Hello!

I pray you had a great, safe weekend.

Recently, I discovered that JCSM has over 50,000 web pages on the internet!  Praise the Lord.  I wasn't keeping track, so when I added up the pages, I was stunned.  However, there is another, wonderful statistic I also discovered.

JCSM receives over 5,000 unique visitors each month!  Yes, we receive a lot of return visitors, too, but our web sites receive over 5,000 new people every month.  Please pray that JCSM keeps growing.  By this time next year, I'd like to be reaching 10 times this many people and I'd also like to continue reaching them on a personal level; making time for sincere emails and personal responses.

Did you know that the land promise, in the Old Testament, is under intense scrutiny by skeptics and atheists?  Several months ago, I discovered that there has been a lot of debate regarding the land promise that God made to Abraham and his descendants.

Right now, I'm beginning a written, formal debate with Farrell Till; one of the leading defenders of this doctrine of demons (the doctrine that states God failed to honor His land promise).  Mr. Till is an atheist and he writes for "The Skeptical Review."   He has engaged in many, public debates regarding this issue and several others.

I'm very happy about this opportunity and look forward to researching the scriptures and giving a convincing argument for the inerrancy of God's Word.  Please come and see our debate on the Inerrancy Discussion Board: http://www.inerrancy.com.  It will go for ten rounds (ten posts per person, with a maximum of five days in between posts) and we may extend it for five, additional rounds.

I'm finally pursuing my Doctorate degree!  This month, I'm officially beginning my classes in LBTS' Ph.D. program.  In approximately two years, I will receive my Ph.D. in Biblical Studies.

Please pray for this endeavor.  It will take a great deal of time, effort and money, but I'm sure it will be worth it!  JCSM's subscribers and visitors will surely be blessed, as God fills my cup to overflowing, as I study God's Word, discover the deeper things of Christ and consequently develop and create Bible lessons, research papers and much more in Jesus' name.  If you'd like to read about my Doctorate program, please go here: http://lbu.edu/biblicalstudies.htm.

I pray that God is doing a mighty work in your life that you and all the world can see.  Sanctify yourself and draw closer to Him.  You won't be disappointed.

An interesting JCSM link: http://www.jcsm.org/JCSM/SAReports.htm.  Come and see the awesome ministry JCSM has on Sermon Audio!  This web page gives stats for seven months of audio, MP3 ministry through SA.

Would you prayerfully consider supporting JCSM with $5 per month?  If God leads you to take this step of faith and bless this ministry, PayPal will process a donation subscription for you.  It will only take a minute and you can join us in this dynamic ministry that constantly reaches people all over the world.  Here is the link for $5 donations: Click here!

This is your ministry, so please feel free to link to JCSM and forward these devotions to your friends and family. On JCSM, there are over 50,000 web pages of pictures, forums, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals and much more!

JCSM has encouraging sermons, exciting debates and the Bible on MP3 online and you can freely stream and download them!  Come and listen at http://sa.jcsm.org.

If you consider yourself either a theological scholar, a seeker or a student of the Word, then you'll enjoy the Inerrancy Discussion Board.  It's the #1 place for discussing the inerrancy of God's Word!  Come and see: http://www.inerrancy.com (the Inerrancy Discussion Board is sponsored and administrated by JCSM).

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.

Visit The JCSM Study Center!  We have over 400mb of resources like English and foreign Bibles, maps, ancient literature, commentaries, Greek and Hebrew dictionaries and concordances and much more!  Plus, it's all free.  Link: http://study.jcsm.org.

Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here are the Devotions, A Moment of Introspection, 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 Gastrich, B.A., M.A.B.T.

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "We Are His Handiwork"

Psalm 33:8, 9  "Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.  For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast."

Psalm 95:6-7a  “Oh come, let us worship and bow down;  let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.  For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”

Psalm 139:14  "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."

Isaiah 64:8  "But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.

Philippians 1:6  "Be confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

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: Don't forget that God created you, so you have validity and purpose.  When you worry about your abilities, qualities or function, put your trust in the One who made you.  He has a purpose for you and He will help you complete it.

Prayer: "Thank you for creating us, Lord.  Thank you for being our awesome Creator and being wise.  Remind us that You have a purpose for us that is fantastic.  Help us to avoid thinking we are useless.  Thank you for giving us unique gifts, thoughts and qualities.  Thank you for giving us tasks that we can complete.  Help us to dwell on the positive things and not worry about the things we cannot fix or change.  Give us godliness and contentment.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "My Glorious!"

Exodus 15:11  "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods?  Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"

Psalm 72:19  "And blessed be His glorious name forever!  And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.  Amen and Amen."

Psalm 111:2-4  "The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them.  His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever.  He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;  the LORD is gracious and full of compassion."

Insight: Can you call God your God?  Is He your awesome God?  If you don't know God well enough to call Him your awesome friend, Father and God, then you should be seeking Him in a way that you could say this by the end of the year.

Prayer: "Thank you for being such an awesome and personal God!  Thank you for being our friend and an ever-present help in trouble.  Remind us that You are near.  Remind us that you are eternally faithful!  Bless us, increase our ministry, lay your hand on us and keep us from evil.  We need You, Lord.  We want to know You personally.  Thank you for being worthy of our time and devotion.  You are our glorious.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Do Not Envy"

Job 5:2  "For wrath kills a foolish man, and envy slays a simple one."

Proverbs 14:30  "A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones."

Proverbs 23:17  "Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day."

Romans 13:13, 14  "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

Galatians 5:19-21  "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:  adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

James 5:16  "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there."

1 Peter 1:1-3  "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 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."

Insight: Godliness with contentment is great gain.  Don't worry about the things you don't have.  Many have fallen into the pitfall of continually chasing material goods and selfish goals at the expense of earthly happiness and eternal riches.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us great riches through your Holy Spirit.  Help us to understand and remember that we have part of the triune God living inside of us!  Thank you for giving us awesome, intangible qualities that can never be bought or sold.  Thank you for helping us to develop our character and gain the awesome things that only You can give us.  Let us see the world like You do.  Let us pray and ask You for great things that truly help us and not silly things that give us fleeting joy.  We love You Lord and pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Homosexuality: Sinful, Yet Forgivable"

Leviticus 18:22  "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman.  It is an abomination."

Leviticus 20:13  "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.  They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them."

Romans 1:26, 27  "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions.  For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.  Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due."

1 Corinthians 6:9  "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived.  Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."

Insight: There is no doubt that the scriptures forbid homosexuality.  However, God doesn't condemn sinners without any hope of forgiveness and redemption.  Pray for homosexuals and don't forget that until they die, they have an opportunity to repent and trust Christ for forgiveness and salvation.

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting to save every kind of sinner from every kind of sin.  Forgive us for deeming some people hopeless.  Thank you for giving us many examples of people steeped in all kinds of sins that repented and made huge contributions to the kingdom of God.  Bless us and help us to value our salvation, your forgiveness and grace.  Let us be a light to sinners and share God's love with homosexuals.  Convict them and prepare their hearts for salvation.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "The Lord Will Take Vengeance"

Isaiah 1:24  "Therefore the Lord says, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, 'Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, and take vengeance on My enemies."

Isaiah 59:17-19  "For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.  According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the coastlands He will fully repay.  So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him."

Nahum 1:2, 3a  "God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; the LORD avenges and is furious.  The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies; the LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked."

Romans 12:19  "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."

1 Thessalonians 5:15  "See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all."

Insight: When you are wronged and you feel like you need to repay someone for what they have done to you, don't do it.  Remember, God has promised to judge sinners and wickedness.  Let Him do it and remain pure.

Prayer: "Thank you for loving us and giving us so much, Lord.  Thank you for blessing us much more than we deserve.  Help us to forgive people that do evil to us.  Help us to turn the other cheek.  Thank you for being inside of us.  Remind us that You will repay evildoers for their actions.  Help us to remember that You will judge sin.  Lift us up, heal us and remind us that we have the freedom and the power to overlook transgressions done to us because You will take care of them.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Money Problems"

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

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."

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."

2 Timothy 3:1-5  "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.  And from such people turn away!"

Insight: Have you ever had money problems?  Have you prayed about them?  Give everything to God; even your money issues.  He will bless you and either give you more or teach you to get by with less.  Either way, you will be drawing closer to Him and benefiting from the intimacy with God.

Prayer: "Thank you for our money issues.  Help us not to worry.  Thank you for giving an increase and for taking away.  Let us understand what it means to get by with little and get by with a lot.  Thank you for the times of plenty and the times of need.  Praise You for being an awesome God and giving us what we need.  Remind us of the things that we truly need.  Lift us up and give us joy.  Let us have your world view and not simply our culture's.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "The Ever-Existent God"

Genesis 1:1, 2  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

Ecclesiastes 3:11  "He has made everything beautiful in its time.  Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."

Isaiah 41:4  "Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning?  'I, the LORD, am the first; and with the last I am He.'"

Isaiah 44:6  "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:  'I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.'"

Revelation 1:8  "'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,' says the Lord, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'"

Revelation 22:13  "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."

Insight: God always was and always will be.  There is nothing else like Him.  He is the alpha and omega - the beginning and the end.  Worship God because He is almighty.

Prayer: "Praise You for being here forever, Lord.  Thank you for being an awesome God.  Bless us and help us to understand your greatness.  Thank you for loving us so much.  Thank you for taking the time to listen to us and help us.  Praise You for being so big.  Thank you for telling us how You created all things.  Thank you for giving us a reliable source of history and the record of our origins.  Let us trust You and not fear.  You are here and You love the people You made.  Thanks for your salvation.  Thanks for redeeming us!  You are our God.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

A Moment of Introspection

Who in your life do you need to have more patience, so you will receive a benefit?

I often hear people talking about having patience for other people because they need our patience.  How about having patience for us, too?

We can probably recall at least one person that has tried our patience in the last month.  I can think of several.  However, one of the most ugly things that can happen to a person is impatience.  I've struggled with impatience and I know how it feels and what it looks like.  It's not pretty and it's not fun.

When we can have sincere patience with someone and simply wait with joy, we can experience an awesome gift from God.  Try praying for patience, but praying for patience with joy.  I try and always pray for those together because patience isn't easy to learn and it isn't always a joyful lesson.

As we grow in patience, we begin to transcend our situations.  We begin to see those people that take two weeks to respond to an email as nice and good.  We can joyfully wait weeks for a check that was supposed to be here already.  We won't mind when a potential business partner blows us off for weeks and takes his or her sweet time in speaking to us.  We understand when someone changes their mind about a gift or a promise they've made.

There is truly nothing like the spiritual quality of patience.  Pray for it and seek it.  Step outside of your circumstances and look in with God's eyes.  Wait and be happy about it.  God is in control and worrying won't help anything.  Keep yourself occupied and continue to do God's work as you grow in patience and maturity.  It's a lesson I'm still learning, but a lesson for all people.

Write the one thing that God has been telling you to do that you have been ignoring and do it.

Perhaps He has been telling you something simple like stop eating a certain food, stop watching that TV show, start praying each day, etc.  Perhaps He is telling you something else.  Regardless of what God has been telling you, stop ignoring Him, write it down and do it.  And remember, God won't tell you to do anything that contradicts His Word.

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

Israel: he will rule as God, a symbolic name of Jacob (also of his posterity)

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 3:8-11 - God walks and talks (to himself?) in the garden, and plays a little hide and seek with Adam and Eve. God's inability to find Adam shows that, contrary to many Bible passages, he is neither omnipresent nor omniscient.

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

* God's question, "Where are you?" was a rhetorical question.  God had just created all things, so He surely knew where Adam and Eve were.  This question has rang through the ages, to all people and generations, asking them a rhetorical question about their spiritual life, "Where are you?"

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and explains over 3,000 difficulties regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.)

Compliment the good

Discuss the bad.

Light is one thing that God created and is.

Kids with bad fathers may not be interested in a Heavenly Father.

The quality of your earthly father doesn't effect the quality of your Heavenly Father.

If God tells you to say something to someone, then you need to say it.

Be God's loving and encouraging voice to others.

If you want to be blessed, do what God said.

If you take a step of faith that God is leading you to do and you are faithful in doing it, then God will bless you in a new way.

I'm in love with God.  What are you in love with?

These quotes came from God, me and Miles McPhearson.

Do you need more quotes?  We have thousands in our archives!  They are located here: http://quotes.jcsm.org.

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 written religiously, the web pages stay on the www and the readers 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 JCSM, please send your gift to the address below.

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.

If you wish to contact us in the mail or send support, please make checks payable to Jesus Christ Saves Ministries.  Here is our mailing address:

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

3219 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. #212

San Diego, CA 92117

Along with getting support, we also give support! JCSM regularly gives to churches, Christian ministries 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!

Fishes and Loaves (FALO) is a great, missions organization.  They have helped many people embark on missions trips to the uttermost parts of the world.  If you are interested in missions, please visit http://www.gofalo.net.

Do you need to find a solid, Christian church?  I've attended numerous Calvary Chapel churches and I've been very blessed by their Bible-based sermons, inspiring worship and kind members.  If you don't have a home church or need to find a new one, I recommend visiting the following site and locating a Calvary Chapel near you: http://www.calvarychapel.org.

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

JCSM has it's own, site search engine!  If you'd like to search over 1000 web sites, please go here: http://search.jcsm.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."