Hello!

Welcome to this week's devotions!

Are you a Christian living outside of the U.S.?  If so, we'd really like to hear about Christianity in your country.  We have a special web site called "The International Christians' Page" where over 15 people in different countries have told us what it's like to be a Christian for them.  Recently, we added another country to our list: Indonesia.  Please go to the following site and see: http://www.jcsm.org/InternationalChristians.htm.

My debate with atheist, ex-pastor Dan Barker (http://www.ffrf.org/lfif/biodan.html) is set and confirmed for October 24th!  This debate will be aired, in it's entirety, on October 26th.  I'll begin airing it in the morning and will continue broadcasting it all day, so you can tune in any time and hear it.  The link for the debate will be http://broadcast.jcsm.org  It doesn't work now, though, because I'm not broadcasting, now.

Please pray for me and the listeners who hear this debate.  I've been shopping it around the atheist communities and have gotten a lot of interest.  I've also received another offer to debate an atheist named Rob Sherman (http://www.robsherman.com).

The UK has produced a sizable document about Iraq's WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and their failure to comply with U.N. resolutions.  This document is on the web, so if you'd like to see it (along with a statement from Tony Blair), please go here: http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page6117.asp.

Please pray for Ken from Calvary Baptist.  He's undergoing heart surgery, today.

God bless you as you reach to Him in faith and love!  Experience God's blessings as you obey and trust Him.

Tonight, Switchfoot is playing in San Diego!  Friday, Creed plays at SDSU!  Saturday, the Festival Con Dios comes to Long Beach!  Email me for more details.

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 83,000 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 Hebrew 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: "Only Two Groups"

Matthew 25:31-46  "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Insight: Jesus gives us a unique insight and picture of Heaven.  There are two groups: sheep and goats (believers and unbelievers).  There are no Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists, Calvinists, etc.  Although some groups believe differently than you on the non-essential doctrines of Christianity, remember how Jesus sees them.

Prayer: "Thank you for seeing through the things that divide us.  Thank you for being the way, the truth and the life.  Remind us that your Word is true and we should be one.  Help us to love people even when we disagree with them.  Praise You for being such a good and big God!  There is no other like You, Lord.  Thank you for giving us one book to find You.  Help us to interpret it correctly.  Thank you that it is deliberate and obvious when it comes to the core issues of Christianity.  Forgive us for complicating the simple things.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "From Weakness to Strength"

1 Peter 2:2, 3 "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."

Hebrews 5:13, 14 "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

2 Corinthians 12:10 "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Insight: Christ is always moving us from our weakness to His strength.  Join Him and don't fight Him in this process!  Accept His power and overcome sin with it.  Use God's Word to be edified, glorify God and encourage others.

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to lean on You for strength.  Thank you for wanting to move us from our weakness.  Remind us how dependence on You means power!  Thank you for lifting us up when we are weak and showing your power through our weakness.  Help us to see your awesome hand in our life.  Help us to see how You push us and help us when we are tired and weary.  Lift us up, today, Lord.  Give us your love and power!  Open our eyes and give us strength through You.  Thank you for being a good God and giving us a deep and pure strength.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Like . . . Like . . . Like"

Revelation 4:3, 6, 7  "And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle."

Revelation 6:1 "Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, Come and see.”

Revelation 21:18-21 "The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass."

Insight: The word "like" (Greek: homoyos) was used more in Revelation than any other New Testament book.  The things John saw in Heaven were so awesome, incredible and without reference to anything he knew, he had to compare them to known things by the word "like".

Prayer: "Thank you for creating things that are beyond our understanding and comprehension.  Thank you for John who saw Heaven and tried to record it correctly.  Bless us, increase our ministry, lay your hand on us and keep us from evil, Lord.  Thank you for the way You designed us.  Help us to accept the way we are and not detest it.  Praise You for knowing more than us.  Thank you for promising us awesome things!  Help us to trust You deeply and love You more each day.  Thank you for promising us greater things than anybody else.  Remind us how You have already proven yourself true by being true to many, provable promises.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Money Lessons"

1 Timothy 6:10   "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

Ecclesiastes 5:10   "He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase.  This also is vanity."

Ecclesiastes 7:12   "For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, but the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it."

Isaiah 55:2   "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?  Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance."

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Insight: The Bible talks about money a lot.  Do you know and obey the passages about finances?  Be careful with your money and remember you are God's steward.  Invest in God's kingdom without reservation.

Prayer: "Thank you for all the verses about money.  Help us to be wise with the funds that You give us.  Forgive us for being too frugal or too free with our money.  Show us how to strike the right balance.  Show us people who are needy, so we can give to them.  Remind us that we are only stewards of your blessings.  Thank you for entrusting us with these things.  Thank you for being a good God and letting us enjoy awesome things.  Remind us that no matter how much we enjoy the things of this world, we live in a fallen universe and we should be laying up our treasures in Heaven.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "He Saw and Forgot"

John 1:29, 32-34 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! And John bore witness, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Luke 7:20-23 "When the men had come to Him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

John 20:29 "Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Insight: Do you remember the things God has shown you?  Consider writing them and recording them because memories fade and the Devil would love for you to forget what God has done.  Be mindful of God's power, His plan and His faithfulness in your life.

Prayer: "Thank you for the great and mighty things You have shown us!  Give us discipline, so we can record them and never forget.  Praise You for the rich heritage that You have given to many.  Let us continue walking in your steps, Lord.  Thank you for doing great miracles in our lives.  Thank you for loving us much more than we deserve.  Forgive us when we forget what You have done.  Forgive us for simply seeking a feeling or another selfish blessing.  Let us throw our crowns at your feet and praise You.  We need You and whatever You wish to show us and give us.  Help us never forget these things.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "I Belong To You"

1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."

Isaiah 43:1 "But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine."

Psalm 100:3 "Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture."

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Insight: I belong to the Lord.  He has bought me with a price and I don't have enough of what it takes to buy myself back!  I am the Creator's and the Creator is mine.  He made me and desires to have me.  Hallelujah!

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us, Lord!  Thank you for not neglecting your creation.  Remind us that we have been bought by You.  Remind us that You hold us in the palm of your hand.  Praise You for taking us now and promising us eternal life in Heaven.  You are an awesome God!  Thank you for redeeming us.  No other God or person can redeem us like You do.  Show us your glory and power, Lord.  We are your clay.  Help us to obey You and do good works in your name.  Give us great joy!  We have a place in Heaven and a God who wants us there.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Be Faithful"

Matthew 5:37   "But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

Proverbs 11:13   "A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter."

Proverbs 13:17   "A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful ambassador brings health."

Proverbs 14:5   " faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness will utter lies."

Proverbs 27:6   "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

Proverbs 28:20   "A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished."

Luke 16:10-12   "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?"

2 Timothy 2:13 "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."

Insight: God has been faithful to His promises for thousands of years.  Can we be faithful for one week?  one month?  one year?  Pray to be a faithful friend and servant of the Lord.  Emulate God.  He desires our faithfulness.

Prayer: "Thank you for being our perfect example of faithfulness!  Help us to be faithful, too.  Forgive us for the times when we have been unfaithful, Lord.  Thank you for being faithful, despite our unfaithfulness.  Help us to be faithful to You and others.  Thank you for the friends that have been faithful to us.  Bless them and give them great things.  Remind us how encouraging it is to have a faithful friend.  Thank you for being the Rock of Ages that people can stand on and trust.  Your faithfulness is something that people have adored and needed since the beginning of time.  Let us be like You, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Look at the people around you - the people you know.  Are they going to Heaven?  Don't you want to bring them with you?

When we get to Heaven, there will inevitably be a celebration.  Heaven is a place that, in large, defies our imagination.  We do know that there will be no sin there and no suffering.  We also know that Heaven is eternal.

Who is going to be excited for eternity that you invited them into God's kingdom?  Will you have a bunch of people giving you "high fives"?  Or will you just be happy that you got in?

The challenge for this week is to share the gospel with someone.  You could tell them personally, leave them a note, forward them the gospel message, give them a link to our site, etc.  God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

glad: sameach - gleeful, joyful, merry, rejoicing

These quotes came from God, me, God's Little Devotional Calendar (Tyndale), Erick Cobb, Howard Everett and Justin Anderson.

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 Tuesdays, our Bible lesson is sent on Thursdays, 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.

OCCM (Online Christ-Centered Ministries) has certified JCSM as a ministry that preaches the true, biblical gospel of Jesus Christ.  OCCM is an accrediting agency for ministries and people that reside on and off the internet.  Are you OCCM certified?  For more information, go here: http://www.occm.org.

Over 5000 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."