Hello!

Welcome to this week's devos!

We have sent over 350,000 gospel messages in the last week!  Please pray for the recipients of these messages.  We have several million more to send!

Do you want to support one of the most dynamic ministries on the internet?  Do you feel God urging you to help JCSM reach unbelievers and encourage believers?  It's really easy to give!  Just go here: http://vision.jcsm.org.

Did you know that an awesome artifact from Jesus' time has been found!  An limestone ossuary (bone box) with the following inscription, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" was found in Jerusalem and on the Mount of Olives!  This is the first, contemporary piece of evidence that we possess from Jesus' time.  If you'd like to learn more about this extraordinary find, please go here: http://bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=14492.

Ilumina has produced the first, digital Bible!  Digitally animated stories like David and Goliath and Jesus' miracles can be seen like never before!  I just got this software, today, so I haven't used it, but it looks incredible.  If you want to check it out, just go here: http://www.ilumina.com.

An incredible commentary on the book of Genesis is now on the JCSM web site!  Arthur Pink has really made the scriptures come alive with his "Gleanings In Genesis" text.  Read an excellent commentary on the book of beginnings, here: http://gleanings.jcsm.org.

The debate with Dan Barker was a success!  It lasted two, full hours as we discussed universal sin, creation, evolution, prophecy, his de-conversion and many more things.  The first, broadcast of this live recording will be this Saturday!  I'll be airing it continuously throughout the day and night.  Here is the link: http://barkerdebate.jcsm.org.  If you miss it, let me know and I'll make a way for you to heart it!  Plus, if you'd like a copy of it on audio cd or mp3 format, this can be arranged, too.

Did you know that we have exactly 99 JCSM Forum members?  Recently, there has been an influx of unbelievers.  Would you like to be the 100th member?  Would you like to share the light to some people who need God's love?  Please come and join us at http://forum.jcsm.org.

Please pray for Fishes and Loaves.  FALO is a missionary training and sending ministry that is trying to raise prayer and financial support, so they can send missionaries to Turkey.  You can learn more about them here: http://www.gofalo.net.

We pray that you are blessed this week!  We hope that your cup overflows to the point where you fill others with the love of Jesus Christ.  Stay under the fount, where the blessings come out!

Southern California Concerts: Shoutfest.com is coming to Carlsbad on October 26, Jars of Clay and The Elms are at Azusa Pacific University on October 27, Switchfoot and some others are at the Anaheim Convention Center on October 26 and The Kry is at Day 7 (Harvest Christian Fellowship) on October 27.  Where will you be?

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 86,000 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: "The Redeemed"

1 Samuel 22:2  "And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him."

1 Chronicles 12:8  "Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains."

2 Samuel 23:8  "These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time."

1 Chronicles 11:4 "And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, You shall not come in here! Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David)."

Insight: God gave David some men with big problems.  In time, these men were transformed into "mighty men of valor" that captured Jerusalem for the Israelites.  Let God change you and redeem you until you're a mighty man or woman of valor!

Prayer: "Thank you for being in the 'business' of taking used up and overlooked people and turning them into beautiful children of God.  Help us to surrender everything to You.  Thank you for knowing and doing what is best with the things we give You.  Forgive us for holding on so tightly to the things that ruin us.  Let us see things like You do.  Give us more love and more faith.  Make us like You, Lord.  Thank you for taking the time and effort to change us and love us.  Let us see our future like You do and have hope.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Holy Communion With God"

1 John 1:6, 7  "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

Amos 3:3  "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"

Hebrews 11:5  "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

Acts 13:22 "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will."

Insight: If we want communion with God, we must walk with Him, please Him, agree with Him and love Him.  Have you ever experienced this communion?  If you have, I'm sure you either want it again or don't want it to stop.

Prayer: "Thank you for showing us where to walk, Lord.  Thank you for being unchanging and having us conform to You and your will.  There is no other God like You!  Thank you for wanting to have communion with us.  Renew our minds.  Teach us and give us more understanding.  Reveal yourself to us.  Thank you for touching us and making us different and never the same.  We lift You up, Lord.  You are worthy of our praise and devotion.  Sanctify us.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit's work within us.  Give us more righteousness and a sensitivity to your Spirit.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "The Way of Cain"

Jude 1:10, 11 "But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah."

Genesis 4:3, 5, "And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD . . . but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell."

Hebrews 11:4 "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks."

1 John 3:11, 12 "For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous."

Insight: Cain didn't simply, accidentally offer the wrong sacrifice to God.  Cain blatantly rejected God's command and chose to do what was right in his own eyes.  Be an Abel and not a Cain.

Prayer: "Help us to abstain from trying to please You with our own merits and apart from doing your will.  Thank you for giving us the Bible, so we can know exactly how to please You (and how to have success).  Praise You for designing your commands in such a way that they please You and prosper us!  Help us to understand this Divine dichotomy.  Convict the people of the world, so they can see if they are being a 'Cain'.  Thank you for telling us how to approach You and how to have our sins forgiven.  Let us appreciate You and your way.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "His Banner Over Us"

Psalm 60:4 "You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah"

Isaiah 11:10 "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious."

Song of Songs 2:4 "He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love."

Insight: God's love covers us.  Just like He covered Adam and Eve with an appropriate covering, He covers us with Jesus' sacrifice.  Now, His banner over us is love!

Prayer: "Thank you for covering us and atoning for our sins.  Thank you for putting your love all over us.  Help us understand that You mean us success, goodwill and love and not evil.  Praise You for being so big and good!  There is no other God like You, Lord.  Thank you for giving us the necessary covering and not leaving it to ourselves to find a covering.  Let us understand how Jesus' perfection covers our sins.  Give us a greater understanding of You and your plan.  Thank you for increasing our knowledge.  Help us to think like You do.  Lift us up, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "The Duty of Children"

Ephesians 6:1   "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with promise:  'that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."

Colossians 3:20   "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord."

Hebrews 13:17   "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.  Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."

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."

Insight: Godly parents are in charge of their children.  Children can learn a lot from their parents, but they have to respect and obey them.  Like a godly adult trusts and obeys God, a godly child must trust and obey their parents.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us awesome laws.  Let us understand that your laws are to keep us safe and not keep us from enjoying life.  Remind us that You are a great Father.  Thank you for children and the qualities they have.  Help children to be obedient to their godly parents.  Cause parents to follow You closely and listen to your Spirit.  Thank you for all of the children who are wise by obeying their parents in the Lord.  Bless the obedient ones, Lord.  Lift them up and help them to continue walking in the light.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Take Up Your Cross"

Matthew 16:24,25   "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.'"

Matthew 10:38   "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me."

Mark 10:21   "... Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."

Luke 14:27   "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. "

Insight: Jesus' command isn't a light one.  He doesn't say, "Grab some snacks and your palm pilot, wear the right clothes, look really good and follow me."  Jesus simply wants us to crucify our fleshly desires and follow Him.

Prayer: "Help us to do what You have asked, Lord.  Thank you for being a serious God.  Remind us that even though You are a loving and gracious God, You are also a God of judgment and wrath.  Thank you for wanting us to wholeheartedly follow You.  Expose the ways of those that don't want to follow You with all their heart.  Help us to be self-analytical and take stock of our own motives and desires.  Purify us, Lord.  Give us the courage to drop everything and follow You!  You are what we need and the other things won't satisfy us.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Perhaps Today"

Revelation 3:3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you."

1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3 "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape."

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."

Insight: Jesus is coming back.  We don't know when, but we can see the signs of His coming.  Be ready!  Don't waste time or let Him return while you are in sin.  When He returns, there will be no time to repent.

Prayer: "Thank you for telling us about the rapture!  Thank you for telling us that the end times will be like the days of Noah (like when Enoch was raptured!).  Bless us, increase our ministries, lay your hand on us and keep us from evil.  We want and need more of You, Lord.  Thank you for wanting us to be sanctified.  Let us cling to You.  Show us what is right and good, Lord.  Help us to repent, now, so we can be like Christ and not be embarrassed on the day of His coming.  To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Read one book a month!  If you need any book recommendations, let me know.  God bless you as you meet this week's challenge.

biazo: to force, press, suffer

These quotes came from God, me, James de Melo, Ed Cole, Spurgeon and Arthur Pink.

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!

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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."