Children of God!

For Friday, August 28, 2026:

Romans 9:26 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

When Jesus visited us on our planet, it makes sense that he would come through the Jewish people, those who had an existing relationship with Yahweh. But the territory increased greatly after Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul was called to leave Israel and evangelize Asia Minor, where he planted church after church after church. And the prophet Hosea called those new believers ‘children of the living God.’

John also tells us, “To all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Once again, ‘children.’ The faithful are adopted into the Holy Family, whereby God is our Father and Jesus is our brother. It’s a good family, and believers can be proud to be part of such a loving and accepting community.

God has opened the offer of eternal life in his Heavenly Kingdom to everyone. He also created us with freedom to choose, and we have the right to choose incorrectly. That’s unfortunate. Eternity is a long time, and we should want to be in the right place forever!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Son of God!

For Friday, August 21, 2026:

Acts 3:22-23 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you. Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’”

Peter was speaking to a Jewish audience at the Temple, so quoting Moses, God’s man to lead the Jews out of Egypt, was normal and customary. It leant credibility to his greater message, that Jesus was the Messiah. These highly respected words of Moses summarized what Peter had been preaching.

Jesus was born to Jewish parents. Even observers who didn’t yet realize that he was the Messiah heard him speak and knew that he was some kind of heaven-sent prophet. Word-of-mouth was sufficient to attract huge crowds when Jesus would teach, so a great many learned the truth.

1 John 5:12 mirrors Moses’ message: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” The Bible is speaking of eternal life in the presence of out Lord. Basic Christianity is simple, and I would advise you to not overcomplicate it. The quality of your life after this life is dependent upon your relationship with Jesus, end of story.

A forthright decision in favor of our Savior takes only a moment, but has eternal ramifications. Have you made your decision for Jesus?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Take Me Home!

For Sunday, August 9, 2026:

Romans 9:5b NKJV, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Christ came, who is Lord over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”

There is only one God. Our one God is known to us in three different forms: Father God in his Heavenly Kingdom, Jesus who came to earth as the offering for mankind’s sins, and the Holy Spirit, our helper and advocate. The three forms are all of one mind with the same goals, the same mission. The rescue of mankind must have been on God’s agenda when Jesus arrived on our planet.

Sin and holiness cannot coexist, and the Bible says that “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” How many sinned? ALL! Therefore, unless sins could be forgiven, no one would have been seeing heaven from the inside! As Jesus died, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, making believers once again eligible to reside in the Kingdom.

God loves everything that was created and declared it to be “very good!” Therefore, having believers occupy his Kingdom pleases God. He’s glad to see us! Christ is the forgiving conduit that reconnects mankind with our Maker.

If you see God on the streets of gold, tell him, “Good to see you!” He may answer, “Good to see you, too!” The Father’s Kingdom is our forever home!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Daily message of hope...
For Friday, August 7, 2026:

Luke 6:25b NLT: “What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.”

Picture this: Jesus on the earth, healing many, casting out demons and performing miracles. Sounds like worship would be called for, but throwing a party and carousing would be more your style. Bad choice!

In keeping with his theme of the first being last and the last being first, Jesus says that in the end, the revelers will know only sorrow. Jesus’ ministry lasted only about three years, a relatively short time. That’s the time he could have been worshiped in person, and anyone who missed it may never get another chance.

Reversing the situation, Psalm 30:11 begins, “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.” Those who worship on earth will find themselves dancing in God’s forever Kingdom. If you have no time for God in this life, he won’t have time for you in the next. But if you love the Lord, he will adopt you into the Holy Family!

How we live in this life determines our eternal destination. God needs to be #1 both in this life and the next!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

God's Mission Funding!

For Wednesday, August 5, 2026:

Luke 6:24 NLT: “What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now.”

Certain traits seem to be typical for those who have wealth. They tend to hoard the money, desire money, and seek to obtain more and more money. Money itself occupies that person’s focus, and pursuit of more becomes their life’s work. Those traits aren’t on God’s agenda.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking that Christians are inherently poor. God has granted some believers abundance so that we can do more of his work. We tithe to our local church, sometimes giving even more for special projects. We love our neighbors, seeing that their basic needs are met. We buy food for those who need help, and shoes for their children. Ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” He healed everyone, blessed the children and fed thousands of people when no food was available. Jesus always did the right things for the right reasons, expecting no reward other than a smile from his Father!

Like Jesus, Christians don’t expect a reward for doing the right thing, but our efforts will be acknowledged in the Kingdom. Kindness only takes a moment, but our rewards are eternal. Be on the right side of God’s value system. When in doubt, just do what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Creator!

For Thursday, June 25, 2026:

Romans 8:31 NLT: “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”

Satan isn’t worthless. He can always serve as a bad example!

Our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the Creator of everything and has the final say in any situation. We are created beings, made in the image of God. Satan, on the other hand, is not a creator. He too is a created being who got too big for his britches. He is not bigger than God. He is not better than God. He is far less powerful than God. In the battle to end all battles, he is destined to be the loser!

So the God of everything is cheering us on, pulling for each one of us. Why? Because God is on the side of everyone who’s a fan of his Son. As Christian believers, we have a special connection with the Son. Jesus took the sins of the world upon himself, leaving mankind suitable for residence in God’s eternal Kingdom. We have assurance of salvation! So we gratefully choose the Son, and he looks out for us as adopted members of the Holy Family. Satan is not a member.

If God is for us, who could ever be against us?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Joy!

For Tuesday, May 5, 2026:

John 15:11 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

Jesus spent a lot of his time teaching the faithful. He wanted everyone to know how his Father expects them to live. He states unchangeable principles such as honesty and truth. And he foretells the future, wanting believers to have hope.

Many things will happen to fulfill God’s plan, things that may be confusing. Jesus wants to clear things up and let everyone know what to expect. One example is that mankind’s sins will be forgiven, taken away as if they never happened. That sounds good, but the human side of Jesus will die in the process, and that sounds bad. The truth is that everything is good that lines up with God’s plan. Seeing God’s plan come to fruition should bring us joy.

Happiness can be fleeting, but the joy of the Lord comes from substance. Happiness results from circumstances, and the circumstances around you are forever changing. Interestingly, “circumstance” is the same root word as “circus!” Does your life have three rings and a bear on a bicycle? That’ll put a smile on your face, make you happy, but nothing of substance, nothing that really matters lives there. When the bear falls off the bike, the smile falls off your face.

Not so with the joy of the Lord. God gives us a new day each morning and fills us with joy! We read God’s word in the Bible, and that reinforces our joy! We meet our friends and coworkers – more joy! God’s joy is permanent, something that matters, something of substance. It was God’s plan to rescue repentant believers. He took us under his wing, adopted us into the holy family, and that’s forever! We can look forward to living in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom in the place Jesus has prepared for us, where joy abounds!

We can decide how to live our lives – substance or circumstances, God’s way or the world’s way, fleeting happiness or rock solid joy. Choose wisely!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Plot to kill!

For Tuesday, March 31, 2026:

Mark 11:18 NLT: “When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, (driving the corrupt from the Temple and overturning the money-changer’s tables,) they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.”

Palm Sunday saw the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, with people waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna, save us, save us now!”

Monday was the breaking point for Jesus. He’d had enough of the corruption and scams taking place in the Temple. He said, “My Father’s house should be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves,” as he overturned the money-changer’s tables.

So the next day, Tuesday, the leading priests and teachers of religious law started plotting how to kill Jesus. To them, he was nothing but trouble. Left a big mess in the Temple for someone else to clean up! But what complicated matters was that a lot of people thought Jesus was the best Bible teacher they’d ever seen! He seemed to have an inside track on explaining the Bible and God’s intentions. Of course, we now know that Jesus was God’s son, one-third of our Trinity God. The bad guys were trying to nail the Bible teacher with the most knowledge to a cross. Seems illogical, incongruous to me.

Nonetheless, the plot continued to develop. Those planning Jesus’ demise had no idea that they were fulfilling God’s agenda. Jesus had to die to take the sins of the world to the place of the dead. That way mankind’s sins could be forgiven, and the repentant could report to the Father. Everlasting life in God’s heavenly Kingdom could be the new reality for the faithful! Do your utmost to be among them!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

One God!

For Saturday, March 7, 2026:

John 14:7 NLT, Jesus speaking: “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three forms of the same God. Think of it like this. We turn on our tap and get water, good for cooking, drinking and washing. In the freezer, it’s known as ice, good for cooling beverages. We might say that a summer day feels humid, and that’s a surplus of water vapor in the air. It’s all still water, H₂O.

As I compose these daily messages, I often mix up our God labels. Jesus may have said it, but I might call it a command of God. Or the other way, Jesus tells us to do something and research shows us that the words originally came from the Father. I usually catch myself and straighten it out, but the truth is I don’t believe it really matters. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all of one mind, with the same goals, pulling in the same direction. They will never contradict one another. So there really is only one God.

Prophesy told the Jews to expect a Messiah to rescue them, they believed from Roman oppression. God indeed sent Jesus, the Messiah, but to rescue them from their sin burden, not the Romans. Jesus was sent to love and forgive. In this case, the desire of the God “team” is to return more souls to God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom. Jesus is the one who puts the plan in motion. On the cross, the sins of the world are heaped upon him, and as he dies a human death, he takes those sins to the place of the dead and leaves them there. Now repentant humans can be forgiven, be made suitable for residence in the eternal Kingdom.

If we repent of our sins and claim Jesus as our hope and salvation, we will be forgiven. We will get to see heaven from the inside. Friends, that’s assurance of salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

End of the Age!

For Tuesday, January 27, 2026:

Matthew 24:14 NLT, Jesus speaking: “The Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all people of all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.”

Do you ever ruminate on the end of this age, wondering what is the tipping point? When does the next reality come to fruition?

Jesus is pretty clear about that. It’s a fair process. The Earth will change once everyone everywhere gets a chance to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. ALL people from ALL nations deserve that chance. Remember that God’s goal is that ALL would repent and return, so we need to make sure that everyone has that opportunity. In pursuit of that goal, we send missionaries to faraway places and translate the Bible into additional languages. That’s all good, but the US is facing an internal problem as well. I’m willing to bet people are living on your streets, even right on your block, who haven’t heard the Gospel. The Lord’s work may begin closer to home than you were thinking!

Believers are obedient loyalists to our creator. We will not only survive the transition to God’s heavenly Kingdom, we will find a room with our name on the door. Jesus will have prepared our eternal residences as he promised. What a glorious way to spend eternity, in the presence of a loving God and his Son. Enjoy!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Messiah = Rescuer!

January 12, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 2:25-26 NLT: “There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him, and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.”

On the eighth day, Jesus was presented in the Temple. There, the Holy Family encountered Simeon, who was filled with the Holy Spirit. He believed that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. At that point, most of Israel had been watching and waiting for a Messiah. Angels verified Jesus’ identity to the shepherds. Gabriel confirmed Jesus’ mission for his earthly parents. And now the Holy Spirit helps Simeon identify the Son of God. There should be no doubt concerning Jesus’ true identity and his mission in coming to Earth.

At that time, Rome had captured Israel. The police keeping order were Roman soldiers. The Hebrew people were not happy about this, and the popular thinking was that God’s Messiah would rescue them from Roman oppression. They were only half right. Jesus would rescue them all right, but from their sin penalty, not from the Roman government.

Let’s keep this simple. Before Jesus, Israel was in disarray. After Jesus, everything got better. If he had fixed Israel, it would have benefitted mankind only for their lifetimes, perhaps 50-100 years. Instead, he fixed mankind’s eternal sin problem, ensuring us a safe life in God’s forever Heavenly kingdom.

Jesus gave mankind not what they asked for, but rather the gift with the greatest long-term benefit. Stick with Jesus, and in the end, everything will be OK! Jesus and his Father are always looking out for us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

The great I AM!

For Sunday, December 14, 2025:

Exodus 3:14 NLT: “God replied to Moses, ‘I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.’”

God was calling Moses to lead his people out of Egypt. At this point, God appeared as a burning bush that did not consume itself, so Moses had a fair question: “Who should I say sent me?”

God’s answer can seem a bit confusing, a little strange: “Tell them I AM has sent me to you.” This speaks to the eternal nature of God.

It’s not, “God WAS great, but he ran out of gas.” It’s not, “God is increasing, just now coming into his own.” Nor is it, “God has been coasting, but will soon achieve greatness.” The fact is that the goodness and strength of God are perpetual. Our Creator was, is and always will be the greatest of all time.

Furthermore, God’s timing is always perfect. He was at the end of his rope with Pharaoh. He knew just the right time to put Moses in motion. And as a solution to mankind’s sin predicament, he sent Jesus to Earth without a specific timetable. Jesus took ALL the sins of the world to the place of the dead. Offenses of past sins, present sins and even future sins not yet committed would be resolved through faith in God’s Son!

Our God is a really good God with kind of a strange name. I love it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

God's Gift!

For Wednesday, November 26, 2025:

Romans 5:2 NLT: “Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

 "Because of our faith…” This is why Heaven’s gifts keep raining into our lives. I wish we could see God. That way, we could watch him smile as we do things that please him. Surely God smiles when we worship him, and when we honor his Son. God wants to include us in his forever kingdom, where his glory shines!

 In the past, we might not have been worthy to live alongside the Father and his Son. But the Son, Jesus, took away our sinful nature as part of God’s vast eternal plan. So here we are, looking forward to our eternal lives because of what God had his Son put in motion. This is undeserved favor at its max! Mankind is the beneficiary of God’s grace!

 God, Jesus and believers all living in harmony, loving one another, forever! It doesn’t get any better than that!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

New Heaven – New Earth!

 For Saturday, November 8, 2025:

Luke 21:33 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”

Jesus is teaching about the eternal nature of God and his commandments. The next reality will be different from anything that we now know. Heaven will be replaced by the New Heaven, which will have more residents than ever before. Those who believe in God’s Son will now be included. Having been adopted into the Holy Family, Heaven is their birthright – temporarily. The New Earth will also be completely rebuilt, put back to God’s original specifications for our planet. It’ll be like the beautiful Garden of Eden everywhere. Evil will be sent into the lake of fire, so, lacking anything evil, the New Earth will be a suitable home for all believers. And God can once again live among his people.

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. Nothing else comes close. As we walk our Christian path, we constantly need the words and advice of Jesus and his Father. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, so the Bible’s messages will still be relevant in the next reality. We may no longer need a hard copy, because the New Covenant states that God’s words are written on our hearts! That’s great! Impossible for us to misplace God’s instructions!

If we love the Lord in this life, we shouldn’t have to learn anything new for the next! Believers are good to go!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Satan: God's Pawn!

For Thursday, November 6, 2025:

John 14:30b-31a NLT, Jesus speaking: “The ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.”

Jesus knows his time on earth is drawing to a close. It’s nearly time for him to return to the Father. He calls Satan the “ruler of this world,” which seems odd. We all know that ultimately, God is in charge of everything. Therefore, God will allow Satan to rule the world only as long as it meets his purpose. Satan will poison the heart of Judas Iscariot as he betrays Jesus, thereby setting God’s plan in motion.

Here’s what God had Judas instigate. Jesus was betrayed, arrested, tried and crucified. On the cross, the sins of the world were heaped upon sinless Jesus. He was to take those sins to the place of the dead and leave them there. That way, mankind, forgiven and now appearing sinless, could join believers in the life after this life. God’s eternal Kingdom, Heaven, could be the forever home for all who call Jesus “Lord.”

God knew that mankind would succumb to Satan’s temptations. But God’s desire is that none would perish, that all would repent and return. So in advance, he planned for mankind’s rescue. He did for us what we are not able to do for ourselves.

God is good to us, far better than we deserve!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship