Beat the Heat!

For Tuesday, August 4, 2026:

Luke 6:22 NLT: “What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man.”

Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount. People want to know, in God’s future, where do I stand? How will my life turn out? I believe that Jesus’ primary motive was to communicate truth. He calls himself “Son of Man,” but he’s really the “Son of God.” He has the actual truth. He has the inside scoop!

Many people think more highly of themselves than they ought. We like to think that we have all the answers, but we don’t know more than Jesus. Loyal disciples will be hated and excluded from things. Others will make fun of believers, mocking them and cursing their existence. Apparently, it won’t be easy to follow God’s Son!

Know that hate from the general public results in blessings from above if we remain stedfast. Our reward comes in the next reality. This life lasts perhaps 60, 80, 100 years, but our next life is eternal.

It’s worth taking a little heat now, to ensure we won’t feel any later!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Sabbath!

For Wednesday, July 8, 2026:

Luke 6:5 NLT, Jesus, answering the Pharisees: “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”

Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of Man.” He is the Son of God, but born into this Earth as a man, hence this description. Being God’s Son, one-third of the Holy Trinity, and heaven’s only earthly representative, he has every right to be “Lord of the Sabbath,” God’s designated Holy day of rest.

The Pharisees had memorized God’s Commandments, often called the Law of Moses because God delivered them to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The first four commandments are about our relationship with God, while the next six talk about our interaction with our fellows. (There are actually 613 commandments!) I summarize the Law like this: Love God, and love your neighbor! Simple, right-to-the-point.

Pharisees honored God, but didn’t get the “love your neighbor” part. Instead of teaching their followers the right way to live, they preferred to catch them doing something wrong and punishing them. The commandment in question here is, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” They defined that as doing no manual labor on the Holy day.

The disciples were walking near the edge of a grain field, and found some stalks left unharvested. You could roll the grain in your fingers, remove the husk, and eat the inside. They were accused of working on the Sabbath. I don’t see that as any worse than if somebody left a tray of nuts on my table, and I quick grabbed a few for the drive to church. Speaking of which, is driving a car to church a kind of prohibited labor? Chassidic Jews don’t drive on their Holy day!

I don’t picture God splitting hairs on this, i.e. rigid enforcement. In our minds, we are to hold a “special” place for the Sabbath, remembering our Creator. After worship, a Sabbath day should be family time. God also wants us to use common sense. If we’re driving home from church and see a single mom with three kids and a flat tire, should we stop and change the tire for her? Even though that’s work? Yes, we should always be kind, helpful and do the next right thing. Loving our neighbors isn’t optional, and God will view your helpfulness as honoring His commands!

Jesus attended his Synagogue on the Sabbath. He would be called upon to teach, preach and read from the scrolls! Most of those present hadn’t learned to read or write, so they appreciated Jesus’ skill. Jesus even healed on the Sabbath, which got him in a lot of trouble with those Pharisees, but that’s another story. For now, “Love God and love your neighbor!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Delivered!

For Wednesday, August 13, 2025:

Mark 13:24a, 26 NKJV: “After that tribulation, they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”

Jesus said, “See, I have told you all things beforehand.” So we shouldn’t be surprised when we encounter false saviors, false christs. There will be many claiming the title, while in reality only seeking power for themselves. Earth will endure a difficult time as the tribulation unfolds. Believers will be separated from the rest of the world. Then the Son of Man will come in the sky to gather and protect his flock.

When Satan is conquered and subdued once and for all, God will restore the earth to his original plan, calling it the New Earth. As much as we talk about going to heaven, it’s only temporary. Our final destination is the New Earth, where God can walk amongst his people.

Each day we’re one day closer to the end times. Right now, the weather is crazy, and that’s a sign! We’re seeing excessive rains and flooding; a month’s worth of rain in a day. We might expect this in a hurricane, but two days ago it was Wisconsin! We will see wars and rumors of wars. We can’t seem to get Putin out of Ukraine, and the leaders of Gaza never should have attacked Israel, God’s chosen people.

The purpose of the end times is to deliver believers and quash Satan and his demons. You and I, the followers of Jesus, will be delivered to a glorious hereafter. God is good. Thank you, Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Believe?

For Friday, January 10, 2025:

John 9:35b NLT: “Do you believe in the Son of Man, the Son of God?”

Jesus asks this question of the man who had been born blind, but it’s a good question for all of us. Of course that man, whose sight had just been restored, was eager to learn the source of his miracle. He says he believes, but is still unclear about the source.

Jesus fills in the blanks, telling the man, “You have seen him, and he is speaking to you!” Right here, right now, standing right in front of you, and speaking to you! It’s me – I’m the Son of God!

This is one of several scriptures where Jesus clearly states who he is. We are saved by faith, faith that Jesus is who he claims to be, and that he can do what he says he can do.

God shows us who Jesus is. After all, our eyewitness, the blind man, can now see!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Son of Man!

For Friday, August 23, 2024:

Revelation 1:17b-18 NLT, the risen Jesus speaking: “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

John had been found guilty of preaching the word of God and testifying about Jesus. Consequently, the Romans exiled him to the island of Patmos, to separate John from the general population. The Romans expected John to be “over,” done, finished forever. They never expected Jesus to show up!

The Son of Man stood in the middle of seven lampstands, wearing a long robe with a gold sash. His head and hair were white like snow, and his eyes looked like they were on fire! Feet of bronze completed the ensemble. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. His face was bright like the sun, and his voice thundered over the scene: “Write in a book everything you see!” John did just as instructed, so now we have the Book of Revelation.

When a heavenly being appears to a human, his first words always seem to be, “Be not afraid.” Apparently, an encounter with a heavenly resident is awesome-scary! Jesus said he would live forever, and voilà – here he is! Jesus was resurrected first so that believers could follow in his footsteps. He went ahead to prepare our place in eternity.

Jesus conquered sin and death in the same event. The result is a free gift to all of us who believe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Mission Accomplished!

For Wednesday, February 7, 2024:

Mark 10:33-34 NLT: “Listen,” Jesus said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man [Jesus] will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”

I’ve always been intrigued by Jesus’ constant use of the term, “Son of Man,” to describe himself. Most Bibles simply say, “A title Jesus used for himself,” but I believe there’s more to it.

"Son of Man” describes Jesus’ current condition, born as a human. But he originated in heaven as the Son of God! Jesus was sent to earth to complete an assignment. He was on a “Mission Trip,” if you will. The goal was to solve mankind’s sin problem which was perpetually separating humans from our Creator Father in Heaven. The plan was to allow mankind to repent and return, and to offer forgiveness. Jesus would take the sin of the world to the place of the dead, leaving mankind cleansed and suitable to take up eternal residence in the Kingdom. Problem solved; mission accomplished!

As the entourage was returning to Jerusalem, Jesus details what’s about to happen to him. If he’s to deliver the sins of the world to the place of the dead, he has to himself die. It won’t be pretty!

The disciples don’t understand because they’re living in the moment. But because we have the complete scenario in our Bibles, we can appreciate the big picture. We can understand the goal, the masterplan behind our rescue. We can participate as someone who was rescued by Jesus himself. Believe!

We should celebrate Jesus’ gift of heavenly eternity!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Messiah!

For Wednesday, May 3, 2023:

Matthew 17:12 NLT, Jesus teaching: “I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and the religious leaders chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.”

My wife and I have similar cars. Hers is red, mine is black. Once in a while we wind up driving each other’s cars, and when I come out of the store, I sometimes can’t find my car right away! I’m looking for the black one after having just driven the red one! My bad! We won’t find the right thing if we don’t know what we’re looking for!

Elijah was a prophet who told people what to watch for in the future. John-the-Baptist took on Elijah’s role as the Son of Man came to earth. He told everyone to prepare the way because the Messiah’s arrival was imminent and the Kingdom was at hand!

The Pharisees had been told to expect a Messiah, but they – as Jesus was pointing out – were watching for the wrong signs. They were shouting, “Free us from Roman occupation,” and Jesus answered, “Your sins are forgiven!” They didn’t see that coming!

If you’re not seeking a Savior, you might not find salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship