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

"The Covering"

Genesis 3:21  "Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them."

Genesis 6:14  "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch."

Psalm 79:9  "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; and deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for Your name’s sake!"

James 5:19, 20  "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."

1 Peter 4:8  "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'"

Insight: Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross is what we needed for the forgiveness of our sins.  Since the beginning, we have seen how the appropriate covering was needed.  Adam and Eve needed it.  Noah needed it.  Now, we need it from God's Messiah, Jesus the Christ.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, thanks for covering our sins.  Thank you for revealing your redemptive plan in the beginning and all throughout time.  Praise You for being faithful and good.  Help us to trust You and your way.  Remove our worries and fears.  Increase our faith and love, Lord.  Thank you for showing Adam and Eve that they needed the right covering.  Thank you for telling Noah that the ark must have the correct covering.  You were right.  To You be the glory, honor, and praise.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

The Supreme Court of Maryland (1799), in the case of Runkel v. Winemiller, rendered its opinion:

"Religion is of general and public concern, and its support depend, in great measure, the peace and good order of government, the safety and happiness of the people.  By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing, and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty."  - 1799, Runkel v. Winemiller, 4 Harris & McHenry 276, 288 (Sup. Ct. Md. 1799).  David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), p. 64.  Runkel v. Winemiller, 4 Harris & McHenry (MD)  429 1 AD 411, 417 (Justice Chase).  "Our Christian Heritage," Letter from Plymouth Rock (Marlborough, NH: The Plymouth Rock Foundation), p. 4.

A Moment of Introspection

Have you ever told someone (particularly a darker skinned person) that you see no color?  Have you said that you were colorblind?

My pastor is black and he made an interesting point.  We don't walk into a flower shop and say that all of the flowers look alike.  That would be foolish.  Why would we tell another human that they are just like everybody else?

God made us all differently.  We all have unique characteristics and features.  We need to appreciate and attempt to understand one another and not act like we are all identical.

Find a piece of white paper.  No really.  Get a white piece of paper.  Got it?  Ok.  Now, find something black.  Your wallet, a book cover, a diskette, etc.  Anything will do.

If you consider yourself to be white, then hold the white paper up to your arm.  You aren't white.  If you consider yourself to be black, then hold the black item to your arm.  You aren't really black either.

We are all different shades of brown.  There is no black or white.  There is no "black power" or "white power."

Consider that we are different shades of brown because of the skin pigment called melanin.  Some people have more of it than others.  However, nobody is black and nobody is white.

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

nekosheth (Hebrew): copper, something made of metal, a coin, a fetter, a base, brass, steel

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 9:5 - All animals have hands.

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

This Hebrew word for "hand" has a variety of meanings, including "power, charge, custody, debt," etc.  This verse never explicitly says animals have hands.  God is saying that even animals will be responsible for murder.

(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.)

Your allegiance should be first to Christ.

You are not made in the image of someone else's stereotype or opinion.  You're not even made in your parents' image.  You were made in God's image.

We are more wicked, prideful, and sinful than we realize.

Your flesh cannot be counseled into being godly.

Our flesh puts walls between us and others.

There are no two humans that are just alike.

The Devil wants to pit different people against other people.

The flesh fights against God's laws and against the His Spirit.

The flesh produces evil and seeks outward display.

The flesh brings about death and must be crucified to Christ.

If you cannot call me brother, then you cannot pray to "our" Father.

The world tells us that love sees no color, but the Bible tells us that love sees and respects all colors.

If you do not know where you came from, then you won't understand where you are going.

If you don't understand the mistakes of the past, then you are destined to repeat them.

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.  We host tens of thousands of web pages 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.

Would you like to support God’s work on the web?  If this ministry has touched you in a special way, please pray and consider sending a gift to JCSM.  You can join us in our vision to reach people on the web with the good news!  Either email me for more information or simply go here: http://vision.jcsm.org.

JCSM is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization.  If you wish to send support, please make checks payable to Jesus Christ Saves Ministries.  If you are sending support or simply want to contact us through the regular mail, 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!

For more about me and my service history, go to http://jcsm.org/misc/JasonGastrich.htm.

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.

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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."