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

"The Amazing Things God Created"

Genesis 1:1, 2, 31  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.  So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

Job 40:15-24  "Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you;
He eats grass like an ox.  See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles.  He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.  His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron.  He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.  Surely the mountains yield food for him, And all the beasts of the field play there.  He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh.  The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him.  Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, Though he takes it in his eyes, Or one pierces his nose with a snare."

Job 43:1, 15, 18, 22, 23, 26, 27  “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook,
Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?  His rows of scales are his pride,
Shut up tightly as with a seal; His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.  Strength dwells in his neck, And sorrow dances before him.  The folds of his flesh are joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved.  Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.  He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood."

John 14:2, 3  "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Romans 1:20-25  "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.  Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.  Amen."

Insight: God created everything and it was very good.  He created the greatest creatures to the smallest strains of bacteria.  Jesus said He would prepare a place for us in Heaven.  Have faith in God's plan and God's Word because He is worthy of our praise and we'll be with Him for eternity.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and make us like You.  Thank you for being bigger than our thoughts.  Help us to see You as You really are.  Increase our faith in You and increase our love for You and others.  Forgive our sins.  Remind us that You created all things just as it says in Genesis.  Convert the unbelievers and encourage those who already believe in You.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), was a famed American author and poet, who became famous through his novel, The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850. He was friends with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States. Other well known works include: The House of Seven Gables, Twice-Told Tales, Blithedale Romance and Mosses from an Old Manse. In his poem, The Star of Calvary, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote:

It is the same infrequent star,
The mysterious light,
That, like a watcher gazing on
The changes of the night,
Toward the hill of Bethlehem, took
Its solitary flight.

It is the same infrequent star;
It’s the sameness startleth me;
Although the disk is red a-blood
And downward silently
It looketh on another hill,
The hill of Calvary

Behold, O Israel! behold!
It is no human one
That ye have dared to crucify.
What evil hath he done?
It is your King, O Israel,
The God-begotten Son!

In Ethan Brand, written in 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote:
“What is the Unpardonable Sin?” asked the lime-burner.... “It is a sin that grew within my own breast,” replied Ethan Brand.... “The sin of an intellect that triumphed over the sense of brotherhood with man and reverence for God.”

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/.

(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.)

When you use the word "because", people are more likely to understand and accept your reasoning.

Try to be the friend that you were at age 11; loyal and fun-loving, with no strings attached.

Mild depression may help you face unpleasant truths.

Procrastination is like dynamite.

If you'd like to read more quotes, you'll want a copy of Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"!  It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.