Hello!
I hope you had a super weekend.
On Wednesday, May 9, Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort will debate two atheists. This debate will air live on ABC.com at 11am PST (2pm EST). It will last for 90 minutes and is sure to be exciting! ABC's Nightline will air some of the debate on Wednesday's television program. Please pray that many get saved and blessed!
Be on the lookout for two new things on the horizon: 1) A large archive of eternal security articles from some of the world's best scholars and 2) a full rebuttal to the "Gospel of Judas". Make sure to read next week's devotions for links to these things!
A special thanks goes to JCSM's two new volunteers! Deborah and Megan came and helped us last week and will be coming again this week. Please pray for Lavanya, Deborah, and Megan, as they serve the Lord through our ministry. Please also pray that JCSM is approved by a particular local, Christian college, so we can receive their students and allow them to earn their community service hours through our ministry.
Our volunteers have been a great blessing to many and I'm so glad that I can now contemplate things like, "Who should do this task?" instead of things like, "How in the world am I going to have time to do this?" It also makes our work and mission seem more worthwhile, as others invest their time in it. Praise the Lord for these helpers and all of JCSM's donators and prayer warriors because they help us immensely.
Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here is your Devotion, 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,
Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.
Contact Us: http://jcsm.org/contact.php
JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)
Exodus 20:15 "You shall not steal."
Malachi 3:8-10 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,' Says the LORD of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it."
Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Ephesians 4:28 "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need."
Insight: Avoid stealing. Recognize possessions as God's and use them wisely and for His glory and His kingdom. Ask forgiveness for anything you have stolen and repent. Choose today to deal honestly and to avoid stealing in the future.
Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and make us like You. There is no other like You. Thank you for your great patience, mercy, grace, and love. Forgive us and purify us. Forgive us for stealing. Help us to confess all we can remember to You and help us to avoid sinning. Thank you for all of the wonderful and awesome things that You give us and others. Help us to use these things for your kingdom and your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Arkansas Supreme Court 1905, was quoted by Supreme court Justice David J. Brewer in his lecture, entitled, “The United States a Christian Nation.” The opinion they rendered in the case of Shover v. The State, 10 English, 263, included:
This system of religion (Christianity) is recognized as constituting a part and parcel of the common law.
If you'd like to have the citations for the footnotes above, please email us. If you'd like to see more quotes from those who framed and founded America, please click here: http://jcsm.org/AmericasFounders/.
The world is a battleground. Constant physical and spiritual warfare is waged between the forces of God and Satan.
Ask for forgiveness for anything you have stolen. Think back to your childhood and make sure you've asked God for forgiveness for everything; the large things and the small things. You will be forgiven, blessed, and relieved. Afterwards, decide to do all you can to avoid stealing, again.
God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!
klepto (Greek, see Ephesians 4:28): to filch: steal
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:
Exodus 21:26-27 - It's okay to beat your slaves; even if they die you won't be punished, just as long as they survive a day or two after the beating (see verses 21:20-21). But avoid excessive damage to their eyes or teeth. Otherwise you may have to set them free. Oh well, it's a heck of a lot better than what would happen to you if you did it to a non-slave. (See verses 21:24-25)
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:
These verses use the word "servants" and not "slaves." They simply indicate that the Israelites were to let their servants go if they did some damage to their eyes or teeth. These verses do not state that it was ok for the Israelites to beat their servants.
(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich. 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.)
These quotes are from my upcoming book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings" (ISBN 978-0-9732797-8-8), which will be released in September. The following sayings are from the chapter called "Sin, Spiritual Warfare, and Satan."
Sin is like a splinter, it can stick in us and be difficult to remove, causing a painful irritation and infection.
The world is a battleground. Constant physical and spiritual warfare is waged between the forces of God and Satan.
Sin makes me sad.
There is proof of your sins.
We make our own crutches.
One day we won't be able to sin.
If we are in denial over our sin, then maybe we need to take another look at our life; perhaps, a closer look.
Sin is not a pretty picture to look at, but we cannot deny that it exists.
Sinning with someone forms an odd bond with them.
The sinful veil over my eyes keeps me from seeing God.
The devil's footholds may not go away without a fight.
The devil wants us to give up.
Satan will try and sabotage the relationships you need.
If you'd like to read more quotes, we have thousands in our archive! Visit http://quotes.jcsm.org.
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.
Executive Director
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