Ancestry!

Daily message of hope...
For Wednesday, August 26, 2026:

Romans 9:25 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, ‘Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.’”

Early Christians were all Jews. But following Paul’s efforts, the ancestry ratio shifted so that most modern-day Christians originated in the Gentile population. As a group, we were not Jews, “God’s chosen people.” Friends, it matters not. God is God, and he can choose anyone he wants to. He has now chosen us, the faithful believers who love Jesus. (And yes, some believers were Jews!)

Scripture tells us that whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. And that scripture is speaking of eternal life, having a home in God’s heavenly Kingdom, living in the place Jesus prepared for you.

As it turns out, our ancestry isn’t the deciding factor. It’s our love for the Son and the Father’s love for us that cement the bidirectional relationship. It’s good to have friends in high places!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Seeing God!

For Tuesday, August 25, 2026:

Colossians 2:9 NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.”

We can’t help but be curious about an unseen God. Paul helps pin down the details.

The completeness of God is contained in Christ. Jesus was known for being kind and helpful. When the sick were brought to him, he kept healing until every one had what they needed. He was inclusive, serving the poor as well as the rich, serving Gentiles as well as Jews. Jews never associated with Samaritans, yet Jesus struck up a conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, the one with five previous husbands, and shared with her the Good News. When the thief on a cross repented, Jesus said the man could join him in paradise – today! Everyone, yes, everyone is eligible for Jesus’ repent and return offer. Remember, God’s desire is that no one would be lost; that ALL would repent and return.

The beliefs, the commands and the value system of God are all present in his Son. Jesus said that if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father. Celebrate our close association with Christ. It’s just like knowing God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Compassion!

August 24, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 6:36 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”

God went to all the work of creating the universe, the planets, plants, animals, and finally human beings. Then the humans disobeyed, sinned. At that point, God could have thrown in the towel, concluding that the project was doomed. He did not!

God had fallen in love with these little humanoid creatures he had created. In spite of mankind’s shortcomings, God desired the best for everyone. Rather than abandoning the project, he devised a plan to rescue the faithful. He’d send his son Jesus to pay the penalty for mankind’s sinning. In a way, we’d be rescued by God himself. That’s the ultimate example of being compassionate!

Now that we know what all-out compassion looks like, we can emulate the Father and his Son. It’s said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, so we endeavor to live our lives with Jesus as our model!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church