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

Loving God!

For Wednesday, February 16, 2022

1 John 2:6 NLT: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”

Before Jesus, everyone primarily looked out for themselves. "I got mine; the rest of you can fend for yourself!"

Jesus introduced what, at the time, was a new concept: Loving your neighbor as yourself. Just be nice! This Epistle was written to help people avoid sin, taking the position, "If you say you're a believer, one of God's people, then you should try to live as Jesus did. Believers share eternal hope with a loving God!

When in doubt, just do what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

One Nation, Under God!

For Sunday, January 23, 2022

Psalm 80:3 NLT: “Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.”

If you could graph the Hebrew people’s relationship with the Lord, it would look like a roller-coaster – up and down, up and down, closer to God, farther from God, over and over again. Things would get really bad – perhaps their country would even be taken over by the Assyrians or the Babylonians.

And in the midst of floundering, someone would finally say, “We need help. We can’t do this alone. We need to turn back to the Lord!” And when they did, our loving, forgiving God would come to their rescue, and the country, the people and the religion would get back on track.

Each of us, and our country as a whole, should learn from Israel’s past mistakes. When we’re closer to God, things go better. When we’re closer to God, we have hope.

At church today, pray that the Lord would be restored to a position of prominence in our nation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

"God-trend!"

For Sunday, March 21, 2021

Jonah 2:8 NLT, Jonah praying: “Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies.”

It’s important to understand the character of God. He is loving and forgiving. He wants us to do well in this life. His desire is that no one would perish, but that all would repent and return. He’s a God of second-chances, and then third-chances, etc. He loves us so much that he sent his Son to pay the price for our sin, so mankind could be guaranteed a presence with Him in eternity. That’s the “God-trend!”

In the church where I grew up, they had a painting. I didn’t like it then, and I still don’t. God was at the top in the clouds; some poor sinner was in the middle, on his knees begging for mercy; and the bottom was filled with the fires of hell. God’s finger was pointing down, condemning this sinner to the lake of fire. I think that’s faulty theology. God doesn’t condemn us so much as we condemn ourselves when we fail to accept His forgiveness and mercy. He’s given us chance after chance to say, “Yes!”

When you understand that our Lord is so loving and merciful, why would you choose anything else?

Blessings and safety this Sabbath!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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