God's Forgiveness!

For Friday, February 28, 2025:

Exodus 32:10a NLT: God speaking: “Leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against the Israelites, and I will destroy them.”

The impatient people of Israel built a golden calf to worship. Had they forgotten that the real God just rescued them from Egyptian slavery? Isn’t agreeing to be one of God’s people a forever decision with eternal ramifications? Had they forgotten that promise?

God is upset and angry. He’s had enough of these fickle Israelites. If they can’t stick by him after all he did for them, God thought he might as well wipe them from the face of the earth!

Moses, in panic mode, intervenes on behalf of the Israelites. He makes his case: “Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth?’” That behavior doesn’t sound typical of God Almighty, and in fact God relented. Forgiveness better fits the God-trend we know!

Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, saw the calf and the people celebrating, and he lost his temper! Rightfully so! He burned their calf and ground it into dust. In his anger, he threw the tablets inscribed with God’s commandments, smashing them. God would later replace the tablets. The faithful Levites were ordained as priests of God. Those who opposed God were eliminated from the group.

Moses was never going to get his group to the Promised Land unless they all shared the same goal. They needed to all be on the same page, pulling in the same direction. If your church and your ministry are going to grow, your group needs to understand the organization’s goal, the overall plan, and be willing to work to implement those goals. Jesus said, “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.”

Working with Jesus is a great plan with long-term benefits!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Mob vs Truth!

For Thursday, February 27, 2025:

Exodus 32:4 NLT: “Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

This is “mob mentality,” things going wrong in the worst way. When this happens, common sense is thrown out the window. Let me explain.

Moses’ brother Aaron had been present when the real God, our Creator, spoke with Moses. Moses wasn’t gifted in public speaking, so Aaron was his mouthpiece. Any commands God gave to Moses were immediately passed on to Aaron, so he could educate the people. Therefore Aaron knew exactly what God wanted, and he knew what the Israelites should be doing. Aaron was privileged to know the truth, straight from God’s mouth!

But the mob grew impatient. They thought God was taking too long. So they decided to manufacture a different god. Aaron should have been smart enough to quash this rebellion before it grew into such a massive insurrection. But he fell victim to the mob mentality. The entire throng was moving in the wrong direction, and Aaron chose to join in rather than resist. It was a bad decision.

 "I will be your God, and you (Hebrews) will be my people.” When the Israelites agreed to this, it should have been a forever decision. When Christians agree to follow Jesus, it should be a forever decision. Wishy-washy doesn’t get your name into the book of life! Many theologians teach that if the Israelites abandoned God, they never fully believed in the first place.

As believers, we should first seek the truth. And remember that truth is God’s opinion on everything! And when we say that we believe God’s truth, that needs to be a forever decision!

May God bless you all, and have a great day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God vs Calf?

For Wednesday, February 26, 2025:

Exodus 32:1 NLT: When the Israelites saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

Impatient and fickle. Ungrateful and totally wrong! “Please, Aaron, make a god for us.” Dumbest request ever! I can’t believe Aaron fell for it. Moses’ brother should have known better, but it’s hard to oppose mob mentality.

The throng thought God was taking too long. They thought Moses was taking too long. They decided that if the real God wasn’t getting it done, they would make a god of their own. A golden calf. Bad decision. No one can make a God anything like our Creator God!

The Israelites must have short memories, forgetting all God did to get them out of Egypt. They must have forgotten the 10 plagues, culminating with the firstborn of everything in Egypt dying – everything except what was in the Hebrew camp! Had they forgotten the Passover? God said to never forget that and to celebrate it annually!

The behavior of these people disgusts me. If I were God, I’d feel like wiping them off the face of the earth, and he almost did until Moses intervened on their behalf.

Nowadays, “golden calf” is a synonym for anything that may look good but is fake and actually worthless. Idol, graven image, false god, pagan symbol and even the almighty dollar are listed. (Dollars are only valuable here on earth; they have no eternal value!)

So friends, don’t fall for any golden calf stuff. Focus on God Almighty, and as Paul said, “Keep your eye on the prize!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Sabbath!

For Tuesday, February 25, 2025:

Exodus 31:13a NLT: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you.”

On weekdays, most of us put on our work clothes and leave home to do whatever we do to earn a living. Anything from a suit to a hard hat is appropriate, depending on our careers.

The Sabbath day is different. Believers wake up focused on our God, the central theme of the day. We dedicate this special day to honor the God Almighty who makes us holy. We gather with our fellows to worship and pray. Fellowship is a key part of honoring the Sabbath. Families meet with other families. Worries, cares and disagreements from the previous week are set aside as we celebrate together. Our focus is on loving the Lord and loving our neighbors! The Sabbath is a good day!

I serve at a church that, for logistical reasons, meets on Friday nights. I don’t think God is as concerned with what day of the week it is, as he is that we consistently designate a special time to worship and honor him. For most people, their work week is wrapped up and they immediately turn to the Lord, and that’s good!

I don’t ever think of the Sabbath as a “do nothing” day. For obvious reasons, priests, pastors, church musicians and Bible teachers have a very busy day. Even observant Jews in Moses’ day would have to feed and water their animals on the Sabbath. You could help with some of the Lord’s work: visit shut-ins and the sick; help at the food shelf or serve meals to the needy; be an usher or park cars at church. Think of things that would be helpful to the Kingdom. Do good!

Above all, remembering the Sabbath reminds us of the goodness of God, the one who sent his son to be the offering for the sins of the world. If we repent and return, God is willing to forgive and forget, and welcome us into his eternal kingdom! God is good!

See you at church!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Prayer and Worship!

February 24, 2025, Monday Message:

Exodus 25:8 NLT: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.”

God wants to live among his people. The people miss not having a designated place to worship. The solution to both dilemmas is to build something suitable. God was the architect. He specified all the dimensions and chose the materials to be used. The Israelites were the workers, bringing God’s vision to fruition! This tabernacle needed to be portable, as everyone was still wandering across the sand, so it was called an ark. The tablets God created of his 10 Commandments, his Covenant with mankind, would eventually be placed inside, hence the “Ark of the Covenant.”

Jews would worship at that tabernacle until they could build Synagogues and eventually the Temple. Christians build churches where believers can gather for worship and a sense of community. But remember that we can pray and worship anywhere. God is omnipresent, meaning he’s everywhere, not just in church buildings. Prayer and worship are trusting and loving the Lord.

We’re also commanded to love our neighbors, and a church gathering is where we often meet them. Being a believer isn’t a solo endeavor! So let’s all show up, roll up our sleeves and get to work.

See you at church!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Commandments!

For Sunday, February 23, 2025:

Exodus 24:12 NLT: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.”

How many commandments did God give mankind? Jewish tradition says 613. God highlighted 10 key points on the tablets he gave Moses. Jesus simplified it further, saying that if we’d love God and love our neighbors, we would be on the right path!

If there’s something important that you need to remember, write it down! God did it himself in the Bible, so it’s good advice for us all, not just for religious things, but for business things and life’s lessons as well. Nothing is lost due to faulty memory or misguided oral translations. Print the principle in big letters and post it on your wall! Or put the principle under the glass on your desk. That implies that the principle can’t be changed since we can’t reach it. Or do as God did: etch it in stone! Tradition says he wrote on the stone with his finger! Can you do that? (Rhetorical question; you don’t need to answer!)

Why was Moses given the tablets? Why have we been given the Bible? So that we can teach others! Let’s all use our gifts and talents to share the Good News! It seems that would please the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Teamwork!

For Saturday, February 22, 2025:

Exodus 23:22 NLT: “If you are careful to obey the angel I’ll send before you and follow all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.”

This is God’s offer for you to join his team. Do you accept? God endowed mankind with free choice, so some may choose to reject the offer. That’s a bad decision with eternal ramifications. The Creator of the universe gets my allegiance, and should get yours too!

We know God wants you on his side, so the question becomes, do you desire for God to be on your side? This needs to be a two-way relationship. Say, “He will be my God, and I will be one of his people!”

"If God is for us, who can stand against us?”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Passover!

For Friday, February 21, 2025:

Exodus 23:15 CJB: “Keep the festival of matzah: for seven days, as I ordered you, you are to eat matzah at the time determined in the month of Aviv; for it was in that month that you left Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.”

Passover celebrates the rescue of God’s people from Egyptian slavery. Getting 2.5M people out of Egypt wasn’t going to be easy! So God orchestrated 10 plagues on Egypt, until Pharaoh not only let the Hebrew people go, but insisted that they leave! God said to never forget what he did! Enough with the plagues!

They ate bread without yeast so it didn’t need time to rise, so that it could be prepared quickly. When God said, “Get going,” promptness was the order of the day! The Jews also kept their walking stick by their side, and tucked their tunic inside their trousers so they could run quickly.

Passover was the day the Hebrew people were delivered. Easter, Resurrection Sunday celebrates the day Christians were delivered. We should never forget what a good thing God did for us!

Jesus conquered sin and death on the same day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth!

For Thursday, February 20, 2025:

Exodus 23:1 NLT: “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.”

People of God should be people of integrity. We should not lie, cheat or steal. The song says, “They will know we are Christians by our love,” but it should also say, “They will know we are Christians by our truth.” Christians should be known for honesty.

Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Liars, scammers and thieves will don a coat of Christianity, attempting to fool many, attempting to add credibility to their sham. They need to be called out on their offensive nature and expelled from the fellowship before they pollute others.

There’s really only one right way to live. It’s God’s way or the highway! Remember, truth is God’s opinion on everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Compassion!

For Wednesday, February 19, 2025:

Exodus 22:21 NLT: God’s words, telling Moses what he must teach the Israelites: “You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.”

We should all remember where we came from. If you were mistreated in Egypt, resolve to do better than the Egyptians did when foreigners enter your land.

Aliens walk a tightrope. They want to follow the traditions and rules from their homeland, but also honor the laws of the country where they now live. If someone does not follow the rules of their new country, they will not be welcomed.

What is your background? If you were ever in jail or prison, you should show compassion toward those who are incarcerated. If you were delivered from addiction, counsel and assist those still fighting the devil. If your life is pretty good, then freely share the Gospel with your fellows. They deserve to know Jesus just like you do!

You do know Jesus, don’t you?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Eye for an Eye!

For Tuesday, February 18, 2025:

Exodus 21:24 NLT: “...a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.”

In God’s system of justice, the punishment must fit the crime. If someone deliberately kills another, then they too should be put to death. But lesser crimes should have reduced penalties. We are still accountable for our actions.

These rules do not apply in the case of accidents, but they do apply in cases of negligence. “If your ox has a reputation for goring, yet you failed to keep it under control, you must pay full compensation.”

God’s justice system shouldn’t surprise us. He only asks for what’s fair, right and honest. Loving our neighbors includes treating them equitably and with respect. If we live our lives God’s way, we shouldn’t ever incur discipline. Let’s all try to live our lives in such a way that our Father in heaven can be proud of us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

10 Commandments!

February 17, 2025, Monday Message:

Exodus 19:16, 18 NLT: “On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on Mt. Sinai. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. All of the mountain was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently.”

God showed up, so don’t expect the earth to be still! Only Moses and Aaron were allowed on the mountain with God. God gave them non-negotiable instructions. Nowadays, we call these “The Ten Commandments.”

The first four commandments are about loving and honoring God. The remaining six are about respecting and living with our fellows. “Don’t be afraid,” Moses told the people, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”

Isn’t that what we all want, something to keep us from sinning? It should be our desire to live in harmony with God’s edicts. After all, he is our God, and we are his people!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God's People!

For Sunday, February 16, 2025:

Exodus 19:5 NLT: God instructing Moses regarding the People of Israel: “Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.”

God rewards loyalty. To him, stick-to-it-ive-ness is a virtue. It’s as if God said, “I’ve got an idea! I’ll be your God, and you guys can be my people!” Good idea!

Moses called together the elders and told them everything the Lord had commanded him. And all the people responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”

Jesus later came to earth to restate God’s invitation, this time not to just the Jews, but to the whole world! He will be our God, and we are invited to be his people. He’s looking for a forever commitment. God is willing to forgive sins, to grant us second chances, if we keep him front-of-mind.

The Lord’s desire is to include everyone in his Kingdom. He gave us the freedom to say no, but he’d prefer that we join the eternal salvation team!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship