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The Weekly Devotion (click here to listen!)

"Prophecies of the Savior's Birth"

Genesis 12:3  "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Micah 5:2  "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."

Luke 2:4, 5, 7  "Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Isaiah 7:14  "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

Luke 1:26, 27, 30, 31  "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS."

Note: For 60 of the Bible's fulfilled, Messianic prophecies, please go here: http://www.jcsm.org/biblelessons/FMP.htm.

Insight: Jesus fulfilled the prophecies regarding the Messiah's birth.  He was born of a virgin and He was born in Bethlehem.  He also fulfilled a number of other prophecies with his birth, life, suffering, resurrection, etc.  Fulfilled prophecies help authenticate Jesus Christ as God's Messiah.  Praise the Lord because He sent His Son for us!

Prayer: "Dear Lord, thanks for loving us so much.  Thank you for coming being our Lord and Savior.  Thank you for coming to Earth and fulfilling a number of awesome prophecies.  Help us understand how You are worthy of our praise and devotion.  Let us meditate on your Word and recall the things You have done.  Thank you for your promises.  Thank you for your blessings.  Bless us, increase our ministries, lay your hand on us, and keep us from evil.  Help people to remember You this Christmas.  Remind people why we celebrate this holiday.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863), known as one of the country's greatest generals, served under General Robert E. Lee in the Confederate Army.  General Jackson's tremendous success in combat against great odds was witnessed in numerous battles, including the Battle of Bull Run, Cross Keys, Shenandoah Valley, Port Republic, the Seven Day's Battle, the Second Battle of Bull Run, etc.  When he died, General Lee announced, "I have lost my right arm."

As professor of philosophy and tactics at Virginia Military Institute, General Jackson was quoted saying:

"When we take our meals, there is the grace.  When I take a draught of water, I always pause... to lift up my heart to God in thanks and prayer for the water of life.  Whenever I (send) a letter... I send a petition along with it, for God's blessing upon its mission and upon the person to whom it is sent.  When I (open) a letter... I stop to pray to God that He may prepare me for its contents.... When I go to my class-room and await the arrangement of the cadets in their places, that is my time to intercede with God for them."  Dabney, Jackson, p. 107.  Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg's Heart'N Home, Inc., 1991), 1.23.

In 1824, Jackson wrote to his uncle Alfred Neale, concerning the sudden death of his brother Warren: 

"I have received no answer to my last communication conveying the sad news of my brother's premature death.  He died in the hope of a bright immorality at the right hand of His Redeemer....  As time is knowledge I must hasten my pen forward.  We have received the smile of Bounteous Providence in a favorable Spring.  There is a volunteer company being formed here to march to Texas, in order to assist in the noble cause of liberty."  John G. Gittings, Personal Recollections of Stonewall Jackson (Cincinnati: The Editor Publishing Company, 1899), p. 32.  Catherine Millard, The Rewriting of America's History (Camp Hill, PA: Horizon House Publishers, 1991), p. 192.

General Jackson's old servant said he:

"... could always tell when a battle was near at hand, by seeing the general get up a great many times in the night to pray."  John William Jones, Christ in the Camp (1887), p. 88.  Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington MN: Garborg's Heart'N Home, Inc., 1991), 4.2.

After the Battle of Cross Keys, Chaplain Bennett recorded a soldiers remarks:

"I saw something today which affected me more than anything I ever saw or read on religion.  While the battle was raging and the bullets were flying, Jackson rode by, calm as if her were at home, but his head was raised toward heaven, and his lips were moving evidently in prayer."  William W. Bennett, A Narrative of the Great Revival Which Prevailed in the Southern Armies (1877), p. 67.  Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington MN: Garborg's Heart'N Home, Inc., 1991), 8.13.

A Moment of Introspection

What does Christmas mean to you?  Gifts?  Giving gifts?  Hard work?  Santa?  Jesus' birth?

Take a minute and reflect on the true meaning for the Christmas season and how you are celebrating it.

Send some Christmas cards to your friends and family!  Consider getting a box of them and using this opportunity to share your faith in Christ with others.

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

yehudah (Hebrew): Judah - celebrated

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 6:11-13 - Okay, I'm confused. God was angry because "the earth was filled with violence." But didn't God create the whole bloody system in the first place? Predator and prey, parasite and host -- weren't they all designed by God? Oh, it's true that according to 1:30 God originally intended the animals to be vegetarian. But later (3:18) he changed all that. Still, the violence that angered God was of his own making. So what was he upset about? And how would killing everything help to make the world less violent? Did he think the animals would behave better after he "destroys them with the earth"? I guess God works in mysterious ways.

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

God didn't make human violence.  He created the Earth without sin.  It was "very good."  However, sin entered the world through Adam and Eve and every person has continued to sin.  People decided to reject God and fill the Earth with violence.  Therefore, God judged them for their wickedness.

(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.)

There aren't any quotes this week.  However, 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 the quotes are humorous or rhetorical, others are written from sermons and Bible studies, and some 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’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.

JCSM is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization.  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:

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3219 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. #212

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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, 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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Over 50,000 web pages!

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."