Gifts & Talents!

For Wednesday, June 10, 2026:

Colossians 1:25 NLT, Paul speaking: “God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you.”

It’s easy for Paul to identify his spiritual calling. The incident on the road to Damascus leaves no doubt!

Each of us is also called to serve, but our calling might not be as straightforward as Paul’s. I knew a man, an architect, who was nationally known for his large building designs. He sat in a pew week after week, wondering how he should serve. Eventually he retired, and that’s when his church decided they needed a new, much larger sanctuary on their campus. He went to work immediately! His purpose became obvious! Also, there was a woman who only knew a few chords on the guitar. She didn’t have the skill for the main worship team in the big room, but she was perfect for leading kids’ songs at church camp.

Sometimes the challenge is identifying your inherent skill. Other times it’s finding the proper venue to fit the available skill. The local church is better when we all share our God-given talents with others in the fellowship.

Are you still trying to identify your gifts, or are you figuring out how to put them to use?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

David's Anointing!

For Tuesday, March 24, 2026:

1 Samuel 16:11c NLT: “At once, send for the youngest, the shepherd,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

God had told Samuel that one of Jesse’s sons was to be anointed as Israel’s next king. Samuel thought he had interviewed all the young men, but God had yet to pull the trigger. So Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”

“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” Voilà: David, anointed to be the next king of Israel! Not because his father Jesse decreed it, not because Samuel said so, but because he was God’s choice! Because God said so!

Frankly, there was no way David could have turned down the assignment. Think back to Jonah, called to deliver the “repent and return” message to the people of Nineveh. Fearing for his life, Jonah took off in the opposite direction, went overboard during the voyage, was swallowed up by a giant sea creature who spit him out. Where? On the beach of Nineveh, right where God had called him to be. God always gets his way! It would take a few more years, but David would ultimately assume the position for which he had been earmarked by God.

Have you ever been called by the Lord? First, identify your God-given gifts and talents. God will not call you to a task for which you have no skill, no knowledge. He will not send you on a mission without supplying the tools needed for success. If you’re volunteering to join the “God team,” something He needs will jump out at you, will fall right into your lap. You’ll be better at it than others. It wouldn’t be the same without you! God knows what he’s doing!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

David!

For Tuesday, March 24, 2026:

1 Samuel 16:11c NLT: “At once, send for the youngest, the shepherd,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

God had told Samuel that one of Jesse’s sons was to be anointed as Israel’s next king. Samuel thought he had interviewed all the young men, but God had yet to pull the trigger. So Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”

“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” Voilà: David, anointed to be the next king of Israel! Not because his father Jesse decreed it, not because Samuel said so, but because he was God’s choice! Because God said so!

Frankly, there was no way David could have turned down the assignment. Think back to Jonah, called to deliver the “repent and return” message to the people of Nineveh. Fearing for his life, Jonah took off in the opposite direction, went overboard during the voyage, was swallowed up by a giant sea creature who spit him out. Where? On the beach of Nineveh, right where God had called him to be. God always gets his way! It would take a few more years, but David would ultimately assume the position for which he had been earmarked by God.

Have you ever been called by the Lord? First, identify your God-given gifts and talents. God will not call you to a task for which you have no skill, no knowledge. He will not send you on a mission without supplying the tools needed for success. If you’re volunteering to join the “God team,” something He needs will jump out at you, will fall right into your lap. You’ll be better at it than others. It wouldn’t be the same without you! God knows what he’s doing!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Good News for All!

For Thursday, July 31, 2025:

Mark 13:10 NLT, Jesus teaching his disciples about the end times: “The Good News must first be preached to all nations.”

How long will this age last? When do the “end times” begin – and end! Good questions! The disciples in the Bible certainly had an interest in knowing the answers, as do we!

Jesus says that the Gospel or Good News must first be preached to all people everywhere. All of mankind deserve an opportunity to repent and return. Everyone gets a chance to express repentance, receive forgiveness and claim the right to join Jesus in the hereafter. He has gone ahead to prepare a place for all who believe.

 “All nations” implies that new believers may not look like you. New believers may speak a different language. Realize that there is really only one race, the human race, and Jesus awards everyone a chance to be included in the Kingdom. This is why so many churches support international missionaries.

It’s important to prayerfully consider your call. Years ago, God sent me to the inner city of Minneapolis. There’s drugs, crime, far too many single parents and sometimes no parents. I call that the lost generation, missing parents while grandma tries to hold the family together. Fortunately, grandma is usually carrying a Bible, so there’s hope! That’s my mission field. Where’s yours?

Mankind is made to worship, and most people are seeking spiritual answers. They’ll listen if we’re willing to teach. But non-believers won’t accidentally attend our churches. That’s why we must leave our buildings and carry the Gospel to the people we’re called to reach. That’s why every place on earth can be a ministry opportunity.

Always be prepared to share the Good News!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Bricks, Schmicks!

For Sunday, January 19, 2025:

Exodus 5:9 NLT, Pharaoh speaking: “Load the Hebrews down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!”

How do you define evil? It was bad enough that Hebrew lives had been reduced to brick-making. Now they were no longer given straw for the bricks. They had to supply it themselves. But the daily brick quota remained unchanged. In other words, assign significantly more work without extending the deadline. That’s evil, cracking the whip while overseeing an impossible task.

Furthermore, the Jews had not been listening to lies. They were hearing the words and commands of God Almighty, our Creator. Our God is incapable of lying. His words are to be highly regarded and respected. Moses and Aaron were doing the right thing, following God’s instructions!

Pharaoh’s anger resulted from the first confrontation with Moses and Aaron, but he retaliated with rage against ALL the Hebrew people, who now blamed Moses for their predicament. “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

 "Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, ‘Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!’”

Moses speaks as if this was the end of the story, but we’re not done yet, and God’s not done yet! In fact, this is just the beginning of a scenario leading to the liberation of God’s people. By the end, the Egyptians will beg them to leave, and we’ll all be cheering! We’re on God’s side!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God's Call!

For Wednesday, January 15, 2025:

Exodus 3:4b NLT: “God called to him from the middle of the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ ‘Here I am!’ Moses replied.”

Few of us will ever be called by the Lord in such a direct manner, but Isaiah is a close second. When God asked him, “Whom should I send?”, Isaiah volunteered, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah’s response was obedience. Moses’ response was fear, trepidation and hesitation.

Moses turns his anxiety into questions: Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?

God: I will be with you.

Moses: The people will ask, ‘Who sent you?’

God: Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’

Moses: O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.

God: What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you.

Eventually, Moses ran out of excuses. It was time to put God’s call in motion. Turning down God’s call never works out anyway!

So what has the Lord called you to do? Are you listening for his voice? About a year ago I resolved to say yes more often. There’s a saying in the military: Never volunteer for anything, but I think our Christian attitude should be the opposite of that. If help is needed at church, at a youth program, at a hospital or treatment facility – anywhere our help would benefit our brothers and sisters – it’s time to say yes. That’s what Jesus would have us do.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God-approved!

For Sunday, November 10, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT: “We speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.”

Paul, who had the first-person encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, knew that the Good News wouldn’t be accepted everywhere. But he remained faithful in answering his call to preach the Gospel. His goal was not to please mankind, but rather to please the Lord.

That goal should be for all of us. We can’t falsify our beliefs or simply pretend to know Jesus, because God knows our hearts. If we’re ‘ALL IN’ for Jesus, we can join the ranks of messengers approved by God. Not everyone will choose to listen to our message, but remember that our goal is to honor God, not mankind.

If God examines your motives, he should find love for our Creator and love for our fellows. We share the Gospel hoping to help our neighbors find a better way. That’s what Jesus commissioned us to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faithful!

For Thursday, November 7, 2024:

3 John 5, 8 NLT: “You are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. We ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth.”

We need to care for itinerant preachers and visiting pastors and teachers. Let’s face it – they’re not going to be offered gifts by non-believers, so those of us in Jesus’ flock need to care for those carrying Jesus’ message!

A Christian’s overall mission is to share the Good News with all nations, and each believer should be a part of that team. Yesterday, I was explaining to a group that my personal call is to keep local churches running well, so that we have solid platforms from which to send missionaries. Has God shown you your call, your job on the ‘carrying-the-message’ team?

Are you filled with unshakable faith in the Lord and his mission? If we’re going to be of benefit to the team, we need to be filled with the fire of faith that can not be extinguished!

Friends, love the Lord and love his mission!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Gifts and Talents!

For Sunday, July 14, 2024:

1 Peter 4:10 NLT: “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”

When you come across lists of spiritual gifts in the Bible, keep in mind that they’re not exhaustive lists. The lists are not necessarily complete. God wants us to help with so many tasks that a list of job possibilities could fill chapter after chapter in the Good Book! I regard the spiritual gift lists as ‘examples,’ as if God were saying, “Consider things like these as I show you your call, your piece of the puzzle!”

Identifying your gifts and talents deserves a lot of our attention, a lot of our time and a lot of prayer! Your spiritual gifts and your call may not be what first comes to mind. They may not be the most obvious thing. People see me at the piano leading worship, and they think, “Musical gift.” But in my mind, that’s #3, after leadership and teaching!

I can tell you from personal experience that God not only tells us what to do, but he also tells us what NOT to do. You can’t handle every job in a church, and you shouldn’t have to. So use diligence to learn your place in God’s vast eternal plan, and then step up, get in the game and help get it done!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Follow Me!

For Thursday, December 21, 2023:

Mark 2:14 NLT: “As Jesus walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.”

Tax collectors must have spent a lot of time not liking themselves. They had become traitors to their heritage and to their families. Tax collectors were working for the bad guys, the Romans, the ones who had conquered Israel. Known for cheating and dishonesty, the tax collector asking for three dollars probably only needed two. The extra dollar was for himself!

Collecting taxes was Levi’s job, and like any job, it came with duties and responsibilities. Abandoning his tax booth in the middle of the day to follow some religious newcomer wasn’t in the job description! The Romans wouldn’t be pleased!

But I suspect that for some time, Levi had been torn between the two worlds. He may have felt guilty ignoring his own people to work for the Romans. So when Jesus offered the invitation to become a disciple, Levi was ready to make a change in his life. Sure, tax collecting was a living, but Levi was looking for something of substance, something that would make a difference, something of eternal significance.

If Jesus taps you on the shoulder and says, “Follow me and be my disciple,” are you prepared to abandon your tax booth? Perhaps you weren’t working for Rome, but you weren’t working for Jesus either! We have been given free choice to say yes or no to Jesus. It’s time to tackle the task with eternal ramifications. Choose wisely!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Called!

For Wednesday, December 6, 2023:

Mark 1:17 NLT: “Jesus called out to Simon and his brother Andrew, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’”

First Simon and Andrew, and a short time later Jesus adds James and John to the mix of what was to become the 12, the “Apostles.” When Jesus called them, they immediately ceased what they were doing, dropped everything and went with their Messiah. Immediately!

Let’s look at the big picture. Everyone knew the prophesies concerning a heaven-sent Savior, and here standing right in front of them, calling out their names, was Jesus, saying, “Follow me.” They had been issued an invitation by God’s own Son. Friends, that is not a time to be wishy-washy. The Bible says that God understands hot and cold. Hot is better. What God doesn’t want to see is lukewarm, someone given an invitation from heaven who can’t make up their mind. If God taps you on the shoulder, the proper response is to get going, and the right time is now!

Oftentimes the person being called wants to get their affairs in order and let their family and friends know what’s going on. There’ll be plenty of time later to fill in the blanks for them, to gather the pieces of your old life. But in this scenario, you should only have one response to Jesus’ call: “Yes, Lord!”

Joyfully serve the Lord today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship