Vast Eternal Plan!

For Tuesday, July 21, 2026:

Colossians 2:2 NLT, Paul speaking: “I want all the churches to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.”

Our own intelligence can get in our way of understanding God’s vast eternal plan. If you’re good at solving problems by logically thinking things through to their obvious conclusion, God’s plan may not seem like the best idea. Let me explain.

Jesus was sent as the spiritual mentor for the world. He is here to get believers back on track. And that one man, Jesus, was opposed by the Pharisees, the Temple leaders and all of the religious establishment. It’s an uphill battle not easily won.

At first glance, it appears that Jesus lost. He died. But right before he gave up his last breath, the sins of the world were heaped upon him, upon God’s Son! He left mankind’s sins in the place of the dead. Believers were forgiven and offered an opportunity for a good life after this life. It all works out in the end, but getting there requires divine intervention. And for us, divine understanding!

Jesus eventually won. He walked away from the tomb three days later!

I’m amazed at the number of devotees sitting in our pews who don’t really understand how God’s plan applies to them. And I’m really, really amazed by how few clergy actually ‘get it.’ They can’t teach what they don’t know, what they don’t believe or what they don’t practice.

Friends, there is only one church, the Church of Jesus the Christ. One thing Jesus stressed was love for one another, loving our neighbors as ourselves. Start by doing what Jesus did, being nice, being kind, helpful and eager to serve others. Paul wants all believers to fully understand God’s mysterious plan in due time. Paul is advising us to have confidence in the Son, who only spoke truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

For Sunday, March 8, 2026:

John 14:8 NLT, Philip speaking: “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Jesus has been telling the disciples about the life after this life. Philip, one of the 12, has questions about the Trinity, the 3-in-1 God. I understand. As I meet with people to answer their Bible questions, this is the #1 topic!

Understanding the awesome power of God Almighty helps us make sense of the Trinity. First, God is omnipotent, meaning all powerful. Mankind can imagine supernatural things, but God can actually do them. God had the power to create planets, our solar system, the whole universe and the space into which it could all be put; plants, animals and human beings, from scratch! He can create anything and do anything, so don’t be surprised when God does something out of the ordinary, something kind of unusual.

Our all-powerful God is also omnipresent. He can be in more than one place at the same time, simultaneously. Being omnipresent, God can decide to walk on planet Earth to rescue mankind, while remaining in Heaven. Sort of like cloning, but still of one mind. God can also do different things at the same time, multi-tasking, if you will. And if you pray to God, He’s never too busy to take the call. God doesn’t have voicemail or call waiting. Omnipresence makes him perpetually available.

Omniscience is another God trait. He possesses all knowledge. God is smart, much smarter than any of us! He knows what’s good for us, and even if it hurts, He’ll give us what’s best for us. Mankind is better off living under God’s plan.

So can Jesus show the Father to Philip? Jesus answered, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” I hope Philip gets it; I hope we ALL get it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Made in His Image!

For Thursday, January 2, 2025:

Genesis 1:27 NLT: “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

God was binge-creating, to use a modern term. For a while there he created one thing after another – light and darkness, dry land and oceans, plants, birds, fish, animals, and finally mankind! He could have just made another variation of the zebra. (I guessed that was the last animal created since its name begins with ‘Z’.) (Pun! – Adam actually gave the animals names! But we digress…)

God is a spirit-being, and we, having been created in his image, are also spirit beings, living in borrowed bodies. We were created to be top-of-the-food-chain here on earth. We were given brains, intelligence and reasoning. God wants to be companions with us, to walk alongside us. He didn’t want to hang with a bunch of dorks!

In God’s infinite wisdom, he must have known that we would let him down from time to time. So he also planted in us the concepts of repentance, forgiveness, second-chances, do-overs and most of all true love for God and our fellows.

Created in God’s image, we stand with the best!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship