August 30, 2010 Monday Message:
David: “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body; you formed me in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13
God knew you at your conception, your beginning. God knew you when one cell divided and became two. God desired companionship, a family; and so each of us was created by Him, different from all the others, unique, and yet similarly created in His image.
God teaches us a lot about parent/child relationships. He is the consummate parent. When you’re a parent, you have a special unconditional love for your child. The child may be rebellious, disobedient and out of control, but when he comes home, you still let him in – even when he doesn’t deserve it. This is, after all, your child. He may have to pay a price for his transgressions, but he is still loved at home, by his parent(s). God showers us with His khesed, His unconditional lovingkindness. Bathe in it – soak it up!
As we approach the Labor Day weekend and prepare to kick-off the next ministry season, take a moment to consider that God created you, your family, and all to whom you minister. Give thanks. No matter how difficult people can be at times, remember that God made each one of them. He gave them free will, so they will do things wrong and make bad decisions. But God forgives them, and so should you. Don’t dwell on it – there really isn’t time. Get back to kingdom building. Look at how many new things can go right during the coming year!
Don’t beat God’s sheep. God doesn’t, so you shouldn’t either.
Norton Lawellin
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
August 23, 2010 Monday Message:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
Samuel said, “There is no rock like our God,” and, “Who is our rock, our substance, except our God?”
Moses writes, “God is the rock, our foundation; his works are perfect.”
David’s Psalm 18 encourages us to sing, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my salvation; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”
God doesn’t change his mind. The character of God is a constant, something on which you can count, a rock on which you can stand. If God says it is good, it was good a long time ago, and it will be good far into the future. You can count on it. Similarly, if God says not to do something – “thou shalt not…” – He won’t be changing his mind either. If it was wrong a long time ago, it is still wrong today, and will be wrong for our children’s children.
Jesus freed us from certain procedural directions and dietary laws, which were no longer necessary for our safety. But the basic concepts of good and bad, right and wrong, evil and not-evil are still the way God set them out for us 6000 years ago. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one. Therefore what God spoke at the beginning and what Jesus verified 2000 years ago is still true today as the Spirit moves amongst us.
Jesus quotes Aesop’s Fable from 700 BC, as he chastises false teachers of God’s Word, those who would alter, change or “re-interpret” the Bible. “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them." Matthew 7:15-16 Nowadays some wolves are dressed in denominational garb. Jesus says cut down these bad trees with their bad fruit and throw the whole mess into the fire. Sounds pretty severe, but that tells us that Jesus is serious, and God’s not about to change His mind either. “The Father and I are of one mind.”
Don’t mess with God’s writings. That’s what the Bible says.
Norton Lawellin
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
Samuel said, “There is no rock like our God,” and, “Who is our rock, our substance, except our God?”
Moses writes, “God is the rock, our foundation; his works are perfect.”
David’s Psalm 18 encourages us to sing, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my salvation; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”
God doesn’t change his mind. The character of God is a constant, something on which you can count, a rock on which you can stand. If God says it is good, it was good a long time ago, and it will be good far into the future. You can count on it. Similarly, if God says not to do something – “thou shalt not…” – He won’t be changing his mind either. If it was wrong a long time ago, it is still wrong today, and will be wrong for our children’s children.
Jesus freed us from certain procedural directions and dietary laws, which were no longer necessary for our safety. But the basic concepts of good and bad, right and wrong, evil and not-evil are still the way God set them out for us 6000 years ago. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one. Therefore what God spoke at the beginning and what Jesus verified 2000 years ago is still true today as the Spirit moves amongst us.
Jesus quotes Aesop’s Fable from 700 BC, as he chastises false teachers of God’s Word, those who would alter, change or “re-interpret” the Bible. “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them." Matthew 7:15-16 Nowadays some wolves are dressed in denominational garb. Jesus says cut down these bad trees with their bad fruit and throw the whole mess into the fire. Sounds pretty severe, but that tells us that Jesus is serious, and God’s not about to change His mind either. “The Father and I are of one mind.”
Don’t mess with God’s writings. That’s what the Bible says.
Norton Lawellin
Monday, August 16, 2010
August 16, 2010 Monday Message:
In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus heals a crippled woman on the Sabbath, by casting out demons. As you’d expect, this act of mercy drew hefty criticism from the Temple leaders, who thought healing was “work,” and no work could be allowed on the Sabbath.
Jesus argued that, just as you’d loose an animal to let it get water on the Sabbath, so should you also loose the woman from her demonic infestation on the Sabbath. Of course Jesus is right. Let’s look at the lessons in this brief exchange:
1. Sometimes physical challenges are caused by supernatural manifestations; other times they are not. Jesus can heal a person, regardless of the cause of their infirmity.
2. As you read the Bible, remember that your Zion is wherever you worship God, and your Temple is where you meet Him. Therefore your Sabbath is the day you step back from your circumstances to focus on substance: worship of the God who loves you, study of His character and principles, honoring family and friends, etc. I don’t know if God is concerned with the day of the week – my family frequently worships on Saturday. What matters more is that we intentionally set aside time for the Lord.
3. Common sense must prevail. If an animal needs water on the Sabbath, we need to take care of it. If someone needs healing on the Sabbath, we need to take care of that too. If your neighbor needs a hand and you have the opportunity to serve, you should probably take care of that too. Your Sabbath might not always be smooth.
4. There’s no question that we should right a wrong on the Sabbath. It would be wrong to not water your animal; it would be wrong to not heal the woman if you could. Jesus says you can heal the sick and raise the dead. You can’t do it alone – call down the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus doesn’t just say that the woman “should” be healed – He says she “MUST” be healed. Take care of it.
5. Once again God’s intolerance of false religion shows itself. The Temple leaders wanted to enforce the “letter” of the law, but had sadly neglected the “spirit” of the law. Jesus found false religion in the synagogue that day, just as we find false religion in some churches nowadays.
There’s no new ground here; we’ve heard these lessons before: Worship the Lord, serve your neighbor, love your family, follow God’s laws. Let’s all try to get this right. Don’t make Jesus have to come down here again to teach us. The next time I see Jesus on Earth, he should be on a white horse!
Norton Lawellin
In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus heals a crippled woman on the Sabbath, by casting out demons. As you’d expect, this act of mercy drew hefty criticism from the Temple leaders, who thought healing was “work,” and no work could be allowed on the Sabbath.
Jesus argued that, just as you’d loose an animal to let it get water on the Sabbath, so should you also loose the woman from her demonic infestation on the Sabbath. Of course Jesus is right. Let’s look at the lessons in this brief exchange:
1. Sometimes physical challenges are caused by supernatural manifestations; other times they are not. Jesus can heal a person, regardless of the cause of their infirmity.
2. As you read the Bible, remember that your Zion is wherever you worship God, and your Temple is where you meet Him. Therefore your Sabbath is the day you step back from your circumstances to focus on substance: worship of the God who loves you, study of His character and principles, honoring family and friends, etc. I don’t know if God is concerned with the day of the week – my family frequently worships on Saturday. What matters more is that we intentionally set aside time for the Lord.
3. Common sense must prevail. If an animal needs water on the Sabbath, we need to take care of it. If someone needs healing on the Sabbath, we need to take care of that too. If your neighbor needs a hand and you have the opportunity to serve, you should probably take care of that too. Your Sabbath might not always be smooth.
4. There’s no question that we should right a wrong on the Sabbath. It would be wrong to not water your animal; it would be wrong to not heal the woman if you could. Jesus says you can heal the sick and raise the dead. You can’t do it alone – call down the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus doesn’t just say that the woman “should” be healed – He says she “MUST” be healed. Take care of it.
5. Once again God’s intolerance of false religion shows itself. The Temple leaders wanted to enforce the “letter” of the law, but had sadly neglected the “spirit” of the law. Jesus found false religion in the synagogue that day, just as we find false religion in some churches nowadays.
There’s no new ground here; we’ve heard these lessons before: Worship the Lord, serve your neighbor, love your family, follow God’s laws. Let’s all try to get this right. Don’t make Jesus have to come down here again to teach us. The next time I see Jesus on Earth, he should be on a white horse!
Norton Lawellin
Sunday, August 8, 2010
August 09, 2010 Monday Message:
Jesus: "Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, not peace, but division! It is going to be father against son, mother against daughter…” from Luke 12:51-53 Strange language coming from the one hailed as the “Prince of Peace.” Let’s dig in…
There’s a catchphrase heard at some churches that I like so much I printed it out and put it on the wall in my office: “Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end.” And that’s the point. There will be peace that passes all understanding at the end, but along the way, our bumpy road will be flooded with controversy and division. Until the end, there will be wars and rumors of wars.
God-the-creator loves us unconditionally, so much so that He sent his only Son to cover our sins. If we repent and ask God’s forgiveness, he will grant it, and adopt us into his holy family. But God is intolerant of unrepentant disobedience. It’s God’s way or the highway, and you don’t get to like it or not like it – that’s just the way it is. Our God will not have you worshipping false gods, and he will not tolerate you following false doctrine. Realize that it’s these false gods and false doctrines that result in the bumps in the road, the controversy and division, not anything that God said or did.
God will also not tolerate the teaching of false doctrine. “Not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James 3:1
Therefore, worship only the one God-our-creator and live your life by following the teachings of Jesus. Then you will find fewer bumps along your journey, and less controversy and division too. Living God’s way means things will be more like the new heaven and the new earth, when God sets everything right. It’s may be God’s way or the highway, but God’s path is paved with gold!
Norton Lawellin
Jesus: "Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, not peace, but division! It is going to be father against son, mother against daughter…” from Luke 12:51-53 Strange language coming from the one hailed as the “Prince of Peace.” Let’s dig in…
There’s a catchphrase heard at some churches that I like so much I printed it out and put it on the wall in my office: “Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end.” And that’s the point. There will be peace that passes all understanding at the end, but along the way, our bumpy road will be flooded with controversy and division. Until the end, there will be wars and rumors of wars.
God-the-creator loves us unconditionally, so much so that He sent his only Son to cover our sins. If we repent and ask God’s forgiveness, he will grant it, and adopt us into his holy family. But God is intolerant of unrepentant disobedience. It’s God’s way or the highway, and you don’t get to like it or not like it – that’s just the way it is. Our God will not have you worshipping false gods, and he will not tolerate you following false doctrine. Realize that it’s these false gods and false doctrines that result in the bumps in the road, the controversy and division, not anything that God said or did.
God will also not tolerate the teaching of false doctrine. “Not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James 3:1
Therefore, worship only the one God-our-creator and live your life by following the teachings of Jesus. Then you will find fewer bumps along your journey, and less controversy and division too. Living God’s way means things will be more like the new heaven and the new earth, when God sets everything right. It’s may be God’s way or the highway, but God’s path is paved with gold!
Norton Lawellin
Monday, August 2, 2010
August 02, 2010 Monday Message:
When we die, whoever has the most “stuff” WINS!
Right? Not according to Jesus…
In Luke 12:16:21, Jesus teaches the parable of the rich fool. As the story goes, a man has been so successful that his barns overflow with grain. He foolishly decides to tear down the barns and build bigger ones. In this story, our man is concerned with providing for his earthly “stuff,” his circumstance, but has made no provision for his eternal soul, his substance.
As I counsel people, I find many are often focused on, and somewhat obsessed with, their “stuff.” In the parable it was MY barns, MY crops, and MY goods. The man wanted to, “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” The man hoped that when he amassed enough “stuff,” maybe he could take it easy, even retire. And who among us hasn’t hoped that we can set aside enough for our retirement?
Nowadays our “stuff” can be MY house, MY car, and MY 401k. I’m going to go out on a limb here, and say that “stuff” isn’t necessarily bad. But a driving obsession, an all-encompassing focus on stuff is what the Bible says is bad. In other words, wealth isn’t evil; but “the LOVE of wealth is a root of all kinds of evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10
The depressed world economy has left most of us scratching our heads, wondering what happened to all our “stuff.” We were hoping to build bigger barns this year, but suddenly we found we had one-third less “stuff.” And that’s a part of the lesson Jesus was trying to drive home: Earthly stuff, circumstance, is temporary – it just won’t last.
I believe Jesus would have us do two things. Instead of building more earthly barns, we should build our storehouse-of-substance in heaven, claiming the promise of forgiveness and salvation because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. So start or continue your personal relationship with Jesus, the author of your salvation. And then, if you’re one of those fortunate enough to still have an abundance of “stuff,” share some of it with those who got clobbered in today’s economy. I believe that’s what Jesus would do.
Norton Lawellin
When we die, whoever has the most “stuff” WINS!
Right? Not according to Jesus…
In Luke 12:16:21, Jesus teaches the parable of the rich fool. As the story goes, a man has been so successful that his barns overflow with grain. He foolishly decides to tear down the barns and build bigger ones. In this story, our man is concerned with providing for his earthly “stuff,” his circumstance, but has made no provision for his eternal soul, his substance.
As I counsel people, I find many are often focused on, and somewhat obsessed with, their “stuff.” In the parable it was MY barns, MY crops, and MY goods. The man wanted to, “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” The man hoped that when he amassed enough “stuff,” maybe he could take it easy, even retire. And who among us hasn’t hoped that we can set aside enough for our retirement?
Nowadays our “stuff” can be MY house, MY car, and MY 401k. I’m going to go out on a limb here, and say that “stuff” isn’t necessarily bad. But a driving obsession, an all-encompassing focus on stuff is what the Bible says is bad. In other words, wealth isn’t evil; but “the LOVE of wealth is a root of all kinds of evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10
The depressed world economy has left most of us scratching our heads, wondering what happened to all our “stuff.” We were hoping to build bigger barns this year, but suddenly we found we had one-third less “stuff.” And that’s a part of the lesson Jesus was trying to drive home: Earthly stuff, circumstance, is temporary – it just won’t last.
I believe Jesus would have us do two things. Instead of building more earthly barns, we should build our storehouse-of-substance in heaven, claiming the promise of forgiveness and salvation because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. So start or continue your personal relationship with Jesus, the author of your salvation. And then, if you’re one of those fortunate enough to still have an abundance of “stuff,” share some of it with those who got clobbered in today’s economy. I believe that’s what Jesus would do.
Norton Lawellin
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