Hello!

I pray you're having a great week.

Good news!  JCSM's main web page received a record 212 hits on Tuesday!  Praise the Lord for this increase.  Please pray that it doubles and doubles, again!  Nothing is too great for the Lord.

Please email me and/or Dan Barker questions for our upcoming debate.  We will be discussing creation, evolution, prophecy, religion, etc.  Dan has "deconverted" from being a Christian pastor and we will both be answering some questions that you send at the end of our debate.  This debate will be aired on Saturday, October 26.

Do you like taking polls?  I have two, quick web polls on JCSM.  When you have a minute, please come and tell us about your denomination and your salvation!  Poll links:  http://www.jcsm.org/denom/ and http://spoll.jcsm.org.

JCSM has received over 40 web awards!  If you'd like to see them, please go here: http://www.jcsm.org/JCSM/JCSMAwards.htm.

Sun Tzu has said, "Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer."  Well, I don't necessarily have enemies at NARAL, but I'm sure I'm an enemy to them.  I've been on their mailing list for some time, so I can monitor their issues and events that are anti-Christian. 

When you have a minute, please visit the following sites.  NARAL, an anti-life, pro-premarital sex, liberal, activist organization has gained access to several politicians and you can fill out their form and send them the right message!  Make sure to erase the message they input in the form and write your own.  Here are the links: http://naralaction.org/campaign/FDACommittee/alerts and http://naralaction.org/campaign/FDACommittee?rk=edqSNmK1jPDkW.

Do you need a subdomain for your web site or ministry?  If you have a site name like: http://members.aol.com/jesuzisdaway/mainpage.htm, you could have a name like: http://jesuz.jcsm.org!  Email me if you'd like a free subdomain and you can choose the name!

I pray that you are blessed as you pray big!  God doesn't live in a small box, so don't keep Him there in your mind.  Lift Him up and give it all to Him.  He will lift you up and bless you.

I'm beginning a season with an outdoor soccer team!  Please pray that our team does well, we glorify God and keep from getting injured.  I'm a little rusty, but this season should "shake the rust off"!

Upcoming album releases: Oct. 22 - Phil Joel releases his "Bring It On" album and The Elms release "Truth, Soul and Rock N Roll"!

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 85,000 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 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: "Get Zealous!"

Proverb 23:17 "Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day;"

1 Corinthians 4:12 "Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel."

Revelation 3:19 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."

Insight: Is stale Christianity present in your church?  in your life?  Read the scriptures, sing praises to God, remember the times that He has been there for you and be zealous for the Lord!  Consider how He has saved you and ask God to be zealous.

Prayer: "Thank you for the people who are zealous for you!  Thank you for all the Christians that know You and are genuinely excited about their salvation.  Help us to understand the incredible gift that we've been given.  Forgive us for only being moderately excited or happy.  Lift us up and let us see You more clearly.  Help us to dig into the scriptures and find You.  Praise You for revealing yourself to us.  There is no other God like You!  Thank you for loving us more than we understand.  Let us have more faith and love.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "We're Unworthy"

Luke 3:16 "John answered, saying to all, I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

Philippians 3:8, 9 "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;"

Revelation 5:11, 12 "Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

Insight: Jesus is the worthy one.  We are unworthy of God's blessings and eternal life.  Not only did we inherit Adam's sin, but we sinned on our own.  Without God's regeneration and redemption through the Holy Spirit, we'd be left in our unworthiness and sin.  Praise God for His worthy sacrifice for our sins!

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us your worthiness, Lord.  Thank you for creating humans in a wonderful condition until the Fall.  Help us to understand both our inherited sin and the sins we've committed.  Forgive us for our sins, Lord.  Thank you for being a holy God, yet wanting us to come to You.  Let us understand the depth and depravity of sin.  Thank you for providing a way to become clean!  Let us cling to Jesus, our only hope and only redemption.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Working Is Essential"

Proverbs 6:6-11 "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep — So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man."

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12  "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread."

1 Timothy 5:8  "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

Insight: Are you working?  If so, are you working enough?  We need to be working enough to support our family and ourselves.  Hopefully, we even have extra for giving to the needy.  Pray that you can achieve balance in your work life - not too much and not too little work.

Prayer: "Thank you for the work that you provide for us.  Help us to see your blessings and give You thanks.  Thank you for giving us jobs, so we can glorify You and support our families.  Bless our work.  Let us strike the right balance and not work too much or too little.  Thank you for the people who understand this concept and have years of experience doing exactly what they should do.  Give us more faith that You will always provide for us.  Help us to do our part and work hard.  Remind us that the harvest is ripe and we need to be sharing the gospel often.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Boast About It!"

2 Corinthians 12:5  "Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities."

Galatians 6:14  "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

1 Corinthians 1:31  "It is written, 'He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.'"

Insight: Be careful and don't boast about yourself.  God lifts up the humble and opposes the proud.  Boast about God!  God is awesome and you can't go wrong by telling others about Him.

Prayer: "Thank you for being incredible!  Thank you for being worth more than we can say or understand.  Thank you for loving us and giving us awesome things.  Help us to see how You have been true to your promises, Lord.  No other god can give us or promise us what You give and promise.  All other powers submit to You.  You are the one and only, uncreated God.  Help us to praise You with our friends and with our enemies.  Remind us of the awesome things You have done, Lord.  You are my God and my everything!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Always Give Glory To God"

Jeremiah 13:16   "Give glory to the Lord your God before He causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death and makes it dense darkness."

Psalm 108:1   "O God, my heart is steadfast;  I will sing and give praise, even with my glory."

1 Corinthians 10:31   "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

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."

1 Timothy 1:17   "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen."

Jude 1:25   "To God our Savior, be glory and majesty, who alone is wise, dominion and power, both now and forever.  Amen."

Revelation 7:12   "Amen!  Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever.  Amen."

Insight: We should worship the Creator and not the creation.  Remember to give God the glory and the highest praise!  Don't just assume that praising His creation is praising Him.  Praise Him directly and deliberately.

Prayer: "Remind us that You need to be glorified, Lord.  Help us to glorify You in all the areas of our life.  Forgive us for neglecting to glorify You.  Even though we cannot physically see You, You are here and deserving of all glory.  Remind us of the things that You have shown us that nobody else could do.  To You belong all glory and honor and praise.  Let us lift You up high.  Cause us to spontaneously worship You all throughout the day, Lord.  Let us give You glory for our accomplishments and help us to do all things in Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Why Do We Breathe?"

Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!"

Matthew 22:37-40 "Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

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."

Insight: Live to glorify and love God.  When you put Him first, everything else will fall into place.  It is when we dethrone God and put something else in His place that we run into trouble.  Remember why you're here and experience God.

Prayer: "Thank you for showing us the meaning of life.  No matter what anybody else says, does or teaches us, remind us that loving You is what life is about.  Help us to wholeheartedly love, serve and worship You.  Remind us to prioritize things correctly - even our love, worship and service.  Let us be diligent students of your Word, Lord!  We want to know You and what You want.  Thank you for giving us the awesome stories in the Old Testament.  Thank you for appealing to the rich and the poor, the smart and the slow, the good and the evil.  Help us to put You and keep You in first place.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "All Creation Speaks of God"

Psalm 19:1   "The heavens declare the glory of God;  and the firmament shows His handiwork."

Psalm 97:6   "The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory."

Romans 1:20   "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse"

Colossians 1:16   "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him. "

Insight: Have you seen the wind?  I've never seen the wind, but I've seen the effects of the wind.  There is a mystery to it!  Remember God when you see and experience the unexplainable things in this world.

Prayer: "Thank you for talking so loudly through your creation!  Help us not to deny the obvious things in life.  Thank you for making this world so incredibly.  Let us not think this world happened by chance.  Show the errors in godless thinking.  Praise You for wanting us to see You in the things You have made.  Thank you for bringing one word to our minds as we look outside and see You: purpose!  You are an omniscient God with a plan and a purpose that is much higher than us.  We love You, Lord!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Recently, I've accepted the Holy Spirit's challenge to give 20-25% of my family's (and ministry's) income to Christian ministries and the needy.  Please pray about doing the same!

If this challenge is "not for you", then pray about taking the next step in your spiritual walk with God.  There surely is something "for you" to do.

For those that are interested in giving, you will be blessed, tremendously.  It's quite a release to be more generous and it's great to not worry about calculating that strict, 10% each month!  I'm quite sure Jesus would want us to give freely to Him and the people who use their lives and resources for His glory.

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!  Remember, you can never out-give God!

Have you ever given up your comfort for the cause of Christ?

atonement: kaphar - covering, placate, please, be merciful, pacify, reconcile

These quotes came from God, me 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."