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

"The Called, The Chosen, The Elect"

Psalm 65:4  "Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts.  We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple."

Matthew 13:19, 20  "For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days."

John 15:15, 16  "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

Romans 9:11-16  "(For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, 'The older shall serve the younger.'  As it is written, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.'  What shall we say then?  Is there unrighteousness with God?  Certainly not!  For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.'  So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."

James 2:5  "Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?"

2 Timothy 1:8, 9  "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."

2 Peter 1:5-10  "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.  Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble."

Insight: God has called and chosen the elect.  We should be eternally thankful for this awesome blessing.  While we were unbelieving sinners, Christ died for us and drew us to His side for forgiveness, salvation, and redemption.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and help us to see You as You are.  Thank you for being worthy of our praise and devotion.  There is no other like You.  Thank you for choosing us.  Thank you for loving us more than we understand.  We will have more faith in You because of what You have done, who You are, and how You have kept your promises.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

On January 31, 1958, the first U.S. satellite, Explorer I was launched. It soon discovered the Van Allen radiation belt that surrounds the earth. This satellite has been followed be thousands of others. The created laws of gravity and circular motion make satellites possible. However, all of our artificial satellites are temporary and fall back to earth sooner or later. Earth’s only permanent satellite is the created moon, made on the fourth day of the creation week.

This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."

(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.)

There were two people in the Bible who amazed Jesus with their faith (and neither were Jews).

Why do some Christians learn to disbelieve in God's miracles?

Some churches need to concentrate less on church growth and more on growing the kingdom.

Christians love to flock around banners, bumper stickers, and slogans, but we need to keep the person of Jesus Christ first.

A deep, personal relationship isn't a church program and it isn't something someone can do for you.

When we walk with God, amazing experiences will follow.

There is never a crisis in Heaven.

I'm glad the Bible doesn't say you need a mountain of faith to move a mustard seed.

God has called us to pray for the sick.

When the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, He essentially told them to do it themselves.

If you have enough faith to seek healing, you have enough faith to be healed.

Don't reduce God to a method or an institution.

Jesus didn't just die so we'd have a party in Heaven, but He died to give us forgiveness, redemption, and a relationship with Him.

If an older and wiser Christian suggests something, consider it.

I am God's messenger.

We must have credibility to lead people to Christ by our lives.

We know you love Jesus when you obey Him.

Most of us can name a famous actress in a Hollywood movie, but most
can't name the 12 apostles.

The church needs to be provoked into revival.

These quotes came from the Holy Spirit, Marc Dupont, Howard Everett, and Jason Gastrich.  If you'd like to read more, you can either visit our Quotations Archive or get 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.