JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"Stay in Love With the Savior"

Matthew 22:37, 38  "Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment."

John 13:34, 35  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Matthew 24:12-14  "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

Revelation 2:4, 5  "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent."

Psalm 33:8-12  "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.  The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.  The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance."

Insight: Jesus loves us and we need to love Him.  His has done amazing things and given us countless reasons to love Him forever.  See God as He truly is and you'll engage in a growing, obedient relationship with Him and this is how you love Him.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, we don't need any help loving You.  You are amazing and have done awesome things.  You have given us salvation and put our feet on a Rock.  Help us to be disciplined, so we get to know You and experience You over and over in a powerful way.  We love You Lord and we thank You for being You.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

On February 13th, 1633, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome. He was brought to trial for promoting the heliocentric belief that the Earth circles the sun. This event is often used to denigrate religion as being old fashioned and earth-centered. However, the real problem is in Galileo’s day, there was an unhealthy alliance between science authorities and the Catholic Church. Both groups blindly supported geocentricism and both were responsible for the ill treatment of Galileo. The Bible does not teach geocentricism.

This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained".  This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

When someone you love becomes nicer, it makes you want to love them even more.

Asking some people around you where they see themselves in 2-3 years may help you discover where you will be in 2-3 years.

Christians have been called to farm, fish, and box.

The church isn’t the Christian prom. We need to be seeking the lost and giving them things and the good news.

Some people who go to other churches because they say they aren’t getting fed aren’t really hungry anyway.

Ask yourself whether or not you’re in love with Jesus Christ.

Jesus bought us from Satan with his blood.

We need to ask God for His fire continuously.

If it comes naturally for you to walk with God , keep doing it and share your passion with others.

Many are chosen, but many don’t act like it.

With Christ, people who were mean and nasty are now good and kind.

The lost need to be converted and the saved people need to get serious about their faith.

Having a one-time collision with Christ isn’t enough to sustain you for life.

Remain intimate in your relationship with God.

If you’re holy, you’re ready for Jesus’ return.

Money, influence, and sex control people.

Don’t assume rich people have their financial priorities out of line.

Even successful entrepreneurs have people tell them they are insane.

Readiness comes from obedience.

Mere church attendance doesn’t make you ready.

These quotes came from the Holy Spirit.  If you'd like to read more wise quotes, you can either visit our Quotations Archive or get a copy of "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"!  It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.