Trust in the Lord - #583 - JCSM's Weekly Devotions

Dear Subscribers,

I hope you had a very good weekend.

The presidential election is heating up and someone sent me a link to a speech by Barack Obama. In it, he puts down the Bible and implies some negative things to those who follow the scriptures. C lick here to watch and hear the video on YouTube. In the coming days, we will email you a voter's guide, so you can compare the viewpoints of each candidate and make a wise, informed decision on election day.

Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here is your Devotion, some Cool Facts, 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,

JCSM

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

"Trusting in the Lord"

Proverbs 3:5, 6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

Luke 17:5 "And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.'"

Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Acts 17:10-12 "Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men."

Romans 4:5 "But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness."

Romans 10:9, 10 "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Insight: We all must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has the power to forgive sins and to redeem us, giving us eternal life in Heaven after we have saving faith in Him. Repent and believe (or have more faith!), so you can be blessed beyond measure.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and help us. Increase our faith and help us to increase our own faith through reading your Word, praying, and spending time with other believers. Thank you for the people who have encouraged us, blessed us, and invested in us. Thank you for the great faith of the saints. Remove our worries and fears. Help us to be bold witnesses for You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Cool Facts

On March 19, traditionally, swallows have returned to the mission at San Juan Capistrano in southern California each year. These small fork-tailed birds spend their winter 6,000 miles away in Argentina, then in the spring the swallows return to California over a several-week period. Bird migration in general is a wonder of creation. These tiny creatures are programmed by their Maker to tell time and direction, and also to store up sufficient energy for their amazing long-distance flights.

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

A Moment of Introspection

Don't lose your sense of Christ's profoundness.

JCSM's Challenge

Ask God to increase your faith. Read the Bible and learn more about God, so you can trust Him more. Talk to people of faith about their faith and it will increase yours.

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

Word of the Week

pistyoo-o (Greek, see Romans 4:5): to have faith, that is, credit; by implication to entrust

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Matthew 2:15 - "Out of Egypt I have called my son," Matthew claims that the flight of Jesus' family to Egypt is a fulfillment of Hosea 11:1. But Hosea 11:1 is not a prophecy at all, as is clear when the entire verse is quoted ("When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt."). It is a reference to the Hebrew exodus from Egypt and has nothing to do with Jesus. Matthew tries to hide this fact by quoting only the last part of the verse.

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

Hosea was clearly a prophet and prophetic statements often have dual meanings. Hosea 11:1 can be applied to the Hebrew exodus from Egypt and Jesus' return from Egypt.

(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.)

Quotes of the Week

Do you have a plan in place to leave a positive legacy?

Pay attention to who needs your help.

Having a mature, Christian mentor gives you another pair of eyes into your life.

When someone is mistreating you, refuse to retaliate.

Expect Him to give you what He knows is best for you.

Don’t grumble about your situation and miss why you’re in it.

We often have to preach to ourselves.

Go somewhere where you can become wise.

Asceticism, in itself, isn't the road to Christ-likeness.

Concentrating on the storm, instead of the Savior, is a great way to get swallowed by it.

There's something therapeutic about hearing what you already know.

These quotes came from "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"! It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.

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