Compassion!

August 24, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 6:36 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”

God went to all the work of creating the universe, the planets, plants, animals, and finally human beings. Then the humans disobeyed, sinned. At that point, God could have thrown in the towel, concluding that the project was doomed. He did not!

God had fallen in love with these little humanoid creatures he had created. In spite of mankind’s shortcomings, God desired the best for everyone. Rather than abandoning the project, he devised a plan to rescue the faithful. He’d send his son Jesus to pay the penalty for mankind’s sinning. In a way, we’d be rescued by God himself. That’s the ultimate example of being compassionate!

Now that we know what all-out compassion looks like, we can emulate the Father and his Son. It’s said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, so we endeavor to live our lives with Jesus as our model!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Right Hand Man!

For Tuesday, July 14, 2026:

Romans 8:34 NLT: “Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

Paul is writing to the church in Rome, to those in opposition to the tyranny of the Roman government; in a way, protesters, since the government didn’t have much time for the church. So the ‘us’ he’s writing to is fellow believers, first in Rome, and following the canonization of Paul’s writings, for the faithful everywhere.

Paul asks a rhetorical question: “Who then will condemn us?” Believers should already know the obvious answer. Certainly God won’t condemn us. In fact, he sent his Son to rescue us. And Jesus won’t condemn us. He gave up his earthly life to pay the penalty for the sins of the world. And who is more powerful­ – the creator of the universe or the Roman government? God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is all-powerful. The Romans only think they have power. Their influence is limited and short-term.

There are benefits to joining any organization of like-minded individuals. If joining wasn’t beneficial, no one would ever sign up! Believers have joined the ‘Jesus Team.’ Benefits include fellowship and a sense of community, spiritual education that will serve us well in this life and the next, the Holy Spirit as a helper in this life, and the Father with his Son, pleading for our success from heaven’s throne. They’re our advocates, cheering for us all the time!

Have a blessed day! Stay cool and stay hydrated!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Spirit of God!

For Thursday, July 2, 2026:

Romans 8:9 NLT: “As believers, we are not controlled by our sinful nature. We are controlled by the Spirit if we have the Spirit of God living in us.”

This is freedom week in the US, which begs the question, “Are we really free?” Our country has laws, rules if you will, and not following the rules will result in a penalty. A fine or imprisonment will be the result of not following the rules. So we remain free as long as we obey the rules.

My point is that we have a choice. Most people choose to obey our laws, so their lives go on smoothly, without incident. But if we choose to disobey, all hell can break loose. Literally. Inviting Satan into our lives is always a bad choice.

Fortunately, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He is the insulator that keeps believers separated from the evil one. Light and darkness cannot coexist. Light always wins. We have the freedom to choose light or darkness. Our choice will have eternal consequences, and eternity is a very long time!

Joshua advises us to “Choose today whom you will serve.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

House of the Lord!

For Friday, June 12, 2026:

Psalm 23:6 NKJV: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

David showed confidence and trust in the Lord. He was a man after God’s own heart, but he was far from perfect. But despite his missteps, he always trusted God to be loving and forgiving. He would rise out of all the turmoil as a loyal supporter of God Almighty. That’s called faith!

Most believers are a lot like David. We will not live perfect lives, but on the cross Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the world – your sins and mine. Believers all need to accept that free gift with open arms and a smile. God doesn’t want a bunch of sullen souls in his Kingdom. The Father’s love should elicit joy from everyone!

God’s goodness and mercy will follow us throughout this life, and follow us into the next as we take our place in his Kingdom. We’re enjoying a better life now that we’re adopted into the Holy Family, and it will be the best life ever when we move into the house of the Lord. Start filling out change-of-address forms today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Peace with God!

For Wednesday, May 27, 2026:

Colossians 1:20b NLT: “God made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”

Sin and God’s goodness cannot coexist. But God’s desire is that everyone would repent and return. He wants us all to join him in the hereafter. Therefore, sin needs to be removed, blotted out from Heaven’s Book of Life registry. What could possibly pay the penalty for the sin of the world?

God, who has all resources at his command, knew that the earthly sacrifice of his Son was the only thing that could satisfy the debt. So Jesus went to the work of substitutionary atonement, paying for the trespasses of mankind through the ages. Past sins, present sins, and even future sins were paid for. Believers in Jesus have been granted special grace. When heaven looks up our name in the Book of Life, the column marked “sin” will be blank. No scratch-outs; no erasure marks; simply blank white space, as if we had never sinned. That’s how thorough Jesus’ forgiveness is!

As believers, we’ll be a part of the heavenly group only present because of the Son. “I’m with that guy sitting just to the right of the Father. He said he’d prepare a place for me in his Father’s Kingdom.”

And heaven will reply, “We’ve been expecting you!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Beginning of the End!

For Tuesday, July 29, 2025:

John 12:23 NLT: “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.”

In this Gospel, the Palm Parade is behind us, and the cross is in the future. Answering questions, Jesus predicts his death.

A terrible time is coming. Betrayal, false arrest, kangaroo court, whippings and finally crucifixion lay in Jesus’ future. Sounds terrible, and it was. But if Jesus is to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world, his death is part of God’s vast eternal plan! Like many things in life, this too will pass, and things will be much better when it does. Jesus’ life will be better as he is resurrected and eventually returns to heaven. Our lives will be better as the penalty has been prepaid for our sins. Jesus made it possible for mankind to spend eternity with Almighty God in His Kingdom.

All those who serve Jesus, those who call him Savior, are holding heavenly tickets. We will join Jesus in the hereafter. Remember that God’s desire is that none would perish; that all would repent and return. Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a place for us. No need to pack. Everything will be provided. God is good!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Punishment

For Sunday, March 16, 2025:

Leviticus 20:1, 2a NLT: The Lord said to Moses, ““Give the people of Israel these instructions.”

In the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant, those who sinned were to be punished. The most severe penalty was to be stoned to death. For lesser sins, God says the sinner should be punished but doesn’t specify the penalty.

Songwriter Bob Dylan always claims his song that chants, “Everybody must get stoned,” is about this scripture. The Bible says that, “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” Therefore, all people deserve to be stoned. Bob was raised Jewish. (You decide...)

People were sacrificing children to the idol Molech and consulting mediums. And God seems especially concerned with sexual relations and family systems. If God plainly lays out his rules, mankind will never have to question if a practice is right or wrong. The answer is in the Bible. Seek out the “God Trend.”

The New Covenant gives us a second chance, a do-over. If we confess our sins and claim Jesus as our Savior, he will take away any record of our sin and usher us into the hereafter. Jesus is the only way we can quality for the life after this life!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship