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

"One Human Race"

1 Corinthians 15:45  "And so it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being.'  The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."

Genesis 3:20  "And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living."

Genesis 9:1  "So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.'"

Genesis 11:9  "Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."

1 Samuel 16:7b  "The LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

John 7:24  "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Galatians 3:28  "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Insight: We are all part of the human race.  Skin color is nothing more than pigment.  Be colorblind and see through the stereotypes to the truth.  God looks on the inside, so should we be trying to do the same?  Don't judge by appearances, but make righteous judgments based on facts.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us.  Help us to see as You do.  Thank you for looking inside us and making righteous judgments.  Forgive us for making superficial ones.  Thank you for teaching us about race, our origins, and the truth about the color of our skin.  Help us to put life into proper perspective by seeing it through the lens of your Word.  You are our perfect Lord Jesus.  Thank you for loving us so much.  Increase our love and increase our faith.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853), the famous Royall Professor of Law at Harvard, succeeded Justice Joseph Story as the Dane Professor of Law.  To the efforts of Story and Greenleaf is to be ascribed the rise of the Harvard Law School to its eminent position among the legal schools of the Unites States.  - Wilbur Smith, Therefore Stand: Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House).  Willard Cantelon, New Money or None? (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1979), p. 243-245.

Greenleaf produced a work entitled" A Treatise On the Law of Evidence, still considered to be the greatest single authority on evidence in the entire literature of legal procedure.  Chief Justice Fuller of the United States Supreme Court described Greenleaf by saying, "He is the highest authority in our courts."  - Irwin H. Linton, A Lawyer Examines the Bible: A Defense of the Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977), p. 36.  Willard Cantelon, New Money or None? (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1979), p. 244.

In correspondence with the American Bible Society, Cambridge, November 6, 1852, Simon Greenleaf wrote:

"Of the Divine character of the Bible, I think, no man who deals honestly with his own mind and heart can entertain a reasonable doubt,  For myself, I must say, that having for many years made the evidences of Christianity the subject of close study, the result has been a firm and increasing conviction of the authenticity and plenary inspiration of the Bible.  It is indeed the Word of God."  - November 6, 1852, in correspondence with the American Bible Society, Cambridge.  Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, Oregon: American Heritage Ministries, 1987), p. 198.

In his A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, Simon Greenleaf propounded:

"If a close examination of the evidences of Christianity may be expected of one class of men more than another, it would seem incumbent upon lawyers who make the law of evidence one of our peculiar studies.  Our profession leads us to explore the mazes of falsehood, to detect its artifices, to pierce its thickest veils, to follow and expose its sophistries, to compare the statements of different witnesses with severity, to discover truth and separate it from error."  - Simon Greenleaf, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence (New York: Arno Press), p. 13.  Willard Cantelon, New Money or None? (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1979), p. 244.

"The religion of Jesus Christ... not only solicits the grave attention of all, to whom its doctrines are presented, but it demands their cordial belief as a matter of vital concernment.  These are no ordinary claims; and it seems hardly possible for a rational being to regard them with even a subdued interest; much less to treat them with mere indifference and contempt."

"If not true, they are little else then the pretensions of a bold imposter... but if they are well founded and just they can be no less than the high requirements of heaven, addressed by the voice of God to the reason and understanding of man... such was the estimate taken of religion, even the religion of pagan Rome, by one of the greatest lawyers of antiquity, when he argued that it was either nothing at all or everything."  - Simon Greenleaf, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence (New York: Arno Press), p. 13.  Willard Cantelon, New Money or None? (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1979), p. 244-245

In reference to the apostles, Greenleaf said:

"They had every possible motive to review carefully the grounds of their faith, and the evidences of the great facts and truths which they asserted.... And their writings show them to have been men of vigorous understandings.  If then, their testimony was not true, there was no possible motive for this fabrication."  - Ibid.

In his work entitled Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice, with an Account of the Trial of Jesus, Simon Greenleaf stated:

"The Character they portrayed is perfect.  It is the character of a sinless Being - One supremely wise and supremely good...."

The doctrines and precepts of Jesus are in strict accordance with the attributes of God, agreeable to the most exalted ideas which we can form of them, from reason or revelation.  They are strictly adapted to the capacities of mankind, and yet are delivered with a simplicity wholly Divine.  'He spake as never man spake.'  He spake with authority, yet addressed Himself to the reason and understanding of men, and He spake with wisdom which men could neither gainsay nor resist."  - Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice, with an Account of the Trial of Jesus.  Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, Oregon: American Heritage Ministries, 1987), p. 198-9.

A Moment of Introspection

Did you know that skin color is due to a pigment called melanin?  Those without any are called albinos.  We should eliminate the word "race" as it refers to color.  We are one human race.

Unfortunately, evolutionism has classified people into races by color; deeming some closer to the animals than others.  From his book "Ontogeny and Phylogeny," Stephen Jay Gould said, "'Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1859, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory."

Contact Answers in Genesis and request the free book called, "Where Did the 'Races' Come From?"  All you have to do is go to http://www.onehumanrace.com/mainmenu.asp and click on the link.  There are no shipping fees.  It's absolutely free.

I just finished reading this booklet.  It is excellent and reminded me how we all came from two people.  The color of our skin is due to a pigment called melanin.  It's not due to evolution or any other reason.  Nobody is white and nobody is black.  We are all different shades of brown.  Furthermore, all of the skin colors we see today could be produced from two people that were medium brown!

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge by ordering this free book and reading it!

ethnos (Greek): nation - a race or tribe of people

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 8:13 - This verse says the earth was dry on the first day of the month. The next verse (8:14) says it wasn't until the 27th day of the second month.

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

Genesis 8:13 says "the surface of the Earth" was dry on the first day of the first month.  Genesis 8:14 says "the earth was dried" on the twenty-seventh day of the second month.  Therefore, the surface of the Earth was dry enough to exit the ark on the first day of the first month, but it took about eight weeks for the dry parts of the Earth to become completely dry.

(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 is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

God sets us free, so we are able to admit we are wrong.

God can help us love and forgive people we could never love or forgive.

Pride keeps us from a number of awesome blessings.

Be a living sacrifice, consumed by God; not a dead sacrifice consumed by self.

Are you spiritually keen enough to know when God wants certain things of you?

God always blesses you beyond what your works deserve.

If you don't have a meaningful relationship with someone under 10 and someone over 80, then you're missing out.

These quotes came from God, me, and Miles McPhearson.

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!

If you have never repented from your sins and believed, trusted, and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please email me! I would love to share the gospel with you. The Bible is very straightforward when it speaks about Heaven, Hell and eternal life. If there is any doubt that you are going to Heaven when you die, please let me know today! If you’d like to discover the biblical doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ, please go here: Audio Gospel Message - http://www.jcsm.org/godsplan/TheGospel.mp3. or the Textual Gospel Message - http://gospel.jcsm.org.

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.

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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."