Heaven is Expecting You!

For Tuesday, June 9, 2026:

Romans 8:30 NLT: “Having chosen his people, God called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”

Disciples of Jesus are part of God’s plan for eternity. You were chosen, earmarked for heaven, from the beginning. Since the Father cannot coexist with sin, he arranged for our sins to be forgiven by the work Jesus did on the cross. In the end, everything works out according to God’s plan, and we’re blessed to be included.

Do you appreciate the size of God’s gift? The Bible says that there is life after this life, and there are only two destinations: God’s Kingdom, or Satan’s place. The Kingdom will be fun, filled with activity, worship and other good things. Satan can only provide a lake of fire, leaving residents miserable – forever! Once we leave this reality, we cannot cross over from one side to the other. The decision to be with Jesus can only be made by humans on earth. So there’s an urgency to lock in our eternal position before passing. Me? I’m with Jesus!

Nothing could be worse than knowing you had a chance to spend eternity with the Savior, but never followed through on it. TODAY is the day to claim your reservation in the hereafter. TODAY is the best day to dedicate or rededicate your life to the Son. He’s already preparing a place for you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Miracle Source!

For Thursday, April 16, 2026:

John 12:17-18 NLT: “Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were testifying about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign.”

Jesus could perform miracles, and miracles impress people. Many were in Jerusalem for Passover, hence the large crowds. They had traveled to experience religious things, and all the buzz was about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Everyone was impressed, but it was kind of like they all had attended a magic show. They worshiped the miracle itself, but not where it came from, who did it, why they did it and who that person is.

Jesus intentionally took his time traveling to Martha and Mary’s house, arriving after Lazarus had died. “O Lord, if only you had been here,” cried the women. They’re thinking in earthly terms. Knowing what we now know about Jesus, he could have healed Lazarus from far away. But to Jesus, this needed to be an event. This was about showcasing the glory of the Lord. He wanted Lazarus clearly dead before calling him out of the tomb – a BIG miracle! Perhaps then people would recognize that this was heaven-sent, and that Jesus was God’s only Son!

Friends, don’t just appreciate the miracle, the event itself. Worship the supernatural entity that brought the miracle to fruition. Worship God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as they bestow miracle after miracle on believers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Glory to the Father!

For Sunday, March 30, 2025:

John 14:13 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.”

Jesus performed quite a number of miracles while he was here on earth. Many of them involved healing. He could take a person born lame and have them dancing a jig in no time! For that person, the miracle was life-changing, but it also fulfilled another purpose!

Jesus made no secret that he was the Son of the Most High and that any power he had originated with God himself. God, who created heaven and earth, should be exalted every day, but especially when we are eyewitnesses to his goodness. Healings showcase God’s love for mankind, and his desire to be a part of our lives.

Picture Jesus bragging, “Let me show you what my dad can do!” He never took credit himself. Jesus’ power to improve lives always came from above. That power has not ended. So we pray to Father God, “...in Jesus’ name – Amen!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Living in Harmony!

For Friday, November 3, 2023:

Romans 15:5-6 NLT: “May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul has been counseling the church in Rome – rules, commandments, dos and don’ts – when suddenly he inserts a short prayer for these people. It could have been written for us nowadays!

Patience is always needed, myself included. Nothing seems to happen as fast as I’d like. When something is good and right, my instinct tells me it should be put it in motion right away, but that may not be God’s timing. God’s timing will always be the right timing, so we may need a little encouragement along with our patience!

The goal is for believers to live in complete harmony with each other, following Jesus’ example. Everyone can then be on the same page as we give praise and glory to God the Father!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Brothers and Sisters!

For Wednesday, September 20, 2023:

Romans 8:29-30 NLT: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”

God’s people are the believers, those 100% dedicated to God, Jesus and his plan for our salvation. Jesus is the firstborn, but as believers we are adopted into the Holy Family. Apparently God’s plan is to re-make each of the believers until they fully resemble Jesus. God taps believers on the shoulder and calls them to join his Son and all the other believers. God arranged for the price of our sins to be paid in full. Jesus took care of that. So believers are now justified in God’s sight, worthy of being his son or daughter! God’s glory now surrounds believers, eternal residents of the Kingdom! Welcome to the family!

God provided for everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Thine is the Kingdom!

For Tuesday, January 31, 2023:

Matthew 6:13b NIV: “For thine (yours) is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

This ending for The Lord’s Prayer wasn’t included in many of the original texts. Some modern translations include it; others do not. The words were perhaps added by scribes, those who copied Bibles by hand. If you wanted to use Jesus’ prayer-example as a stand-alone prayer, there was no suitable ending. The prayer begins by praising the Lord, so it’s appropriate that we should also conclude in that manner.

There is evidence that these ending words are ancient and were used by Jewish Christians. Therefore it seems appropriate to include them as we recite The Lord’s Prayer. Confidence in praising the Lord reinforces the eternal hope we have through his Son Jesus!

As children attend Sunday School, one of the first things they memorize is The Lord’s Prayer, probably the traditional version we all know and love. Current translators have modernized the language, but we continue to use the older version we have already memorized. It’s difficult to retrain humans!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Praise the Lord God!

For Thursday, August 4, 2022:

Psalm 72:19 NLT, David praying: “Praise be to the Lord God’s glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.”

Believers ‘get it,’ and unbelievers don’t ‘get it.’ Everything we find here on earth was made possible by a God who loves us and desires a relationship with us.

God loves us so much that he trusted us with free choice. Believers have made a decision that God is God, and we are not! The God we follow promises a life after this life in paradise.

Some people think they’re so important that they can be their own god. For them I have one question: What is your heaven like?

David had settled this matter in his mind. He was committed to the God who called him, “A man after my own heart!” God loved David, and David loved the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Glory to God!

For Wednesday, May 18, 2022:

Romans 11:36 NLT: “Everything comes from God and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

Who can know the mind of God? Paul admits that he can’t fully understand the Lord, but that makes him glorify God all the more. When things happen that Paul can’t explain, he still worships passionately.

None of us knows God’s agenda, his time-table or his purpose. Sometimes we can’t see God’s ‘big picture,’ but rest assured, God’s every move is intentional. Believers are to worship the Lord, whether or not we understand his intentions. We assume that a loving God always has good intentions. Believers stick with the Lord no matter our circumstances.

Our circumstances are short-term, but God’s love for us is eternal!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Let there be Light!

For Friday, March 11, 2022

1 John 1:5 NLT: “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: ‘God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.’”

It’s a common metaphor in the Bible: God is light; evil and sin live in darkness. Proverbs describes righteousness as the morning sun. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world!”

Conspirators and deceivers thrive in darkness, where it’s difficult to observe their craftiness. Truth is out in the open, in the bright light, so that all people can know the truth.

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406