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

"Do Not Lie"

Leviticus 19:11  "Do not steal.  Do not lie.  Do not deceive one another."

Psalm 5:6  "You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors."

Proverb 12:22  "The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful."

Proverb 21:6  "A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare."

John 14:6  "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but through Me."

Ephesians 5:6  "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient."

Colossians 3:9-10  "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."

1 Timothy 1:9-11  "We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me."

1 Timothy 4:1-2  "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.  Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron."

1 John 2:22  "Who is the liar?  It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son."

Revelation 21:8  "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death."

Insight: Christians mustn't tell lies.  Even when a lie seems justified, we need to remember that God would never lie in any circumstance.  Believers need to tell the truth and repent from each lie they have told.  The truth is in God's very character, so we must strive to be like Him and tell the truth.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, thanks for being a good and honest God.  Thank you for sending Jesus to Earth and letting Him be the perfect example of truth.  Help us to be truthful.  Convict us when we want to lie and remind us to do what is right.  Thank you for blessing us when we obey You.  Thank you for loving us more than we know and comprehend.  Help us to love others as well.  Bless us, increase our ministries, lay your hands on us, and keep us from evil.  To You be all the glory, honor, and praise.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

Thomas Dilworth, a distinguished educator and textbook writer, published in 1740 in England his schoolbook, the New Guide to the English Tongue.  Benefiting from his experience as Thomas Dilworth's book grew in popularity, until, by 1765, it was universally adopted by all the New England schools in America.  This book, which contained spelling, reading and grammar lessons, was "adorned with proper Scriptures."  Its first lesson, comprised of words three letters long or less, went as such:

"No Man may put off the Law of God.  The Way of god is no ill Way.  My Joy is in God all the Day.  A bad Man is a Foe to God."  - 1740, New Guide to the English Tongue, London, 1740.  H.R. Warfel, Noah Webster, Schoolmaster to America (New York: Octagon Press, 1966), pp. 11-13.  Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), pp. 75-76.

Noah Webster, known as the Schoolmaster to America," used only Dilworth's book and the Bible in his earliest school.  Thomas Dilworth said he wanted to:

"[Rescue] poor creatures from the Slavery of Sin and Satan by setting "the word of God for a Lantern to our feet and a Light to our Paths."  - Ibid.

A Moment of Introspection

There are two conflicting gospels: the gospel of grace and the gospel of works.

Take a couple of minutes and pray.  Ask God what He would have you do to minister in His name.  God will speak to you and prompt you to do something.  It may involve starting a new ministry or helping an existing one.  Whatever He leads you to do, make sure you do it.

If you are already serving the Lord in ministry, then you have already met this week's challenge!  I pray you keep up the work in His name.  To everyone else, God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

awbal (Hebrew): mourn - bewail, lament, or mourn

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 7:15 - "And they went ... into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein there is breath of life." This contradicts 7:2-3 where seven pairs of some species entered the ark.

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

Noah was instructed to bring additional clean animals for the post-flood food and sacrifice.

(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.)

This week, all of the quotes are in my Steeling the Mind Conference notes.  I took over 16 pages of notes!  You can see them here: http://jcsm.org/biblelessons/Steeling2004.htm.

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 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:

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, 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.

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.

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: http://5.jcsm.org.

Over 70,000 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."