Father God!

For Wednesday, May 22, 2024:

Ephesians 5:20 NLT: “Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul is encouraging believers to live in the light where everything is visible. His analogy is also practical. Light is good; darkness might not be so good! Activities of which you can be proud are displayed in the light for everyone to see! Iffy, questionable activities take place in the dark where illicit acts can be easily hidden.

God will give us provision to ensure our survival. We will have everything we need, not everything we want! We are to pray to God the Father in the name of his Son Jesus. I always begin public prayers with “Father God,” and end with “In Jesus’ name we pray.” But if you’re in a hurry or frustrated and mistakenly pray directly to Jesus, God is smart enough to figure it out! It’s hard to pray incorrectly!

Our triune God created everything. Thankfully He shares with us. Our planet stays alive because the sun keeps shining and the earth keeps spinning. God provides us with necessities we don’t even know we need!

God is good!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Closer to God!

 For Sunday, February 5, 2023:

Matthew 6:33 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Jesus’ ultimate goal is to redeem mankind from our sinful ways. That’s why he came to walk alongside mankind. Jesus is to see to it that the children of God can spend eternity with their Father in heaven. As you might expect, Jesus gives good advice and simplifies the process.

Rather than concentrating on a list of do’s and don’ts, Jesus counseled the believes to first seek the kingdom. Get closer to God. If you’re living your life in such a way as to seek the Lord, you won’t need the list!

Any good parent makes sure that their children have everything they need, and our Father in Heaven is no exception. Our omniscient God knows who is living for him and who is truly seeking him. He will provide for them and take care of them until he calls them home. Then they will enjoy eternal care!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Faith vs Worry!

For Friday, February 3, 2023:

Matthew 6:26 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”

There’s a fine line between prudently planning for the future and unnecessarily worrying about it. Jesus simply said to not worry; the Lord will provide. Birds don’t wake up in the morning and worry about food. They just go about their day and always seem to find enough to eat. Note that birds don’t worry, but they do work. They wake up, get out of the nest and search for today’s meal, which God always provides.

As a human, God may offer you a job. You have to do good work resulting in a paycheck which buys groceries at Krogers, and voilà, you have food! See – God is good!

Psalm 23 says that with the Lord as my Shepherd, I shall not want. God looks after his flock’s basic needs. He won’t provide everything we covet, but our necessities are in his hands.

Jesus is advising ‘faith’ rather than ‘worry.’ “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:27)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

God of Provision!

For Saturday, January 28, 2023:

Matthew 6:11 NIV, Jesus continues teaching The Lord’s Prayer: “Give us today (this day) our daily bread.”

Abraham called the Lord “Jehovah-Jireh,” “The Lord will provide” - everything! Abraham needed a replacement sacrifice to spare the life of his son Isaac. That’s a big ask, but God provided! We might only need a sandwich for lunch, and God can provide that too.

We should ask, “Give us today what we need for today.” This isn’t about filling a pantry or storeroom. God will give us today what we need for today, and he will give us tomorrow what we need for tomorrow. God will provide for our needs, not our greeds!

Our needs today include daily provision, forgiveness, and strength in the face of temptation. Many things are more important than food, and the Lord can provide everything we need!

God takes an interest in simple, everyday things!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship