The Weekly Devotions ~ #297 ~ http://www.jcsm.org

Hello!

I hope you had a great weekend.

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The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained is almost finished! It will be done in a matter of hours. This Monday is the last day to pre-order it for only $12 (plus, free shipping to U.S. customers). If you want answers to thousands of Bible difficulties or you just want to increase your knowledge and understanding of the scriptures, then you'll want to get this e-book software! Here is the link for more information: http://skepticsannotatedbible.org.

Last week, we were thankful to receive an ISBN number for the SAB: Corrected and Explained. We are now planning on featuring our this software on Amazon.com and in several, Christian bookstore chains! If you have any ideas about marketing, please let us know.

Did the Israelites really have a 430 year sojourn? Were they really afflicted for 400 years? If you'd like to see my research on these things and the scriptural timeline behind them, please visit this next site. I was pleased to see how these numbers fit into history and illustrated the Bible's harmony. Link: http://www.jcsm.org/biblelessons/430-400.htm.

The Easton's Bible dictionary is a great resource for Bible research. There are several free ones online. Here is a link to one of them: http://www.site-berea.com/D/ebd/index.html.

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Please pray for my wife's Grandma and sister. Over the weekend, they were in a car accident in Los Angeles. Her sister is recovering quickly, but her Grandma is still in the hospital and suffering from paralysis. They are all Christians, so that is a good thing. They still need our prayers and God's touch, though.

Please pray for my friend's cancer treatments. Barb is fighting cancer and winning. Her faith is helping, so God will be glorified.

On Saturday, I sprained my ankle playing football. I'm in a church, flag football league. Please pray that it heals, soon. It is very swollen and I can't put much pressure on it.

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Would you like to support God’s work on the web? If this ministry has touched you in a special way, please pray and consider sending a gift to JCSM. You can join us in our vision to reach people on the web with the good news! Either email me for more information or simply go here: http://vision.jcsm.org.

Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here are the Devotions, JCSM's Challenge, the Hebrew Bible Word of the Week, a faith-builder from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" and the Quotes of the Week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason J. Gastrich

http://jcsm.org/contact.php

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "The Uncircumcised Heart"

Leviticus 26:41b, 42 "If their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt - then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land."

Jeremiah 9:25, 26 "'Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will punish all who are circumcised with the uncircumcised - Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the farthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart."

Ezekiel 44:9 "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.'"

Acts 7:41 "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you."

Insight: Circumcision was part of the Old Covenant, so it is not a requirement for New Testament Christians. However, the phrase "uncircumcised heart" may still apply. Uncircumcised people meant pagans or people who rejected God and His Spirit. Make sure you don't have an uncircumcised heart.

Prayer: "Thank you for loving us, Lord. Thank you for blessing us and making us like You. Forgive our sins. Purify us. Circumcise our hearts, Lord. Let us be fully devoted to You. Thank you for being such a good God and so worthy of our devotion. Thank you for giving us a new and better Covenant, too. Let us understand You and your ways. Help us to see things like You do. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "How Are You Inquiring of the Lord?"

1 Samuel 28:6, 7 "And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, 'Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.'"

1 Chronicles 10:13, 14 "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse."

Insight: In 1 Samuel 28:6, this Hebrew word for "inquire" means "demand". Saul didn't pray or fast he didn't worship God or seek Him. He simply demanded an answer and didn't get one. This Hebrew word for "inquire", in 1 Chronicles 10:14, is a different word. It means "worship", "seek", "search", "follow" and "ask". If he would have approached God in this way, then He surely would have been more inclined to answer him.

Prayer: "Thank you for teaching us how You want us to approach You. Thank you for giving us so much, already. Let us see what we need and what we don't need. Praise You for being a good God. Thank you for blessing us with more than we deserve. Help us to seek You with our whole heart and not simply seek You when we want something. Let us be fully devoted and worship You in prayer and supplication. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "We Are Strong in the Lord"

Job 9:19a "If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong;"

Psalm 18:1-2 "I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Joel 3:10b "Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'"

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."

1 Peter 5:10 "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

Insight: Since God is the Creator of all, He is stronger than all. If we want His strength, then we need to align with Him, seek Him and ask for it. God will give us ample strength to complete our tasks and do His will.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us great strength, Lord. Thank you for being our power source. Remind us that You have enormous power. Thank you for showing yourself to us in real ways. Let us seek You in our time of need and forget about running to lesser power sources. You are the greatest. Thank you for having patience on us when we don't ask You. Give us patience with ourselves as we grow and learn. Praise You for being our God. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Eternal Life"

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 6:47 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life."

John 11:25, 26 "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?'"

John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

1 John 5:13 "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

Insight: Do you have eternal life? God's gift of eternal life is for you. Take a minute to reflect on eternal life and make sure you have repented from your sins and trusted, believed and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Prayer: "Thank you for offering people eternal life! Help us to understand this awesome gift. Thank you for being a loving God. Praise You for your multi-faceted character. Help people understand how You are a God of peace and a God of war, a God of justice and a God of mercy. Thank you for having mercy, now, but promising to apply righteous judgment, later. Thank you for having such deep grace. We love You and pray that more and more people repent and turn to You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "God is Faithful"

Deuteronomy 7:9 "Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments."

Psalm 105:8 "He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations."

Psalm 119:89, 90 "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides."

Isaiah 54:10 "'For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,' says the LORD, who has mercy on you."

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

Insight: God is everywhere. He is also all-powerful. When you needed help or needed a friend, have you thought of these things? Remember God's faithfulness!

Prayer: "Thank you for being here for me, Lord. Thank you for being everywhere at once. You are my faithful God. Help me to always remember your faithfulness. Thank you for being willing and able to answer my prayers. Thank you for going ahead of me and behind me. You are an awesome God. Thank you for blessing me and revealing great mysteries to me. Praise You for your power, your knowledge and your might. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Pray and Ask"

Psalm 50:15 "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

Psalm 55:17 "Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice."

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."

Matthew 7:7, 8 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

Matthew 21:22 "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

John 14:12-14 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

James 5:16 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

1 John 5:14, 15 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

Insight: Some people think they are on God's permanent mailing list for blessings and never have to ask for anything. This isn't entirely true. When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He asked for things and God answered His prayers. Don't forget to ask.

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting to hear us pray to You. Bless us, increase our ministries, lay your hand on us and keep us from evil. We love You, Lord. We love, You. Give us wisdom. Let us understand things like You do. Lift us up and give us joy. Thank you for increasing our character and the qualities that we have. Increase our faith and our love, Lord. Let us find it easier and easier to believe in You and your promises. Remove our worries and our fears. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "A Little Patience"

Luke 21:19 "By your patience, possess your souls."

Romans 15:5, 6 "Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Thessalonians 3:5 "Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ."

1 Timothy 6:11 "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness."

Hebrews 6:2 "Do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Insight: Do you ever pray for patience? If you do, then you probably face times of waiting. Pray for joy with patience and try and be content and joyful as you wait.

Prayer: "Thanks for those times when we have to wait, Lord. Help us not to worry. Thank you for the times when You are in control and we are not. Let us trust You and know that You have a plan. Praise You for developing our character. Let us understand why we are waiting and use the time wisely. Thank you for knowing more than we do. Help us to trust You more and not impose our will. You are perfect and we submit to You, Lord. Give us joy with patience. In Jesus' name, Amen."

JCSM's Challenge

Ask someone if you can pray for them!

I tried this for a week and got a few responses. Only about 25% of the people I asked gave me prayer requests, though.

Let people know that you are there for them and willing to pray for them.

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

The Hebrew Bible Word of the Week

LORD (Old Testament): Jehovah - self-existent or eternal, the Jewish national name of God

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 1:17 - "And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth." Really? Then why are only a tiny fraction of stars visible from earth? Under the best conditions, no more than five thousand stars are visible from earth with the unaided eye, yet there are hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy and a hundred billion or so galaxies. Yet this verse says that God put the stars in the firmament "to give light" to the earth.

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:

* The light was given by the stars for our calendar system (and there are several other reasons for starlight). Only a tiny fraction of the existing stars are visible from Earth because the rest are too far away to see.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Jason Gastrich. This book is on cd and explains over 1,000 difficulties regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.)

The Quotes of the Week

There were no quotes this week. If you'd like to read some quotes, please visit our archive. We have thousands of wise quotations! Link: http://quotes.jcsm.org.

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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."