Psalms 103 - A Second Chance!

July 31, 2017 Monday Message:

“Praise the Lord, O my soul.” Psalms 103:1a

The Bible teaches us that the Lord is slow to anger, and always ready to forgive those who repent and return. At church, we’ve been saying that our God is a God of second chances, and our religion is all about forgiveness, and Jesus is about love. As long as you’re sorry and desire another chance to get life right, God will grant you a “do-over.”

“Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” v13

God does not forgive our sin only to keep bringing it up from time to time. No, once forgiven, it is put away forever. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Don’t think He’s referring to a place; it’s a metaphor, saying, “If I go east and you go west, we’ll NEVER meet up! We’ll just keep getting farther apart!” And if that wasn’t enough, God also describes our past confessed sins as being at the bottom of the deepest ocean – a place where no one could ever go.

“From everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children.” v17

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers next Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Michael Pilla teaches from God’s word.

Psalms 102 0 Hope!

July 24, 2017 Monday Message:

“You, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever.” Psalms 102:12a

Without hope, people perish. This psalm is the story of a young Jewish man who became ill while under Babylonian exile. He prayed to be well enough to return home, to see Judah, before he died.

Knowing that God sits on his throne forever gives the man hope, and it gives us hope too, as we live our lives. When we know that God is still in charge, we can stop worrying. Whatever your problem is, just give it to God. He’ll be up all night anyway.

You can count on the unchanging character of God. If he says it’s right, it’s right; and if he says it’s wrong, count on it being wrong. God doesn’t change his mind. That’s Good News for us, knowing that our God is like a rock.

“You, Lord, will always be the same and your life will never end.” v27

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers next Sunday, July 30, 2017, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. We’ll look into the story of God’s call on Jonah, with the help of a big fish! See you at church!

Psalms 101 - Life God's Way

July 17, 2017 Monday Message:

“I will be careful to lead a blameless life.” Psalms 101:2a

In Psalm 101, David lists things that the followers of God promise to do (and not to do) as members of God’s Holy family. They’re attempting to conform to the moral character of God as outlined in scripture.

“Lead a blameless life; do not approve anything evil; hate what faithless people do; do not tolerate a proud heart; no deceit, do not speak falsely; silence all wickedness and evildoers.”

Wow – all admirable goals, but I don’t think I could get 100% on that test! Fortunately, with Jesus, this is a program of forgiveness, do-overs and second-chances. It’s about progress, not perfection. I don’t believe I’ll ever be perfect, but with time, I get better at living life God’s way. But I’ll always need Jesus.

We try to live a good life out of gratitude for what Jesus did for us. In spite of our efforts, nothing we do can earn us our place in the Kingdom. That is a gift from the Son, for all who trust in him for salvation. He has gone ahead to prepare a place for us.

See you there!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers next Sunday, July 23, 2017, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Pilla teaches about Kingdom-building and answering God’s call.

Psalms 100 - Joy!

July 10, 2017 Monday Message:

“Worship the Lord with gladness.” Psalms 100:2a

When David led worship, they all shouted and sang joyful songs, along with lyres, flutes, cymbals, trumpets, tambourines – and even dancing! Nowadays, in our efforts to show reverence for the Lord, we sometimes sit quietly and bow our heads. I believe we need some of each!

I have felt for years that worship should be fun, joyful, something that we enjoy. A lot! Even if you can’t sing, everyone can make a loud noise. Shout out, sing out loud and make music for the Lord. We do this for the Lord, because God gives us joy!

The “Joy of the Lord” is more than a feeling. It’s an overall attitude of gratefulness for the goodness God has shown us. We can still be filled with joy, even when life hands us a lemon. We know that everything will be all right in the end.

“The Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” v5

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers next Sunday, July 16, 2017, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. There will be a wedding right before our church service, with a message about the Wedding in Cana. See you there!

Life, Liberty, Happiness!

July 03, 2017 Monday Message:

This is the July 4^th holiday week, and many people are taking today off as well, making a marvelous 4-day weekend. July 4^th is the day we celebrate our nation’s independence as a sovereign nation. After that date in 1776, the United States of America was no longer under the control of any European country – we became our own entity.

The Declaration of Independence clearly states some of the principles upon which our nation was founded, ‘truths’ that should be ‘self evident.’

‘Endowed by their Creator’ tells us that our founding fathers had knowledge of and a belief in a God, the Creator of all things. They believed that this Creator intended for each person to have certain unalienable God-given rights — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are not optional – they are from God.

The Declaration states that if people are deprived of the rights which the ‘Laws of Nature and Nature’s God’ guarantee, they have the right to rebel and declare their independence, and that’s what the colonies did, becoming the United States of America.

Our country isn’t perfect. Good leaders come and go, and good policies come and go. But taken as a whole, our country is still a great place to live. As Christians, we can continue to remind our neighbors that this great nation was founded to insure the rights promised by God-the Creator.

Have a safe 4^th – and remember to thank God for our country!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers next Sunday, July 9, 2017, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. See you at church!