Name of Jesus!

For Saturday, September 5, 2026:

John 16:24 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.”

There’s a first time for everything! Jesus is teaching the faithful one very important lesson, so pay attention. It’s for all of us today, too!

Instead of becoming frustrated by trying to do everything yourself, call in some reinforcements. In this case, help comes through Jesus himself! He not only gave us permission to use his name, but he instructed us to do exactly that. Using Jesus’ name is what separates a whimsical wish from a request for divine intervention. Believers with reasonable requests asking in Jesus’ name will receive. Their prayers will be answered. Jesus said so.

But it would be wrong to contradict God. We can pray for healing, but if God has decided to call someone home, God gets his way.

Regardless of the outcome, we should prepare to celebrate. In this scripture, Jesus tells us that requesting and receiving in his name will result in abundant joy! Now share with your fellows the goodness of God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Everything We Need!

For Friday, September 4, 2026:

Colossians 2:10 NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

Paul makes a couple or really good points in this one sentence. Some people think of Jesus as a lesser God or maybe an assistant God. That’s bad thinking. Jesus is fully God and also fully mankind. As God, he’s supreme over every ruler and authority. Jesus is second place to no one! He is eternal. He was present when the world was created, and the Bible says that he’ll be here at the end times. He will preside over judgment day and separate the sheep from the goats!

Believers are included in the Kingdom through our association with Christ. The Message explains it like this: “Everything of God gets expressed in Jesus, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.”

Our lives are complete because of our adoption into the Holy Family. We will be saved because Jesus took away our sins and now welcomes us into the Kingdom of everlasting life. Our association with Jesus makes us complete!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Assurance of Salvation!

For Thursday, September 3, 2026:

Romans 9:30 NLT: “What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.”

The last sentence of today’s scripture says it all. Gentiles are made right with God through faith.

Followers of other religions try to please the Lord by doing specific things, thereby earning heaven points. For example, if you do something nice for someone, you earn heaven points. But when driving home from church, someone cuts you off in traffic, and you shake your fist at them. Now you lose heaven points. Q: How do you know when you have enough heaven points to see heaven from the inside? Or how do you know if you’ve lost enough points to be disqualified?

Last week, I was preparing to sing ‘Blessed Assurance.’ I explained how Christians have ‘Assurance of Salvation,’ something no other religion has. God wanted us to stop trying to earn our way into heaven. If we each claim Jesus as Lord of our Lives, we will be redeemed, end of story. Our salvation is by grace, a free, undeserved gift from above. Our faith, our eternal belief in the Son of God, locks in our life after this life.

So Christianity is pretty simple. Place Jesus at the top of your agenda and put your faith in his promises. Claim Assurance of Salvation just like the song says!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church