Trust in the Lord!

For Thursday, May 28, 2026:

Romans 8:28 NLT: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Trust. We are called to trust in the Lord, even when we don’t understand what’s going on. Only God can see the big picture, how things will turn out next week, next month, or even generations from now. Our job is not to question the Lord, but to trust in Him!

Believers are born again into the Holy family. We become sons and daughters of the Most High God. Jesus taught us to think of God as “Our Father,” an extremely good Father. Parents naturally love their children and desire only the best for them. God may answer your requests, “Yes, no, or not just yet!” Though we may not realize it at the time, God’s answers are always what’s best for us!

That’s a given in Christianity, that God’s mind is focused on giving believers the best. So today’s question is, “Do we trust God?” He always wants the best for us, even if we don’t understand it at the time. God can even take Satan’s mischief and turn it in our favor!

Thank the Lord for taking believers under his wing and for always delivering what’s best for us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Jesus the Socialite!

For Tuesday, May 26, 2026:

Luke 4:38-39a NLT: “Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. ‘Please heal her,’ everyone begged. Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her.”

Jesus is particularly good at setting things right, putting things back to their intended way, their intended purpose. Satan and his demons, on the other hand, are known for disruption, for sending situations and people in the wrong direction, well off their intended course. Just prior to this, Jesus had cast a demon out of a wild man, creating a ruckus in the Synagogue. The disciples were starting to believe that Jesus could do anything! Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sidelined with a severe fever, and Jesus was asked to intervene. A few words from the Son of God sent the fever on its way. Demons fear Jesus and his name, so the fever is quickly extinguished. Score “one” for Jesus!

Close friendship and a sense of community are benefits for Christians who live the way Jesus intends for us to live. Christians are meant to love one another and share generously. It’s not unusual for a good friend to do a favor for his/her brother or sister. So when Jesus was asked to help Simon’s mother-in-law, it was a given that he’d pitch in.

When Jesus walked on the Earth, he was a social creature, always visiting someone’s house, taking a meal with others, and hanging out with ‘the guys!’ Invite him into your house today. You might be surprised at all the good that could happen!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Spirit World!

For Thursday, May 14, 2026:

Colossians 1:16b NLT: “Christ made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.”

There is an entire reality, parallel to our world, that we cannot see. But it affects us greatly. Many Christians dream of going to heaven, a spirit reality, but balk at believing the size and complexity of the spirit realm. It’s truly difficult to believe in what we can’t see, what we can’t verify with our own eyes.

The risen Jesus delayed Paul on the road to Damascus. Christ cleared up who he is and proved that he can do everything he promised. I believe he also gave Paul a glimpse into the life after this life. As Paul describes it to the Colossians, the world we cannot see may be greater than the one we can see. He includes kingdoms with kings on their thrones and battles between them. Just as there is good and evil on the earth, there are spirits on God’s team and demons on Satan’s team. We’d do well to watch out for the latter.

Humans live this life, and then transition to the life after this life. Very few ever return, Lazarus and a few others. Jesus is the only one who existed in the unseen reality, came to earth to forgive mankind’s propensity for sin, and then returned to the spirit realm. These facts may or may not affect our earthly lives. But God doesn’t want to hear us say, “I didn’t see that coming!” Knowing what’s ahead, we can better conform to God’s commandments.

When we approach the pearly gates, they’ll say, “We’ve been expecting you!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Good vs Evil!

For Thursday, May 7, 2026:

Colossians 1:13-14 NLT: “For the Father has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom (with his blood) and forgave our sins.”

The Father rescued us through the Son’s actions, and the Spirit keeps us on the Holy path! We hear about “God’s vast eternal plan,” and this is part of it. The rescue of mankind was no accident. It was well planned out by God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s perhaps easier for us to think of them as three separate entities, but they are of one mind. Mankind was living in the darkness of Satan’s world, but Jesus showed us light. The story of Jesus’ actions is called the Gospel or Good News.

Here’s how the story develops: Humans were floundering like fish without enough water. Our lives had no goal, no purpose. Not surprisingly, very few ever made it to heaven. But the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. All! How’d that happen? I can picture God saying, “What went wrong? What happened here?”

Let me explain. There is good in this world, and there is evil. God is good, and Satan and his demons are evil. Those who have bonded with Jesus belong to God. The rest are subject to constant tempting by Satan. In fact, we’re all subject to the devil’s temptations, and the result is always pain and misery. But Christians have a higher standard, something to live up to. If Christ is our model, we have his reward in our sights, which is eternal life in the Father’s Kingdom. Eternity is a long time!

Paul advised us to focus our eyes on the prize!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Temptations!

For Wednesday, April 15, 2026:

Luke 4:1b-2a NLT: “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days.”

This was a major event in Jesus’ life. He must have talked about it, retold the story many times. He had not yet called the 12, and yet they write about it.

It’s the classic battle between good and evil. Satan’s goal is to derail anything God is for. Truth and honesty are prime targets. Lust and greed are high on Satan’s list. He offers authority and influence, worthless because Jesus already has those traits. In the end, Jesus refuses each of Satan’s offers, countering with scripture: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

Satan should have just given up. Was God’s Son ever going to oppose his Father? I think not! And yet Satan has to try. It’s in his job description! Jesus refuses Satan’s offers, and that fits his job description. Our job as Christians is to do what Jesus did. Be nice, be kind, love our neighbors, and most of all love the Lord and all that he stands for!

Many temptations will confront us in this life, and our job is to reject Satan and side with Jesus. He was heaven-sent to deal with mankind’s sin issues. He carried away our sins, leaving believers unblemished, spotless in God’s eyes, and eligible for residence in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom!

Keep your eyes on the prize!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Creation, Condensed Version!

For Friday, March 20, 2026:

Genesis 1:31 NLT: “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!”

God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – created the planet Earth, made light and darkness, separated land and water, grew vegetation, put the stars, moon and sun in the sky, gave us fish and birds, next land animals, and finally male and female human beings. That all took six days, and God rested on the seventh, designating it as Holy. After each day, God declared his creation “good,” but in its entirety, following the sixth day, God declared everything to be “VERY good!”

We have been given the privilege of living in that well-designed world. At one time, it was all very good. Unfortunately, mankind has done a lot to make that not so. Sin, lust and corruption have tarnished God’s creation. Satan and his demons have done all they can to derail the project. Right now, the world we live in is a big mess!

The Good News is that God promised to fix everything! He sent his Son, our Savior Jesus to take away the sins of the world. He’ll restore the earth to be the New Earth, just the way it was originally designed. He’ll splash total forgiveness on loyal believers so they can join him in the hereafter. God’s desire is for all to repent and return. You and I can sign up for that program!

Let’s all join God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom, where there’s no sin, no sickness or disease, where people love God and love their neighbors. What God wants turns out to be a very good way for us to live! Hallelujah!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Our Father, Our Teacher!

For Friday, December 19, 2025:

Hebrews 12:9 NLT: “Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?”

In spite of what they think, children don’t know everything. They need to be taught right from wrong, good from bad, and Godly from evil. As we raise children, they will test us. “Can I get away with this?” No!,

As believers, we have voluntarily joined a new family. We have become Children of God. Jesus said to refer to God as “Our Father,” and a Father’s job description includes teaching His children the rights and wrongs in life. We wind up being better people because of His efforts!

So don’t become discouraged if life isn’t always a bed of roses. Our Father may need to discipline us from time to time. His promise of a loyalty reward comes in the next life. Remember, the first will be last. The last get to move to the front of the line! Thank you, Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Jehovah-jireh!

For Saturday, December 6, 2025:

Romans 5:6 NLT: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”

There’s a lot in this scripture. Let me review a couple of basic Christian principles, and then we’ll have a look.

1. God and sin are incompatible. God is perfect, and everything around him is perfect. Sin is hugely imperfect and is not tolerated in God’s presence.

2. When God formed mankind, the final step of creation, he looked at everything and declared it “very good!” He loves us, so his desire is that everyone would repent and return to his dwelling place, Heaven. God is willing to forgive repentant sinners if we’re willing to discard our errant ways and if our desire is to come home.

Mankind had no way to obtain forgiveness on our own. Helpless. So God sent his Son, Jesus, our redeemer, to rescue us. As Jesus died, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead. And mankind, suddenly without sin, found ourselves eligible to take up eternal residence in the Lord’s presence.

God-the-provider, Jehovah-jireh, sent exactly what we needed, forgiveness and redemption, exactly when we needed it. God is good beyond measure!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Knowledge of Good/Evil!

 October 13, 2025,Monday Message:

Hebrews 10:29 NLT: “Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.

Sometimes we’re better off not knowing. Let me explain.

When Adam and Eve were first created, they didn’t know about sin and judgment. They innocently romped through the Garden of Eden, doing whatever they pleased and enjoying life. Sometimes God would walk with them in the evening, along the stream. Understand that Adam and Eve couldn’t sin, because they had no knowledge of right and wrong. God had told them, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

God was right! Predictably, mankind did exactly what they were told to NOT do! Eve saw that this unique fruit (knowledge of good and evil) was good, and offered some to her husband. Knowing they had done wrong, both hid from the Lord. With the transfer of knowledge, the bar had been raised. Now that they could discern good from evil, they were expected to choose “good.” Now that they could separate right from wrong, they were expected to choose “right.” As it was, they surely would have perished without the intervention of Jesus, who took the sins of the world upon himself.

In today’s example, the people knew all about Jesus and the new covenant. So ignoring those things would constitute willful and intentional disobedience, people thinking their way was better than God’s way. It never is.

As we model our lives following the footsteps of Jesus, we should be accustomed to knowing good from evil, and always choosing “good.” We may not be perfect, but our God is a God of second chances. Our shortcomings won’t derail God’s goals for us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Good Intent!

For Wednesday, September 24, 2025:

Mark 14:38 NLT, Jesus speaking to Simon: “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

That the body (or the flesh) is weak is an understatement. Romans 7 says it best. “18. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”

Another way of explaining it: “14. The trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”

Just because we acknowledge the truth doesn’t mean that we can live our lives perfectly. We need to combine knowledge of God’s Laws with obedience to make it so. It may be time to send a couple of demons packing! At least then we would level the playing field! If sin is cast out, if we’ve been delivered, we have a shot at keeping sin at bay. But if sin still dominates our lives, obedience doesn’t stand a chance.

We can choose to live God’s way, and that’s a good choice!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Let Your Light Shine!

For Sunday, May 25, 2025:

Luke 11:33 NLT, Jesus speaking: “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.”

I don’t just want to SEE the light – I want to ENJOY the light! I want it to light up the world around me so that I can see everything! Let’s be honest. We don’t turn on a lamp to see light. We turn on the lamp because we need to see something else. I want to read my book. I want to eat my food. I don’t want to trip on the rug. Turn on the light!

Light is a great analogy for goodness. Jesus is my light, showing me the way. If I am the light, I can shine before my friends to show them the way. If my friends become light, we can share a brightly lit worship experience!

In the Bible, light is often associated with goodness, and darkness with evil. Light always wins. If light intrudes on darkness, it all becomes light. If darkness tries to encroach on light, it too will become light.

So let your light shine before the world, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven! (Matt. 5:16)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God's Channel!

For Thursday, May 22, 2025:

Luke 11:28 CJB: “Jesus said, ‘Far more blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it!’”

As Jesus was teaching the crowd, a woman shouted out blessings to his birth-mother. Yes, Mary was obedient and highly favored by God. But the Father is even more pleased when one of us hears him and follows his instructions. Mary is history, but we are right now! Believers represent the future of the church for our generation. That’s what Jesus was saying.

God’s instructions will be heard by those with whom he has a relationship. If someone chooses to hear nothing from God, he won’t force his message on that person. Listening for God is like adjusting a radio receiver. If someone is not tuned in to the right frequency, they’ll never hear his message! So put God on one of your mind’s “preset” buttons! Let your Bible gather no dust!

Even more important than simply hearing God’s message is giving life to those instructions – obedience. Don’t think of serving God as an obligation. Consider it an opportunity to build an ongoing relationship with your Creator.

Believers have been drafted to play for God’s team. He wants us to win souls for the “good” team, those who, at the end of life’s game, are the winners.

Batter up!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Storehouse of Forgiveness!

For Tuesday, August 20, 2024:

1 John 1:9 NLT: “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. If we confess those sins and claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are offered forgiveness. But we don’t then instantly become perfect. Even the Apostle Paul was challenged. He said that in spite of knowing what he should do, he found himself thinking and doing things he shouldn’t do. He constantly fought a kind of tug-of-war between good and evil, between Heaven and the world.

This teaches us that repentance is more than a single event. We don’t just confess once and expect that everything is A-OK, because we know that our sin-problem is ongoing. And if our sins are ongoing, our confession and repentance need to be ongoing as well.

Thankfully, God has a storehouse of forgiveness, enough to cover all who confess, repent, and claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Talk to God today. He’s waiting to hear from you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God Wins!

For Tuesday, September 19, 2023:

Romans 8:28 NLT: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Satan is running unrestrained around our planet, and in my lifetime I’ve never seen such disarray. There are earthquakes, hurricanes and places where they get a year’s worth of rain in a single day. There are wars, violent protests and governments are falling. Frankly, this place – planet earth – is one big mess!

In spite of (not because of) the problems, God will find the good in each situation. The excessive rain will fill reservoirs and rivers so people have water and crops can grow. Those of us unaffected by these disasters are tested for compassion. Sometimes a war puts a new, better government in place. Other times a war puts an international bully in his place!

As a believer, we need to keep our eyes on the prize, our heavenly goal. God and his Son Jesus will never leave us or forsake us, and if we’re 100% dedicated believers, we have assurance of salvation.

The devil will do everything in his power to get us sidetracked, but believers should be unshakable. After all, we’re with Jesus! We can read in our Bibles who ultimately wins!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship