Passover!

For Wednesday, April 1, 2026, Passover:

Genesis 17:7 NLT, The Father’s words: “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”

The simplified version is, “I will be your God, and you will be my people!” This was God’s promise, God’s covenant with Abram and his descendants. God’s word is always good; God’s word is always truth. God will never renege on his promises. Hence, His commitment to the Hebrew people suffering under slavery in Egypt. It’s a long story, so I’ll jump right to the end,

God called Moses to approach Pharaoh, telling him to “Let my people go!” Pharaoh refused, so God set 10 disastrous plagues loose upon Egypt, the last being the death of the firstborn of everything. That’s right, the firstborn of all – livestock and people – would be visited by the angel of death. This was Pharaoh’s breaking point. He not only let the Hebrews go; he demanded that they get out of town! Of course, he later changed his mind, and most of the Egyptian army was lost in the Red Sea incident.

As for the Hebrews, God told them to have a lamb dinner the night before, and then mark their doorposts with the lamb’s blood. This would be a sign for the angel of death to bypass that house, hence the name, “Passover.” They were told to eat standing up, with their walking-stick in hand and their togas tucked inside their belts. God wanted everybody prepared for when it was time to go.

The Israelites were told to teach their children about God’s goodness as he rescued them from Egypt. Teach about the oppression, the plagues and about God’s eventual deliverance of them back to the Promised Land.

God’s words to Abram: “I will give the entire land of Canaan to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”

Jesus’ words to believers: “I will never leave you or forsake you!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Faith: Give and Receive!

For Wednesday, November 19, 2025:

Hebrews 11:33a NLT: “By faith these believers overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them.”

True believers know that with God, anything is possible – and oftentimes illogical! How could the Red Sea part, leaving a dry path for believers, and then come back together just in time to drown those pursuing them? Only God! And if God is changing Canaan into Israel, wouldn’t you expect some push-back from those already residing there? Nope! The Israelites simply marched around Jericho’s city-wall for a week, and then blew their shofars. Afraid, Jericho’s residents abandoned everything and ran for the hills! Only God!

Every hero in the Bible is an example of their faith in the Lord being a good decision, including those who trusted God’s promise of a Messiah. God doesn’t lie, and sure enough, Jesus arrived to walk among us. Mankind’s impatience almost got the best of us, but God’s timing is always the best. Jesus could teach, preach and heal when necessary. Those who watched him were amazed! They knew Jesus was heaven-sent, and they were awed even more by believers performing those same miracles: healing the sick, raising the dead, curing those with leprosy and casting out demons.

Remember, God loves us and Jesus loves us. God was a step ahead of today’s motivational speakers, counseling us to delegate to others rather than trying to do everything ourselves. Believers aren’t operating alone; they’ve signed on to the “Jesus Team!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Red Sea Challenge!

 For Saturday, November 15, 2025:

Hebrews 11:29 NLT: “It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.”

I love Hebrews chapter 11 – example after example of faith in action. To these Christian heroes, it made more sense to have faith in a God they could not see rather than to count on anything beneficial from their current situation.

With God, anything is possible. There is nothing you can’t accomplish with the Father and his Son on your side. We willingly join and trust the “God Team,” so that when we need to call out for help, we’re all on the same page with the group that holds all the power. Jesus says that without him, you will accomplish nothing!

Hollywood made today’s scripture into a movie. Charlton Heston, a big, strong, action-movie type, portrayed Moses. Should have been a small, wiry Jewish guy! Oh well... He led the Hebrews out of Egypt, but they reached a dead end at the Red Sea. In the movie, God allows Moses to part the sea, a wall of water on each side, and dry sand underneath. Beautiful! The Hebrews all crossed successfully, and then the waters flowed back together, drowning those in pursuit. Good movie with a happy ending for the Hebrews! Not so much so for the Egyptians.

But remember, the real lesson isn’t in the event itself. It’s about having unwavering faith in the God who would orchestrate such an event in their favor. We all need that confidence in the Lord, unshakable faith that never ends. Believers are saved by grace, God’s gift to us, through faith, God’s assurance of salvation!

Blessings,

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Moses - All In!

For Tuesday, November 11, 2025:

Hebrews 11:26 NLT: “Moses thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.”

Moses had been adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and was in line to inherit the wealth of Egypt. But after some investigation and using common sense, he knew he wasn’t an Egyptian. He looked more like those who were servants to the Egyptians. He was Hebrew through and through! Now, he could have kept quiet and continued to enjoy the privileges of Egyptian royalty. But he did not! When Moses saw Egyptians unfairly beating a Hebrew, Moses rose to the man’s defense. They fought, the Egyptian was killed, and Moses knew it was time to get out of town!

At that time, Moses had not met the God of his people. Yet he chose to support this unseen God. Having been raised up in the Royal Palace, Moses didn’t have a religious upbringing. That all changed when God spoke to Moses from a burning bush that did not consume itself.

God said to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go!”

Moses replied, “You’ve got the wrong guy!”

God didn’t change his mind, “Take your brother Aaron with you. He’s better at speaking.”

God didn’t back down, and Moses found himself standing before Pharaoh. “Let my people go!” Despite Pharaoh’s persistent reluctance to let the Hebrews leave, 10 plagues later, they were crossing the Red Sea, on their way to the promised land.

Moses was “all in” for the Hebrew God. He did not renege on the faith question, even when others around him were faltering. It was God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. He was therefore 100% convinced, and nothing could change his mind. He was “all in!”

Are you “all in” for God? Could anything change your mind? I sure hope not!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Celebration!

For Saturday, February 8, 2025:

Exodus 14:31 NLT: “When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”

Humans are fickle. One minute they think that God is the greatest thing ever, and the next they forget about him. For all that God had done – all the plagues and now their journey out of Egypt – some Israelites were still wishy-washy about the Lord. But now, with the parting of the Red Sea and all the Hebrews escaping to the other side, but the Egyptian army being crushed by the returning water, the fence sitters were convinced. God had been extremely good to the Jews and all were amazed!

When God has been that good, the proper response would be to exalt the Lord, to lift up his name. Praise and worship are the order of the day, and that’s just what they did. The people of Israel gathered and sang hymns, but that wasn’t enough for Miriam the prophet, Moses and Aaron’s sister. She grabbed a tambourine and led the women as they sang and danced even more before the Lord.

While that celebration was good, we should all be celebrating the Lord every day. God deserves praise and worship whether or not he has done anything spectacular. He is still God, the creator of everything in the universe. He is our creator, our Father in heaven. So grab your tambourine and sing a song to the Lord today! Dance if you’re so inclined!

Psalm 150:3-5 “Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith Again!

For Friday, February 7, 2025:

Exodus 14:21 NLT: “Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land.”

This is the part of the story that everyone knows! The people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! That’s right, all 2.5M of them, safely on the other side!

Soon the Egyptian armies and chariots chased after the Israelites, but God Almighty had two more things in mind. First, he ‘confused’ the Egyptian pursuers. With walls of water on each side, they were directionally challenged, and bent chariot wheels made progress impossible. Finally, God had Moses raise his hand again, the east wind stopped and the waters came back together, covering the Egyptians. God not only delivered the Hebrews out of Egypt, but he also delivered them from being chased down.

And when the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Q: Has God ever helped with a major change in your life? Has he rescued you from a perilous situation? Has he delivered you from demons and similar oppressors?

When you and I see the mighty power of the Lord, it should be obvious that he deserves all our faith and trust. God will never abandon us, so we shouldn’t ever abandon him. Today is the accepted day to commit or re-commit ourselves to the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Unconditional Faith!

For Thursday, February 6, 2025:

Exodus 14:9 NLT: “The Egyptians chased after the people of Israel with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel.”

When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. (Again.) “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. All the Israelites were to Pharaoh was free labor, and a lot of it, whereas freedom to worship their eternal God was fulfilling a Godly command for the Israelites. God vs Pharaoh – no contest!

But the people of Israel panicked when they saw the Egyptians. They cried out to the Lord and to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

The Israelite population was short on faith and long on pessimism. They did not share Moses’ confidence in the Lord. They were about to begin a 40 year lesson about trusting God for everything. Jehovah Jireh – The Lord will provide!

Q: Is your faith more like Moses or the Israelites? If something doesn’t go your way, do you panic and say, “God, why did you leave me in this predicament?” Understand that God may have the next steps already worked out if you maintain unshakable faith in Him! If the God of the universe is our God, we need to trust him unconditionally.

The Egyptian soldiers had the Israelites backed up against the Red Sea. You probably all know what will happen next! Moses’ faith in God-the-provider was not misplaced!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Escape from Egypt!

For Wednesday, February 5, 2025:

Exodus 13:18 NLT: “God led the Israelites in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.”

God is providing visionary leadership. He knows human nature better than anyone. He knew that Pharaoh would have second thoughts about letting the Israelites go. He knew that Pharaoh would send his army to retrieve the Jews. That army would have expected to find the Hebrews on the most direct path to Israel. So to buy them a little extra time, God aimed the Israelites toward the Red Sea, the Sea of Reeds.

Coming up against this body of water may at first look like a problem, but it was actually a solution. God had more in mind. He allowed Moses to part the water, allowing the Hebrews to escape to the other side. Then, as the Egyptian army pursued them, Moses closed up the sea, drowning the Egyptian army.

(Sidebar: This incident is dramatized in the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille classic, ‘The Ten Commandments.’ Just remember that Moses was probably a short, ruddy-looking Jew, not tall and handsome like Charlton Heston!)

The goal in all of this was to return the Hebrew people to Israel. All the plagues, all the meetings with Pharaoh and the colossal exodus march were stepping stones toward that goal. God will be with them all the way as the trek continues. The job won’t be finished until the Israelites are back home.

Both God and his Son Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Count on it! If God is “in” your mission, he’s “in” for the entire duration until your goal is achieved! God is good – very good!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship