Hello!

I hope you had a blessed weekend.

Please pray that our federal, non-profit incorporation is granted, soon.  All of our paperwork has been given to the IRS, so we are simply waiting, now.  We've already responded to their letters, twice, and provided additional information.  Now it's in God's hands!

We've had some trouble with our mailing list host.  They had an outage and it prevented us from sending last week's devotions.  If you have any suggestions, please let us know.  It appears to be working, now, but we are still considering alternatives.  If you ever miss a week of the devotions, please get the on the web at http://devos.jcsm.org.

My election campaign is going well.  I'm balancing my time with ministry and finding it's difficult to take myself away from Christian ministry!  Please pray that I spend enough time letting California's churches and everyone else know about my campaign.  God is moving in our state and we are excited about the changes that are to come.  This week, I will be recording some audio clips and uploading them to my web page.  They will cover twelve, interesting questions/issues and you can only find them here: http://www.jasongastrich.com.

Do you consider yourself a biblical scholar?  Have you simply trusted Christ for salvation?  If you answered "Yes" to either of those questions, then we need your help!  JCSM has an intellectual discussion board with some "well versed" atheists who like to ask questions about God and His Word.  Ok, they like to try and debunk the Bible by attempting to show it to as false.  Come and help us defend the Word and share your faith!  It's fun and moderated, so everyone is respected.  The Inerrancy Discussion Board: http://inerrancy.com.

I pray that you are blessed and encouraged this week.  Trust in God and He will light your path.

Mel Gibson is producing a movie on the life of Jesus Christ.  He is a very devout Catholic and determined to make the best Jesus movie ever.  Please pray for this endeavor.  It should be quite interesting.

Bruce Wilkinson has written another, awesome book.  I'm currently reading his book called, "A Life God Rewards."  I've read half of it and I can't wait to finish it.  Bruce shows many scriptures that illustrate the awesome fact that what we do on Earth will effect the quality of our eternal life.  He doesn't question salvation through faith in Jesus, but He reveals how our deeds will be rewarded and our lack of deeds will go unrewarded in the next life.

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 Weekly Devotions, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the 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: "Becoming God's Child"

John 1:12, 13  "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Romans 8:14-17  "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

Galatians 3:26, 27  "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

1 John 3:1, 2, 10  "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest:  Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother."

Insight: A person isn't automatically God's child.  They become God's child through faith in Jesus Christ.  Make sure you are on of His children, today.

Prayer: "Thank you for loving us, Lord.  Thank you for wanting us to become your children.  Help us to understand what this means.  Let us be more like You.  Forgive our sins and increase our faith.  Thank you for being a good God.  Lift us up and let us see You.  Bless the ones that are not your children.  Help them to repent and embrace You.  Praise You for being worthy of our time and devotion.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Forgive One Another"

Matthew 6:14, 15  "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Matthew 18:21, 22  "Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?'  Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'"

Luke 17:3, 4  "Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him."

Ephesians 4:32  "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

Colossians 2:12, 13  "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."

Insight: Since our forgiveness from God is very important, it is also important that we forgive others.  Try and forgive freely like God does.  Forgiveness equals freedom (freedom from harboring bitterness).

Prayer: "Help us to forgive others.  Remind us how You freely forgave us.  Thank you for being our model of goodness and perfection.  Forgive us for holding grudges.  Help us to understand how we should let go of that anger and experience your peace and freedom.  Remind us that forgiving someone isn't telling them that hurting you is all right.  It is simply telling them that you love them because Christ loves them; despite their actions.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Satan's Names"

Isaiah 14:12  "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!"

John 8:44b  "He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

1 Peter 5:8  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

Revelation 9:11  "And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon."

Revelation 12:9, 10  "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.  Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.'"

Insight: Satan has many, descriptive names.  Know his names and know your enemy.

Prayer: "Thank you for warning us about our enemy.  Thank you for wanting us to be prepared for his attacks.  Bless us and empower us.  Remind us that we can always be victorious through Christ.  Teach us when to fight and when to flee.  Praise You for overcoming evil.  Remind us that You have already won the battle because You overcame all evil and lived a perfect life.  Give us your righteousness.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

For further study on Satan's names, please see http://www.jcsm.org/biblelessons/SatansNames.htm.

Day 4: "We Will Give An Account"

Psalm 10:13  "Why do the wicked renounce God?  He has said in his heart, 'You will not require an account.'"

Ecclesiastes 3:15  "That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; and God requires an account of what is past."

Matthew 12:36  "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Romans 14:12, 13  "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.  Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way."

Hebrews 4:13  "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

1 Peter 4:5, 6  "They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.  For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."

Insight: We will all give an account of our lives to God and He will judge our works.  After He decides our eternal destiny based on our beliefs, our works will be judged.  Trust Christ, then decide to earn eternal rewards with your earthly life.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us something awesome to do on Earth.  Help us to understand how our hard work in Jesus' name is not in vain.  Remind us that every prayer and every action is important.  Lift us up and remind us that we are working on a different level than many people.  We are pleasing a supernatural, spiritual God with our loving actions.  Let us be unselfish and love others deeply.  Remind us about eternal rewards and how we need to store up treasure in Heaven and not on Earth.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Deceitfulness of Riches"

Psalm 37:16  "A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked."

Psalm 49:6, 7, 16, 17 "Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.  Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dies he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him."

Proverbs 11:4, 28  "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.  He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage."

Proverbs 27:24  "For riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations."

Mark 10:25  "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

1 Timothy 6:9, 10, 17-19  "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  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.  Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.  Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

James 1:9-11  "Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.  For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes.  So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits."

Insight: Jesus came to Earth and taught people that life was very different than they thought.  He didn't come to set up an earthly kingdom.  He came to die for our sins and rise from the dead.  He also came to show us that earthly riches are unimportant.  He didn't just say this, but He lived it.

Prayer: "Thank you for teaching us about riches and wealth.  Help us to use our resources for your glory.  We love You, Lord.  Bless us and keep us on the right track.  Thank you for wanting what we have and simply letting us be stewards of your possessions.  Help us to see our time and our earthly possessions like they are yours.  Lift us up and motivate us to use everything for the glory of God.  Help us to put everything in proper perspective and not worry about earthly gain.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Depart From Me"

Psalm 6:8-10  "Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; for the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.  The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.  Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly."

Psalm 101:3, 4  "I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.  A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness."

Psalm 119:115  "Depart from me, you evildoers, for I will keep the commandments of my God!"

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

2 Timothy 2:22, 23  "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife."

Insight: Avoid evil.  Don't ask for it and don't play with it.  Decide to be holy.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us choices, Lord.  Thank you for showing us how to be godly and holy and letting us decide how to live.  Help us to choose You.  Remind us how good You are.  Remind us how much trouble we could get into if we decided to neglect You and follow the flesh.  Praise You for giving us your Holy Spirit.  Help us to be sensitive to your voice.  Forgive us for being too loud and ignoring your prompting.  Forgive us for falling into sin.  Show us ways that we can avoid sin and walk in the paths of righteousness.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Strength In Numbers"

Ecclesiastes 4:12  "Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

Matthew 18:20  "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

1 Timothy 5:19  "Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses."

Hebrews 10:24, 25  "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

Insight: Do you value your Christian friends and family members?  Don't take them for granted.  There is great strength in the body of Christ.  Build up the other members and accept their input, fellowship and encouragement.

Prayer: "Thank you for all of the believers in You, Lord.  Thank you for the intelligent and faithful ones that let their cups overflow into my life.  Thank you for all of the wonderful people that have invested in me.  Bless them and help me to be a blessing to many.  Praise You for being the truth.  Help us to see your truth and trust in You.  Let us be a bright light to all people.  Thank you for shining on us and through us.  Help us to be encouragers and to edify the body of Christ.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

A Moment of Introspection

Self-control and patience.  I never knew how valuable those traits were.  I'm sure that I ran into a lot of unnecessary trouble because I couldn't maintain self-control and be patient.

Now, I pray for patience with joy.  I try and always pray for them, together.  Patience can be a tough thing to learn, but if you have joy with the patience, it's not so bad.

Self-control is a very valuable fruit of the spirit, too.  If you can maintain self-control, you can refrain from saying foolish things that would injure your relationships and even your business or ministry.  Self-control is also valuable in the areas of eating, exercising and time management.

Pray for these three traits.  Seek them from God and your life will improve.  Mine did!

Pray for self-control, joy and patience!

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

(Hebrew) rabab: multiply - increase, cast together

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 3:17 - Adam is also punished, although less severely. He now will have to work for a living because he "hearkened unto the voice" of his wife.

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

* Adam knowingly sinned and reaped the consequences.

(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.)

When you come to God, you come to Him on His terms, on the basis of who He is.

God is for us.  He is against what we do, sometimes, but He is for us.

The New Testament mentions Jesus' second coming 321 times.

These quotes came from God and Tim LaHaye.

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!

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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, if you're traveling, or if you need to find a new church, I recommend visiting the following site and locating a Calvary Chapel near you: http://www.calvarychapel.org.

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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 not perish, but have everlasting life."