Forgive!

August 31, 2026:

Luke 6:37b NLT, Jesus speaking: “Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

Jesus not only encourages us to forgive others, but has commanded us to give others a second chance, a third chance, etc. Here Jesus echoes the words in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” Since God made me aware of the unforgiveness problem, I’ve started noticing it everywhere. It’s far too prevalent in today’s world.

People with problems in their lives are often kept away from solutions because of unforgiveness, sometimes related to the problem, sometimes not. A person may have trouble with relationships because they haven’t forgiven their parents for their sad upbringing. Someone may have trouble keeping jobs because they haven’t forgiven a previous boss who was mean. Is there anyone in your own life you haven’t forgiven?

I believe God gives us a piece of paper each day with ‘Things to do Today’ written at the top, and numbers down the left side. He gave us free will, so we can include anything on our agenda that pleases us. Is ‘Holding a grudge’ on your list? Are you angry at a coworker, a fellow student or just the person driving too slow in fast lane?

Are the same people on your list every day? If so, it’s time to clean house. Let go of the bad stuff and hang on to the good stuff. Don’t make a permanent home for a grudge. Don’t make a home for a demon.

We can live better lives if we let go and let God. Let him have your grudge. Your load will be lighter if the Lord is carrying your problems!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Judged and Condemned!

For Sunday, August 30, 2026:

Luke 6:37 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

Jesus says to not judge others. Implied in that command is to not judge harshly. There would be nothing wrong with judging someone’s performance, finding out that they’d done a great job and giving them a pat on the back, an attaboy!

The Golden Rule applies here. If we criticize others all the time, we would be part of a criticizing culture. And in that culture, our own efforts would be subject to criticism by others. Mankind always seems to have advice on how someone else should do something. We should all listen to my mother, who said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!”

We’ll look at forgiveness tomorrow. It’s a huge topic that takes up a lot of space on God’s teaching agenda. May we all be blessed on this Sabbath day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Truth!

For Saturday, August 29, 2026:

Acts 4:1 NLT: “While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees.”

In these daily messages, a recurring theme is “truth.” The Bible is filled with God-inspired truth. Truth should be the only thing acceptable to our ears.

In this scripture’s juxtaposition of roles, the priests, the Temple guard and the Sadducees weren’t supporting truth. Might as well include the Pharisees in the untruth bunch, since they were a big part of worship at the Temple. Let me be clear: The religious leaders of the day were disseminating misinformation and denying truth, which was beyond unfortunate since the congregation was counting on them for guidance.

Ironically, Simon Peter and John, men with fishing backgrounds, knew the truth. They had lived alongside Jesus, eaten countless meals with him and had memorized words straight from our Savior’s mouth. They had watched Jesus’ crucifixion, saw the spear thrust into his side, observed his death as he was burdened with the sins of the world, and watched in amazement as three days later he walked away from the tomb! Sin and death had been conquered in a single event! Jesus proved that there is life after this life. Death is not the end!

I’m always amazed that the wholHeaworld isn’t cheering for Jesus. Two of the stand-out events for me are the miracle healings and the resurrection. Oftentimes, the healings weren’t small miracles. Sight was restored to the blind. People lame from birth stood up and walked! No surgery, no PT – fully restored instantly! And walking away from the tomb with holes in his hands and feet and a wound in his torso where the spear had been. Friends, there were eyewitnesses! Hundreds of people saw Jesus die, and hundreds saw him walking and heard him speak following his death!

So my advice is to double-check everything you’re told against what the Bible says. Don’t automatically trust spiritual leaders. They may have a personal agenda. Trust instead the eyewitnesses who lived with our Savior. See the amazement in their eyes as they boast about the resurrection. Sense their anticipation as Jesus prepares a place for believers in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom. God’s desire is that all of us would be a part of it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church