesis 16:11   "And the Angel of the LORD said to her: Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction."

Ecclesiastes 11:5   "As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything."

Matthew 1:18, 22, 23   "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.  So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.”

Insight: A child's life begins at conception.  According to the scriptures, this is obvious.  No woman was ever "with fetus".  They were always "with child".  Don't believe abortionists when they tell you that children don't have rights until they leave the woman.  If they are right, there is a fine line (that will be undoubtedly be crossed) between the unborn and the post-born's right to live.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us life, Lord!  Lift us up and let us know You.  Thank you for wanting babies to live and not die.  Thank you for being the one and only giver and taker of life.  Help us to understand You and your plan.  We need You, Lord.  Help us to understand how millions of babies have died through abortions and it's simply and terribly wrong.  Bless the people who have had abortions.  Forgive them.  Convict the people who think it's all right to murder these babies.  Let Christians have self-control and refrain from breaking God's laws and attempting to deliver justice to abortionists.  Help people to act like You would, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

For more on abortion, please go here: http://www.jcsm.org/biblelessons/abortioniswrong.htm

Fishes and Loaves is a new ministry that needs your prayers.  Please go to the FALO web site and see our vision.  If you fill out the form, we can send you a free cd.  We'd love to have you talk to us about prayer, being a paid, mission intern, etc. 

FALO is a missionary training and sending ministry that wants to evangelize the country of Turkey.  Turkey is the least evangelized country in the world.  They are predominantly Muslim and desperately need Jesus Christ.

Here is the Fishes and Loaves web link: http://www.gofalo.net

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

Which marriage are you or were you anticipating the most?  An earthly marriage or the spiritual marriage we will have in Heaven?

There's nothing wrong with desiring an earthly marriage, but put it in proper perspective.  Our first desire should be Christ.  Anticipate our heavenly union with Jesus.  This will be the most awesome marriage ceremony ever.

sanctify: hagiazo - to make holy, purify, consecrate, venerate, to be holy

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Kent Hovind and Erick Cobb.

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!

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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!

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