Hello!

I pray you had a great weekend and are having a blessed Monday.

Have you ever heard of Sermon Audio?  They have a web site and a large ministry of audio sermons and broadcasts at http://www.sermonaudio.com.  I have uploaded two debates to their site and wanted to ask you a question.  Would you be interested in hearing one or two, weekly audio messages from me (at no charge to you)?  I'm prayerfully considering using their service and uploading two messages per week.

The Sunday message will be a spiritual nugget that impacted me (probably from the devotions).  It will be about 15 minutes long.  The topic of the second, weekly message will vary.  Please email me and let me know if this sounds interesting to you!  Their service is only $30/month and in only two days, my two debates (and entire ministry) have received a large amount of exposure on their web sites.  Therefore, I'm thinking and hearing God's Spirit tell me that more audio messages will be accepted, heard and used as encouragement as well.

Come and hear this week's audio message!  It is only 11 minutes long and it covers two subjects: 1) Nimrod: A Type of Anti-Christ and 2) Science Can't Contain God.  For some free, audio encouragement (our very first program in our "Encouraging Word" series), please go here: http://www.sermonaudio.com/jcsm.

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Gospel Alert: In the last week, we sent the gospel to over 100,000 people.  Please pray for these recipients of the good news!

Recently, two international ministry contacted me because they need some ministry supplies.  Please pray that someone decides to help them.  I hope we can squeeze them into our budget because I'd like to help the people of Zimbabwe and Cameroon.

I pray that you are blessed and edified!  Jesus loves you and has high hopes for you.  Trust Him and seek His will.  You won't be the same.

An interesting JCSM link: Free Food Band - http://jcsm.org/MP3.htm.  My MP3's have been played nearly 200 times on MP3.com!  Come and listen and be encouraged.

JCSM is gathering information about creating it's own Christian search engine!  If you have an idea for a name, please email us.  You can see if your idea is available, here: http://whois.jcsm.org.  Perhaps, "godsearch.com" or "godengine.com"?

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 89,000 visits!

If you need to email me, please see the email address below. Hitting "reply" to this message isn't the best way to email 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: "Science Can't Contain God"

Joshua 10:12-14 "Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon. So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel."

Matthew 8:23-27 "Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing! But He said to them, 'Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?' Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, 'Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?'”

Matthew 11:4, 5  "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.'"

Matthew 14:25-27  "Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.'"

Insight: The Creator of science can transcend scientific laws.  Discovering how and why God made things is wonderful.  However, don't glorify science or think God is contained or limited by it.

Prayer: "Thank you for doing incredible things, Lord!  Thank you for doing things each day that transcend the laws of science and human understanding.  Forgive us for not listing these things and praising You all the time for them.  Thank you for being such an awesome God.  Thank you for making things in a way that we cannot explain everything with scientific proofs and reasoning.  Thank you for purposely doing things that make the people who are wise in their own eyes actually fools in yours.  Give us wisdom and knowledge, Lord.  If we have learned things that are incorrect, please help us to unlearn them and embrace your truth.  You are the way, the truth and the life and we believe in You.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "God Is the Light"

Genesis 1:3, 4  "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the 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.'”

Revelation 21:23  "The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light."

Revelation 22:5  "There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.  And they shall reign forever and ever."

Insight: God made light before He made the stars and the sun.  One created thing that Jesus compared Himself to was the light.  This light will shine throughout eternity and we won't need the sun to see.  We will have the Son and His light!

Prayer: "Thank you for lighting our path, Lord.  Thank you for being our awesome and bright light.  Remind us that You are shining on us.  Forgive us for seeking lesser lights.  Change us and make us like You, Lord.  Help us to reflect your light into the whole world.  Thank you for the mesmerizing qualities of your light.  Thank you also for the eerie darkness that is sin.  Give us discernment, so we can tell the differences between the subtle tones.  Praise You for being the God of light and truth.  Lift us up and show us your ways.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "The Power of God's Word"

Isaiah 55:10, 11  "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent 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."

Hebrews 13:8  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Matthew 17:14-21 "And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 'Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.' And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, 'Why could we not cast it out? So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Insight: Is there anything more powerful than God's Word?  When correcting a brother or sister in Christ, simply use God's Word and get out of the way.  His words will always be more perfect than ours.  Additionally, don't worry if it looks like people aren't receiving God's Word.  It still performs a purpose for God!

Prayer: "Thank you for your awesome and powerful Word, Lord.  Thank you for penetrating our souls with your eternal words of truth.  Forgive us for neglecting your Word.  Help us to read it with fervor and anticipation.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit that convicts us to righteousness.  Remind us that we can only trust You as much as we know You and we know You by reading your Word and discovering You.  Praise You for taking the time to seek us and love us.  Help us to remember that You are worthy of our time and devotion.  Light a fire within us to seek You.  Thank you for satisfying thirsty souls.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "God's Incredible Time Table"

Gen. 18:9-14  "Then they said to him, 'Where is Sarah your wife?' So he said, 'Here, in the tent.' And He said, 'I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.' (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, 'After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?' And the LORD said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 'Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.'”

Matthew 8:29  "And suddenly they cried out, saying, 'What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?'"

John 7:6-8  "Then Jesus said to them, 'My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”

Galatians 4:4, 5  "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."

Insight: The Creator of time has perfect timing.  Don't worry if it seems like God is running late.  You're running early.  Try and calibrate your clock to His.  Life will run much smoother.

Prayer: "Thank you for being in charge and on the throne.  Thank you for giving us the freedom to let You handle the huge things in life.  Give us more faith in You.  Remove our worries and fears.  Give us joy with patience.  Let us see You and how things truly are.  We need You, Lord.  Thank you for teaching us things while we experience your timing.  Let us be flexible and understanding.  Help us to be seekers of truth and knowledge and not simply self.  Remove our selfishness and pride and give us meekness and humility.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Don't Show Partiality"  

Exodus 23:3  "You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute."

Deuteronomy 1:17a  "You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s."

Deuteronomy 16:19  "You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. "

Job 32:21  "Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone; nor let me flatter any man."

Proverbs 18:5  "It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, or to overthrow the righteous in judgment."

Proverbs 28:21  "To show partiality is not good, because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

James 2:8,9  "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors."

Insight: Partiality clouds judgment.  When you look at people, see them as God would see them.  Don't worry about social status, appearances, popularity, money, etc.  Let the Spirit be your guide, love others and treat them like God would.

Prayer: "Thank you for teaching us how to be.  Thank you for loving all people.  Help us to be impartial with our judgments and advice.  Thank you for sending Jesus Christ to Earth to show us how to interpret the scriptures.  Let us be like Him, Lord.  Thank you for the people who have treated us correctly, even though we weren't perfect.  Change people and help them to see things like You do.  Forgive us for walking by sight and not by faith.  We need You, Lord.  Thanks for being the God of our salvation!  There is no other like You.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Respect People"

Philippians 2:3, 4   "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

1 Thessalonians 5:11  "Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing."

1 Corinthians 2:1, 2  "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.  For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

Romans 3:23  "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

1 Peter 5:6  "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time."

Insight: Will anyone listen to you if you don't respect them?  While we don't need to be a respecter of titles, we should be a respecter of persons.  Remember that God loves everyone; even the people you despise.

Prayer: "Thank you for your love, Lord.  Help us to love like You do.  Let us respect the people that are hard to respect.  Forgive us for thinking we are above others.  Help us not to use our human reasoning while thinking we are great and they are not.  Remind us that the ground is level at the foot of the cross.  Thank you for the joy of loving others deeply and from the heart!  Show us how we can do this and please You.  We will glorify You through our love and respect for others.  You are an awesome God and we praise and honor You.  Show us who to love and we will edify and exhort them.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Obey God"

Deuteronomy 13:4  "You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him."

1 Samuel 15:22b  "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams."

Job 36:11  "If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures."

1 Peter 1:22,23   "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever."

Insight: Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.  Once we realize that God's commands please Him and give us blessings and success, we should eagerly obey Him.  His laws are not arbitrary and the ones who have tasted his ways have seen that they are good.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us awesome laws that help our lives.  Thank you for being like a good father that builds a fence around his yard - not to keep the children from enjoying themselves, but to keep them from getting killed in the busy street.  Remind us that You are trustworthy and righteous.  Help us to remember the times when You were right and perfect.  Forgive us for pretending like we know better.  Forgive us for following our own foolishness until we experience ruin, loss and destruction.  Set us on the right path and keep our feet on the Rock that is You.  Thank you for loving us enough to give us your laws!  Help us to see things in a correct light and forget the way this world sees laws and correction.  You are our God and we need your Words.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Abstain from watching television for 48 hours! 

If you don't own a television, then you'll have to abstain from something else and dedicate that time to God.  However, if you're like most people (in the U.S., at least), you have a couple televisions.

Do you hear commercials in your head when you're sleeping?  Do you habitually think about your shows?  Are you intent on watching certain shows and getting upset if you miss them?  If you said yes to any of the above, you should join me on this challenge.

I'm giving up television on Tuesday and Wednesday.  This will be a great and refreshing time.  I pray that you join me and use the extra time to enjoy life and spend some time with God.

As I've already mentioned, I'm taking a wonderful, graduate course in Genesis.  I'll be posting all of my papers on the web, but not for another week or two.  Today, I wrote a paper on Nimrod and how he is a type of the Anti-Christ who is to come. 

There are many similarities between these two people!  I hope you are encouraged and intrigued as you read my paper below.

Nimrod: A Type of Anti-Christ

According to the scriptures, the person of Nimrod was a type of the Anti-Christ who is to come. There are specific similarities between these two men, leading one to understand that Nimrod foreshadows the Anti-Christ who is mentioned in Daniel, 2 Thessalonians and Revelation.

The name "Nimrod" means "rebel". As he built Babel, he rebelled against Jehovah. Similarly, in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, the Anti-Christ is called "the lawless one" because he will rebel against God, too.

Nimrod wore the title of "King" and ruled from Babylon (the same location as ancient Babel). He desired to install a kingdom that did as they pleased and replaced God’s authority. The Anti-Christ is also called a "King", which implies an influential, political figure like Nimrod. Furthermore, the scriptures state that the Anti-Christ will exalt himself over everyone (Daniel 11:36, 37). The Anti-Christ is called the "King of Babylon" (Isaiah 14:4) and he is connected with "Mystery Babylon" in Revelation 17:3-5.

One of Nimrod’s sins was wanting "a name", which included being famous. This sinful desire was pride; an attribute shared with the Anti-Christ. The Devil wanted to be worshiped in Heaven and the same pride will be seen in the Anti-Christ when he forces people to either worship the image of the Beast or die (Revelation 13:15). Both Nimrod and the Anti-Christ share the same desire to remove the people’s focus from God and the truth of His Word and give them a counterfeit substitute, leading only to destruction.

day: yom - from sunrise to sunset or from sunset to sunset

Evolution is the theory that our origins based on humanistic science.

God created science.

If you don’t believe God created humans, then you don’t believe the Bible.

If brilliant scientists can’t produce life in a highly controlled lab, how could it happen on it’s own, by random chance?

The minute you let science interpret the Bible is the minute you begin getting into trouble.

Don’t let any worldly philosophy or book make you distrust the Bible.

All 359 times "yom" is used outside of Genesis 1, when it is associated with a number, it means a literal day.

How could Genesis 1:14 tell us that the "sky lights" (like stars) were given to distinguish days, years and seasons if "days" means millions of years?

The Bible ties itself together all throughout the Bible.

Don’t be shocked that the evolution of species is taught by the public and against the Bible. It is simply one of the many things the world teaches that goes against the Bible because they won’t accept and believe God.

Why do people walk around in spiritual darkness and try and see better with money?

Because the Bible is a living book, no portion of it is obsolete.

God is in no hurry to do His perfect will.

These quotes came from God, me, God's Little Devotional Calendar (Tyndale), Arthur Pink 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!

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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."