Joy!

For Tuesday, May 5, 2026:

John 15:11 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

Jesus spent a lot of his time teaching the faithful. He wanted everyone to know how his Father expects them to live. He states unchangeable principles such as honesty and truth. And he foretells the future, wanting believers to have hope.

Many things will happen to fulfill God’s plan, things that may be confusing. Jesus wants to clear things up and let everyone know what to expect. One example is that mankind’s sins will be forgiven, taken away as if they never happened. That sounds good, but the human side of Jesus will die in the process, and that sounds bad. The truth is that everything is good that lines up with God’s plan. Seeing God’s plan come to fruition should bring us joy.

Happiness can be fleeting, but the joy of the Lord comes from substance. Happiness results from circumstances, and the circumstances around you are forever changing. Interestingly, “circumstance” is the same root word as “circus!” Does your life have three rings and a bear on a bicycle? That’ll put a smile on your face, make you happy, but nothing of substance, nothing that really matters lives there. When the bear falls off the bike, the smile falls off your face.

Not so with the joy of the Lord. God gives us a new day each morning and fills us with joy! We read God’s word in the Bible, and that reinforces our joy! We meet our friends and coworkers – more joy! God’s joy is permanent, something that matters, something of substance. It was God’s plan to rescue repentant believers. He took us under his wing, adopted us into the holy family, and that’s forever! We can look forward to living in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom in the place Jesus has prepared for us, where joy abounds!

We can decide how to live our lives – substance or circumstances, God’s way or the world’s way, fleeting happiness or rock solid joy. Choose wisely!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Temptation!

For Friday, April 17, 2026:

Luke 4:13 NLT: “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.”

Satan is like that. Jesus had passed the test, survived for 40 days in the desert, tempted at every turn. Jesus was offered food, position and territory, but he turned Satan down. He already had what he needed, the favor of God Almighty! “You shall not test the Lord your God!”

Jesus had clearly won the contest, but for Satan, it wasn’t the end. Even though defeated, Satan regroups to try again. There is no end to the misery he intends to inflict on believers. This battle will come up again and again. The devil will keep pecking away at believers until one of us fails. He’s persistent. I jokingly tell people, “Satan’s not on holiday!” He never takes a day off, and his army of little demons is constantly trying to divert our minds.

On a continuum where Jesus is at one end and evil on the other, picture yourself much closer to Jesus and his Father. As a child, play together. As an adult, play on the Jesus team. Stand up for what is fair, right and honest. Always take the high road. That’s the one Jesus will be on!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Job Search Ended!

For Sunday, July 20, 2025:

Luke 16:11 NLT: “If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?”

In the parable of the shrewd manager, Jesus was setting a high bar for his followers. You may recall that the shrewd manager was making gifts of his master’s wealth, thinking that when he got fired he could call in favors from those he had gifted. Jesus acknowledged the man’s skill in providing for himself, but could never condone the thievery it required.

Jesus has appointed each believer to be the manager of their personal evangelical efforts. You’ve been ‘hired’ whether or not you realize it. New believers quickly transition into seasoned recruiters and teachers. It’s all intentional, God’s plan for growth and expansion. Christian leadership didn’t just fall off of the turnip truck! (Which means it’s no accident!)

Many believers have a not-so-nice past, a time before they met Jesus. This isn’t unusual since Jesus is in the rescue business, and many good Christians really needed divine intervention to separate them from their past iniquities.

Consider the Apostle Paul, who was known for persecuting Christians. It took a personal visit from the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus to convert Paul. But he also had to sojourn to Jerusalem to convince Christian leadership that they were all on the same team. It was a tough sell. That time could have been invested in evangelism rather than in cleaning up Paul’s mess. Nonetheless, given his situation, it was necessary.

So from now on, you are the hired manager and Jesus is your master. Let’s all get to work! Be good stewards of the time, talent and resources he has bestowed upon you. Be more honest than the shrewd manager in the parable. See if you can make Jesus smile today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Prayer!

For Sunday, August 25, 2024:

Matthew 6:5 NLT: “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.”

Interestingly, in the original language, hypocrite refers to an actor, someone pretending to be something they are not. In this case, that someone is pretending to be deeply religious, but it’s all just a show, an attempt to appear more pious than they actually are. Jesus teaches that there’s no reward in that.

The truth is that God knows your heart. He knows what you deep-down believe. God already knows your level of sincerity.

Your prayer should be based on your friendship, your relationship with God. He wants nothing but the best for you! Be honest; be straightforward. Keep it simple. It’s just the two of you – you and God. It shouldn’t be a show for anyone else.

By the way, we don’t get extra points for using more words!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship