Psalm 30

January 25, 2016 Monday Message:

“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.” Psalm 30:11a

God doesn’t hold a grudge. If we sin, but then confess our shortcomings, Jesus is our path to forgiveness, and our account with God shows a zero balance.

Again and again in Psalm 30, David writes about this radical transformation – of individuals, and their life-situations. “I cried to You for help, and You restored my health.” “You brought me up from the grave.” “You kept me from falling into the pit of death.” “God’s anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime!”

It’s important for us to recognize that this pattern of love, forgiveness and restoration is the norm for our God. We can count on God behaving in this way - a “God-trend.”

Interestingly, David wanted this Psalm used in the dedication of a palace, probably THE Temple, which didn’t exist yet.

“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5b

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10 am every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, it’s Pastor Retha – Evangelism pt. 2, Luke 14:15-24 & 15:3-7.

Psalm 29

January 18, 2016 Monday Message:

“The voice of the Lord is above the waters.” Psalm 29:3a

Our God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – spoke the universe into existence. His voice always resonates from high above the waters, from heaven, never from below the waters, sheol. Recognizing God as “the Creator” is our key to unlocking the door of eternal life.

Last Sunday, many churches celebrated Sanctity of Life Sunday. God from above created ALL life, young and old, and people of all colors. God saw everything that he created and declared that it was all “good.” Therefore WE should honor ALL of God’s good creations.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day, and we remember the man who sought parity for all mankind in the United States. Civil Rights laws were passed, court cases were won, and on the surface it would appear that Dr. King’s side was victorious. And yet the battle goes on.

Here’s the problem: You can legislate changes in the law, but you cannot legislate changes of the heart. Only God changes people’s minds, hearts and lives. So many in our country have failed to recognize the supremacy and sovereignty of the Creator, who looked at what he made and declared that everything was good.

People tend to want to be like God; they want to declare some of the creation, “NOT good.” This wanting to be like God started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, when Satan tempted them, saying that they could be more like God. So in their attempt to be more like God, they actually became more like the evil one.

God doesn’t have a problem with anything that He created.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10 am every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, Pastor Retha discusses evangelism, Luke 5:1-11.

Psalm 28

January 11, 2016 Monday Message:

“To you, LORD, I call; you are my Rock.” Psalm 28:1a

David’s life was complicated, but his God was always easy to understand, and we can just as easily understand God nowadays. The Bible says that God is like a rock – stable and unchanging. The Bible says that Jesus, the Messiah, is the same yesterday and today – and forever.

Knowing this, we can spot “God trends.” When God separates the sheep from the goats, the sheep will ALWAYS belong over here, and the goats will ALWAYS be sent over there. When God separates the wheat from the chaff, the good wheat is always retained here, while the chaff blows away over there. What God says is good is ALWAYS good, and what God says is bad is ALWAYS bad – forever.

If God says that it’s wrong to steal, then it’s NEVER right to take something that doesn’t belong to you. You can’t rationalize your way out of it, it doesn’t depend upon circumstances, it doesn’t matter if you really need something and the other person has way too much. Stealing is wrong – end of story. Why? Because God said so. It’s a “God trend,” and He’s not changing!

God writes his laws upon our hearts. Primitive, uneducated people all over the world know that taking something that isn’t theirs is wrong. Even non-Christians know God’s rules.

You don’t need to memorize the entire Bible, but be alert to identify and memorize the “God trends.” Then as you live your life, if something seems good, right, fair, honest, beneficial for all concerned – you already know that it’s OK with God. But if you have to sneak to do something, lie, cheat, steal, hurt somebody – better pass on that activity.

God’s not changing his mind any time soon. My God is like a Rock!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10 am every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, we welcome all the Christmas In the City families as Dan Pilla delivers a special message for Sanctity of Life Sunday.

Happy New Year - #2

January 04, 2016 Monday Message:

“Now you must repent and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.” Acts 3:19

Happy New Year! Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? A resolution to change something implies that something was headed in the wrong direction, that something in your life NEEDED to change - for the better.

It’s a new year – consider it a fresh start, a re-start on our lives. We can begin the new year with a clean slate. We can learn from our past mistakes and change for the better. We can resolve to turn from our past and head in a new direction.

Our relationship with God is kind of like that. We confess our sins, but that’s not the end of it. The Hebrew word we translate as “repent,” tschuva (CHEW-vah), indicates a turn, a change of direction. Sin had been taking us farther from God, but now we turn back and resolve to live closer to God’s way. “Repent” isn’t just about being sorry for what went wrong. Repentance requires turning away from the old behavior, living our lives in a different way – a better way in the future.

If our past mistakes cause us to re-think those past decisions, and to live our lives in a better way, closer to God, are they really mistakes? Sometimes our mistake is God’s teachable moment.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10 am every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, Pastor Van Dickerson speaks as Jesus teaches the Parable of the Sower, Mark 4:1-8.