Family Business!

For Friday, May1, 2026:

Romans 8:14 NLT: “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

In this life, we don’t get to choose our families. We stick with them not because they’re always desirable, but because they’re blood-relatives. You may have heard that blood is thicker than water, meaning that family ties are strong. But what if you could choose your family? In a way, we can!

Believers have been adopted into the holy family. John writes, “But to all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Since we can choose to follow Jesus, we can choose to be members of his family. We are “born again” into the family of God!

We used to sing a song with the words, “Come join the family, the family of God.” That implies more than just joining a church or aligning with a denomination. There’s really only one church, the church of Jesus the Messiah. That’s the family to join. Jesus’ invitation is open!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Disciple!

For Friday, April 10, 2026:

Mark 16:15-16 NLT: Jesus told his disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”

This scripture is very much like the ending of Matthew’s Gospel, which we title ‘The Great Commission,’ wherein Jesus tells us to make disciples of all nations. A commission is an assignment. If someone commissions a painting, you should get your little brushes out! If someone commissions a statue, start chipping granite! If you’re to make disciples, start chipping away at everyone you meet! Share the Gospel, the Good News. Let them know that you’re a Christian! Let everyone know that salvation, eternal life in the presence of the Lord, is possible if they say “yes” to Jesus! The Father wants everyone to have this opportunity.

Unfortunately, some people will make the wrong decision. It’s beyond me why anyone would choose misery over paradise. Pride, perhaps? A fear of letting a Savior be in charge? If you’re a believer, you already know the right choice, and have made a solid decision. Jesus loves you and would never lead you down the wrong path!

One more thing. Q: What is a disciple? A: A believer, a loyal follower of Jesus. Some who traveled with Jesus are Apostles, sometimes referred to as “the 12,” or “the 11” following the Judas incident. But there are many more disciples, people who committed to Jesus after the first 12 were already called. Also, the Bible makes slim mention of women, but there were plenty of them too!

If you’re a disciple, now is the time to assume disciple duties. Do your part toward making more disciples of all nations. That’s what Jesus said to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

The Way!

For Friday, March 6, 2026:

John 14:6 NLT: Jesus told Thomas and the others, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Since Thomas is known as “Doubting Thomas,” he needs to hear everything twice. He seems to not “get it” the first time and needs further explanation. Jesus is preparing the disciples for why he’s leaving and what will happen following that. Jesus has already spoken of a life after this life, and Thomas, as you’d expect, asks for further clarification. Jesus is quite direct, leaving no room for any doubt in his answer.

How can we get to see heaven from the inside? Jesus lays out the plan: “I am the way.” I am the way to the hereafter, to eternal life in God’s heavenly Kingdom. I am the only one who can open heaven’s door for someone. There is no other way. Trust me. Count on me. I’ll get it done for you. God loves you!

Remember, “I am truth.” You don’t need to cross-check the accuracy of what I am telling you. In the few years we’ve been together, you’ve never heard anything but truth come from my mouth. What I’m telling you now is 100% accurate. Being the Son of God, I’m incapable of lying. Telling lies isn’t in my job description. Accept that what I’m telling you is authentic.

"I am the life,” the life after this life. I hold the keys to the next reality. There are only two choices – heaven or hell. Hell is awful, painful, and ends with you going down for the third time in a lake of fire. Heaven, on the other hand, is paradise. It’s eternal life in the presence of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I’m letting each person decide for themselves. We all get to choose, so choose wisely!

Friends, if you don’t remember any other scriptures, highlight this passage in your mind. This isn’t just miscellaneous scripture in the Bible. These statements of truth are directly from the mouth of Jesus. If “Jesus said...”, there’s absolutely no need to check the veracity of his statements. If “Jesus said...”, we should do as he taught ASAP!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Choose Wisely!

For Saturday, February 7, 2026:

Romans 6:18 NLT: “Now you (believers) are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.”

That great songwriter (and philosopher) Bob Dylan observed, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Realize that, and decide today who you will serve.

The easy way and oftentimes the most profitable way is to follow the corrupt. Accept bribes, perpetrate scams, and only look out for yourself.

The better way, God’s way, puts truth and honesty at the top of our things-to-do list. We’re to love our fellows, and see that they have enough to eat and clothes to wear. Jesus specifically tells us to care for widows and orphans, those beaten up by wars, violence and corrupt governments.

We understand that we become slaves of whatever we choose to obey. You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living on earth and eternal life in the hereafter. It’s a choice! As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

"Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you!” Romans 6:17

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Serve the Lord!

For Friday, January 23, 2026:

Romans 6:12 NLT: “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let sin reign in your body, which is subject to death.”

Bob Dylan sang that each of us winds up serving somebody. We get to carefully choose who we will serve. This is the same declaration that Joshua, Moses’ assistant, made 3300 years earlier. “Choose today who you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Your decision is an alliance and an allegiance. Which team do you want to play for, Jesus’ team or the other team? Jesus’ team aligns with our Creator God, while the other team is always battling their wrongdoings. Surprisingly, it’s easier to align with God, although at times we may be outnumbered!

Choosing Jesus’ team doesn’t instantly make us perfect. But deciding in favor of heaven’s ways gives us standards, goals for which we can strive. Believers wisely choose to adopt God’s value system, and the longer we bond with God, the better we get at serving him. We see progress, but our goal is perfection!

Satan’s sinners face death, while Jesus’ team is destined for eternal life in God’s heavenly Kingdom. Jesus made it possible for believers to view that Kingdom from the inside! Choose today who you will serve.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Gift Results!

For Tuesday, December 16, 2025:

Romans 5:16 NLT: “The result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.”

Adam and Eve’s sin led to condemnation. There was no intercessor. But with Jesus, our intercessor stepped in. Mankind has still sinned, but those sins are forgiven, and our slate has been wiped clean. God’s gift gives us a fresh start at living a proper life. Faith in the Son is the connection that plugs us in with the Father. Faith in the Son buys our ticket to eternity, a heavenly encounter with the Lord. Faith in the Son results in Assurance of Salvation!

When you believers get to the pearly gates, explain that you’re with that one guy right over there, the one seated just to the right of God. Jesus is there to welcome believers with open arms. He has prepared a place for each of us. In our hearts, we know that Jesus has been anticipating our arrival!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Good Intent!

For Wednesday, September 24, 2025:

Mark 14:38 NLT, Jesus speaking to Simon: “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

That the body (or the flesh) is weak is an understatement. Romans 7 says it best. “18. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”

Another way of explaining it: “14. The trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”

Just because we acknowledge the truth doesn’t mean that we can live our lives perfectly. We need to combine knowledge of God’s Laws with obedience to make it so. It may be time to send a couple of demons packing! At least then we would level the playing field! If sin is cast out, if we’ve been delivered, we have a shot at keeping sin at bay. But if sin still dominates our lives, obedience doesn’t stand a chance.

We can choose to live God’s way, and that’s a good choice!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Ask, Seek, Knock!

For Thursday, April 3, 2025:

John 14:22 NLT, Jesus took a question: “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”

If you have no idea where you’re going, how will you know when you’ve arrived? And if you don’t know what you’re looking for, how will you know when you’ve found it? Those seeking the Lord will find him. Those not seeking the Lord can’t identify him. Like I said, they don’t know what they’re looking for!

As Christians, it’s our job to enlighten the unbeliever. We’re to light the fire of insatiable curiosity in the hearts of potential seekers. They need to know about sin in the world, and their inherent need to be forgiven. They need to know that death is not the end; that there’s life after this life. They need to know about the misery of hell and the joyfulness of heaven.

We get to choose between spending eternity in God’s presence or Satan’s presence. Christians have already made that choice. Those entrusted with the Good News should counsel others to make that same wise decision.

No one really wants to spend eternity bobbing in a lake of fire!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Family!

For Wednesday, April 2, 2025:

John 14:20 NLT, Jesus speaking: “When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Cozy. Jesus and the Father are one. He said that if you know him, you have seen the Father. And now he tells believers, “You are in me, and I am in you.” It’s all one big happy family! Believers who bond with Jesus are also bonded with the Father. And just as Jesus is the Son of God, we too are God’s children. John 1:12: “To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Doesn’t it feel good to be included in the Holy Family? Everyone wants to be included. (One of my favorite words!) “Three of us are attending the event – there’s room in the car for a fourth, and we’d like to include you!” Of course, God’s desire is that everyone would repent and return. He wants everyone to exercise their chance to be included!

Given brain power and the freedom to choose, we need to correctly make this decision regarding our forever destiny. Our choice has eternal ramifications. Cozy up to the Creator. Picture yourself as a child, sitting on God’s lap. Let him rock you to sleep. Contented and safe. Forever!

God will include you if you include God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Bad Choice!

January 27, 2025, Monday Message:

Exodus 9:1b-3 NLT: “Say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you continue to hold them and refuse to let them go, the hand of the Lord will strike all your livestock—your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats—with a deadly plague.’”

Gnats and flies are a pesky inconvenience. But this time, God is going to hit the Egyptians right in the pocketbook! Like most places 2k years ago, the economy of Egypt was largely agricultural-based. Their animals – their livestock were the net worth of their lives. A plague striking all the animals of the Egyptians would slam the brakes on their entire economy.

Surprisingly, the Lord made a distinction between the livestock of the Israelites and that of the Egyptians. The next morning all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but the Israelites didn’t lose a single animal! God did just as he had said. His word is true!

Pharaoh investigated, but his heart remained hardened and he would not let Moses and his people go. Plague #5, the plague on livestock, wasn’t enough to convince him.

God is not through yet. God has given mankind freedom of choice, so God won’t change Pharaoh’s mind for him. Pharaoh must decide on his own to accept Moses’ God as his God. He will have more chances to make up his mind – or not! Like I said, God has given us the freedom to choose, and Pharaoh may ultimately choose incorrectly. We’ll see.

You and I, claiming to be Christians, should already have our minds made up. We love our God not because of a threat or an obligation, but because he also loves us, so much that he sent his Son to be the sacrifice for the world’s sins. We no longer have to pay a sin-penalty. God took care of everything for those who love him, including preparing our place in the hereafter. The love is mutual!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

All Saints' Day!

For Friday, November 1, 2024:

Revelation 7:10 NLT: “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

Yesterday was Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve, so today is All Hallows’ Day. In the US, we call it All Saints’ Day. Many churches celebrate this on the following Sunday. Our Mexican neighbors celebrate Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos,) similar to All Saints’ Day.

Christianity was not always a popular and well-established religion. So this feast-day was originally to honor martyrs, those who had given their lives for their faith. Nowadays we honor believers who have returned to the Lord, and that’s a good thing to celebrate!

When our founding fathers came to the US, they were seeking religious freedom, freedom to follow the beliefs of their chosen denomination, which may have been different from their neighbor’s beliefs. Most came from Europe and Great Britain, where governments had mandated a certain religion. Personally, I believe that government and religion should remain separate. We should have the freedom to worship as we choose, or for that matter, the freedom to not worship at all. Now I believe not worshiping is a bad choice, but to be redeemed, one must intentionally choose to follow Jesus. It’s a conscious decision we all need to make.

Note that this day is not about sadness for having lost loved ones. It’s a feast celebrating those who now live in the presence of God Almighty. May we all join them!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Repent and Return!

For Saturday, October 19, 2024:

1 John 5:19 NLT: “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.”

Realize that in general, the world is not a good place. There’s evil around every corner! Near the very beginning of time, Satan, the serpent, tempted Adam and Eve, and they fell for it. Sin was introduced to the world, Satan had his foothold, and the world was no longer functioning the way its designer intended.

Know that the Father’s love for his “very good” creation, mankind, never died. While Adam and Eve were lost in sin, God was making clothes for them, caring for them, loving them, but their relationship had changed. Mankind could now discern good from evil, and in that respect, they had become like God. And now that mankind can tell good from evil, God expects us to be good, to do the right things – AS HE TAUGHT!

When created, there was no need for Adam and Eve to repent, for they didn’t know evil. They had never sinned. But after sinning, the mantra became, “Repent and return to the Lord.” In fact, we were now offered a choice, and a choice requires a decision. We could continue in the evil world, or we could make a conscious decision to return to the Lord, reclaiming our position in the Holy Family. That’s what God wants us to do.

Satan will give us a thousand reasons to put off committing to God Almighty. Don’t fall for his temptations! Deep down, we all know the right thing to do. Choose to join the family of God. In the end, God will win and Satan will fall, because God is the creator of all things and Satan is a created being. Today is the best day to commit or recommit to the winning team!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Believers!

For Tuesday, October 15, 2024:

1 John 5:10 NLT: “All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.”

Friends, God doesn’t want anyone to steal, see Commandment #8, so I’m aghast and somewhat confused when someone steals from a church. Frankly, if I was a burglar, I wouldn’t want to take a chance on stealing from God. It seems like he could easily set things right, and that wouldn’t be pretty!

We need to remember that a person like that doesn’t believe. Yet. So they don’t fully fear the consequences of their actions. Before any of us comes to believe, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, our ears and our hearts to the truth, that Jesus is the Son of God and that everything he taught is truth; that Jesus is the way, the truth and the key to life eternal. But when the Holy Spirit taps a person on the shoulder, they can choose to say “no,” to close their eyes and continue down the wrong path. God doesn’t force loyalty upon anyone; it’s our choice to accept the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Those who believe know the truth and are saved. They have become children of God, destined to live with Him forever. Those who don’t yet believe still need to hear our testimonies!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Narrow Path!

For Thursday, September 19, 2024:

1 John 3:13 NLT: “Don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.”

Abel lived a righteous life; his brother Cain did not. He harbored bitterness, jealousy and extreme hatred, so much so that Cain eventually killed his brother.

Don’t confuse living an honorable life with winning a popularity contest. God’s people are repeatedly put down by those living for the world. And yet God’s people are on the right side come judgement day!

God allows us to choose sides. The narrow path is the best choice!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Jesus vs Sin!

For Thursday, August 22, 2024:

1 John 2:6 AMP: “Whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.”

The person who truly knows God will increasingly live a righteous life. None of us is perfect, but sincere believers endeavor to walk the path of Jesus, the one who was without sin. If a person does not do this, if that person is not increasingly dissatisfied with and distressed by sin, that person is not God’s child. While perfection is unattainable, much progress is possible, and those who love the Lord do better with each passing day.

Jesus is without sin while the devil is full of sin, and each of us is allowed to choose one or the other. God gave us free will with the expectation that we would choose wisely. Jesus walking on our planet affords us that prudent choice.

Spurgeon writes, “Sin may enter the heart, and fight for dominion, but it cannot sit upon the throne.” The throne in your heart is reserved for the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

So don’t just avoid sin; detest sin! Hate sin with all your heart. That’s Jesus’ position!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship