Flourishing Faith!

For Friday, October 9, 2026:

Luke 7:6-7 NLT: “Jesus went with the Jewish elders. But just before they arrived at the house, the Roman officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.”

Healing was needed, and Jesus was the only one who could do the job! Because Jews didn’t normally associate with Romans, the Centurion asked some Jewish elders to ask this favor of Jesus. They asked, and Jesus was quick to respond. God loves everyone he created – Romans, Greeks, Jews, Gentiles. There are no separate ethnic races in heaven. There are no religious denominations in heaven. If someone needs help, let’s all pitch in and do what we can to make things better. That’s what Jesus was doing!

But the Roman soldier sent messengers, saying, “Don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home. I’m not worthy! Simply say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed!” Think about this. This Centurion must have had great faith. The Centurion must have been a believer! Wow! Friends, faith can flourish outside of Jewish norms, outside of organized Christian religions. Faith in Jesus may occur in the most unlikely of places. We just need to watch for it!

Jesus says, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And he’s looking inside a Roman soldier’s heart, not in a synagogue. Can Jesus heal by remote control? Of course! “When the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed!” Saved by grace through faith!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Deserving???

For Thursday, October 8, 2026:

Luke 7:4-5 NLT: So the respected Jewish elders earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

The servant of a Roman officer was dying, and he sought Jesus’ intervention in the matter. Rather than approach Jesus directly, he used Jewish elders as “go-betweens.” Later in this Gospel, we find out that the soldier doesn’t feel worthy to be in the Son’s presence, perhaps because he’s serving in Rome’s military.

The Jewish elders got it wrong when they said, “If anyone deserves your help, this man does, for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” None of us ‘deserves’ God’s favor. God’s mercy isn’t dispensed to repay favors.

We’re all saved by grace, which by definition is undeserved favor. God isn’t keeping score. He doesn’t say, “You did this for me, so I owe you one!” Wrong, bad philosophy!

Jesus operates out of love and kindness. He sees a need, he’s able to help, so he does the next right thing. He wants believers to follow in his footsteps. Love God and love your neighbor. Be kind and helpful, not to repay favors, but because it’s the right thing to do! We’ll look at more tomorrow!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Jesus' Mission, God's Plan

For Tuesday, October 6, 2026:

John 17:1 NLT: “Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.’”

If we had been present that day, we might not have understood what was going on. It might have appeared to us that Jesus and his Father were losing the battle. “Glorifying the Son” required his arrest, a mock trial in a kangaroo court, severe beatings and eventually, crucifixion. On the surface, it doesn’t look like things are going well!

Frankly, Jesus’ disciples were depressed. Though uneducated, they were not inherently stupid. They could sense the trend that their spiritual mentor was about to die. Regrettably, they needed to step back from the situation, or their lives too might be on the chopping block.

Nowadays, we get to look at the big picture. We now know that Jesus died carrying the sins of the world, mankind having been forgiven. Jesus would leave those sins behind as he rose again and walked away from the tomb. In one gigantic event, Jesus had defeated both sin and death! That was his mission. That fulfilled God’s plan.

So friends, don’t quickly jump to the wrong conclusion. God can turn any situation to his advantage. Continue with faith and loyalty to the Son, and trust that God is still on the throne of the universe! In the Bible, the good guys always win!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church