Assurance of Salvation!

For Thursday, September 3, 2026:

Romans 9:30 NLT: “What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.”

The last sentence of today’s scripture says it all. Gentiles are made right with God through faith.

Followers of other religions try to please the Lord by doing specific things, thereby earning heaven points. For example, if you do something nice for someone, you earn heaven points. But when driving home from church, someone cuts you off in traffic, and you shake your fist at them. Now you lose heaven points. Q: How do you know when you have enough heaven points to see heaven from the inside? Or how do you know if you’ve lost enough points to be disqualified?

Last week, I was preparing to sing ‘Blessed Assurance.’ I explained how Christians have ‘Assurance of Salvation,’ something no other religion has. God wanted us to stop trying to earn our way into heaven. If we each claim Jesus as Lord of our Lives, we will be redeemed, end of story. Our salvation is by grace, a free, undeserved gift from above. Our faith, our eternal belief in the Son of God, locks in our life after this life.

So Christianity is pretty simple. Place Jesus at the top of your agenda and put your faith in his promises. Claim Assurance of Salvation just like the song says!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

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

Love!

For Sunday, August 23, 2026:

Luke 6:35 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.”

We already love those who love us. Jesus is telling us to offer that love to everyone, even those who aren’t on your side. He wants being nice, kind and helpful to become our first response in any situation. In short, we should always do what Jesus did.

While we can’t earn our way into heaven, God will look kindly on those who obey his Son’s teaching. If you stop and think about it, heaven’s response will mirror your own behavior. If you’ve shown love to all, you’ll be welcomed with open arms. But if you’re known as a jerk here on earth, heaven may have second thoughts. Let’s not go there!

Love your friends, and show kindness to your enemies. But most of all, love the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Final Restoration!

For Thursday, August 20, 2026:

Acts 3:21 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “For Jesus must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.”

How are you at planning for the future? It’s not my strength. When I visit the dental hygienist, they always want to set an appointment for next year. How would I know if I might have a conflict a year from now? A serious disease, a car could run a red light... I dunno. Anything is possible! I thank God daily (and fondly remember Steve Jobs) for including a perpetual calendar in my iPhone – with reminders!

On the other hand, God’s memory is flawless. True prophecies from God always come true. We get to watch God’s scenarios play out. The entire plan for planet earth, mankind, the fall, repentance, and forgiveness was conceived over 6K years ago. It will conclude when it’s time for the final restoration. God never forgets his plan!

Here’s what that final restoration will look like. God will first rebuild the New Heaven and the New Earth. Things will go back to the way they were originally designed, the way they should have been if mankind hadn’t loused everything up by sinning. We talk of dying and going to heaven, to the Kingdom, but that’s only temporary. Our final destination will be the New Earth. God can join us here and will walk alongside us. That’s what the Bible says.

Jesus will return at just the right time as a Savior/soldier on a white horse in the sky. The whole world will know when Jesus has returned, and we enter the time of judgment for all. At judgment, Jesus will advocate for the faithful by restating their total forgiveness. Demons will be driven out, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. Our old world, as we knew it, will have been transformed into a welcoming, safe eternal residence. If you’re a believer, there’s a room with your name on it! Godspeed!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Faith in Colossae!

For Wednesday, August 12, 2026:

Colossians 2:5b NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.”

It would seem that Paul received a positive report regarding the Colossian church. No one is reporting problems. Everything seems to be running smoothly. As a group, they’re living the way they should, the way Jesus instructed.

But the best news of all was that their faith is unwavering. Some people’s faith plot looks like a roller coaster, up and down, up and down. But the Colossian church’s graph continued up and to the right. They celebrate their faithfulness daily, even increasing belief as time goes on.

Faith is the cornerstone of Christianity. Jesus will return, and on that day everything will happen just as Jesus told the faithful. The sheep will be separated from the goats. As we enter the next reality, we’ll arrive at judgment and be told that our sins are forgiven by the work Jesus did on the cross. And being without sin, we’ll learn that we have been chosen to reside in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom. That’s Good News indeed!

We have faith because Jesus never told a lie. If everything else he said proved true, our destination in the life after this life must also be true. Jesus will be there to welcome us with open arms!

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

Flip the Script!

August 3, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 6:21 NLT: “God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied.

God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.”

In this scripture, Jesus continues teaching the Beatitudes, truth about life after this life. He says that those who are loyal to God’s Son will experience a much better life in the next reality. This always reminds me of Jesus saying the first will be last and the last will be first. So if you are hungry in this life, your plate will be full in the next. If life has you down and depressed, laughter will fill your Kingdom days. As a general rule, bad stuff will be corrected and only goodness will survive in God’s Kingdom.

A reservation in the Kingdom is the result of God’s kindness, undeserved favor from above. This gift of grace is given to those with unflinching allegiance to the Son. We’re saved through our faith.

In the next reality that we call Heaven, God flips the scene. Those who were persecuted on this planet will receive God’s best in his Kingdom. Rescued Christian believers will be free of Satan, his demons and sin’s temptations. The Lord’s Prayer asks him to, “Deliver us from evil.”

In the life after this life, believers will have been delivered!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Judgment and Paradise!

For Friday, July 31, 2026:

John 16:11 NLT, Jesus speaking to believers: “Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.”

Everyone will come to judgment. The one who thought he had authority in this world, Satan, will find out he was wrong. He will be judged and exiled to the lake of fire. All his little demons will be there too.

Believers will be judged as well. We’ll be asked about everything we did while on earth. But being covered by the sacrifice of Jesus, we’ll be judged “forgiven.” Surprisingly, we’ll find ourselves eligible for residence in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom.

Believers are children of God, coming home to live with our Father!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God's Love!

For Thursday, July 30, 2026:

Romans 8:39 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Our Bibles tell us that God loves us. But mankind asks, “Really? How do we know for sure?”

The first humans disobeyed God by sinning, by deliberately doing what he said to NOT do! They succumbed to Satan’s temptation. I believe God was disappointed with the return rate of his Creations. If earthlings were to return to the Father, God himself would have to intervene.

Therefore, God sent his Son Jesus to our planet. I’ve said before that Jesus healed many, taught God’s ways, and interpreted Torah. But I believe his primary mission was to take away mankind’s sins, to offer forgiveness. Once earth’s residents were made sinless by Jesus’ sacrifice, the Father could welcome them back into his forever heavenly Kingdom.

Q: So how do we know for sure that God loves us? A: He sacrificed his only Son for our freedom. We are no longer slaves to Satan. We belong to the God whose Son paid the price for our redemption.

Rejoice! Believers belong to their Creator! Believers have been rescued!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Ascension!

For Thursday, July 23, 2026:

John 16:5-6 NLT, Jesus speaking to believers: “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you.”

John documents the life of Jesus, and Jesus knows he is leaving, returning to the Father. He wants all believers to understand that what is happening is not bad news, but good news!

Surprisingly, those listening don’t even ask where he is going, even though he’s told them about the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead of wishing him Godspeed and cheering for the event, the observers retreated into themselves, grieving the loss of their spiritual mentor.

Jesus: “Good news! I’ll be returning to Father God!”

Disciples: “Terrible. I don’t know how we can get along without you. This whole movement will probably die. I might just as well quit and go home!”

Friends, who should be the focus of this story? Jesus! (It’s not about us!) Who should be in the driver’s seat? Jesus! Who should we trust? Jesus, who is always truthful. Jesus, who is God walking alongside us. He’s celebrating being victorious. Jesus is about to conquer sin and death with one unselfish act. Shout ‘Hallelujah’ for the good path God has created!

As we live out the remainder of our earthly lives, let’s remember to keep God in the driver’s seat. He should set our agenda for each day. Do the right things for the right reasons. Do something nice and don’t get caught!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Faith!

For Friday, July 10, 2026:

John 16:1 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.”

Believers are saved by grace through faith. Grace is undeserved favor, a gift from our Creator. Faith is a perpetual belief that Jesus is who he claimed to be and that he can and will do everything he said. He warned the faithful about imminent persecution. Life wasn’t going to be easy. But Jesus always spoke the truth. Being God, one-third of the Holy Trinity, he could not do otherwise.

When others come down on believers, we could easily become discouraged. Jesus is trying to prevent that. When bad things happen to good people, believers don’t give up. We know that this is “prophecy playing out, just as Jesus told us.”

Our reward comes in the life after this life. When we die and stand before judgment, Jesus has our sins covered. He went ahead to prepare a place for us in his Father’s Kingdom.

So in a weak moment, don’t abandon your eternal gift. Ill-treatment on earth is for just a brief moment, but your heavenly residence is forever. Stick with Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Warning!

For Tuesday, July 7, 2026:

Colossians 1:28a NLT, Paul speaking: “We tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us.”

Spending eternity in paradise sounds ideal. The alternative is unthinkable. On the road to Damascus, Jesus personally called Paul into service. Jesus said that all believers, Paul included, should share the Good News of salvation through the Son. Paul’s unique testimony includes a warning about what happens if you are not given a home in God’s Kingdom.

Christianity is largely built on attraction. We share the benefits, the good parts, of following Jesus. We encourage people to join a fellowship community, an association of like-minded souls with their eyes on heaven.

But some people need to hear the bad stuff too. What is our lot if we are NOT with Jesus? Imagine living near the lake of fire, forever! Imagine looking across a great chasm, seeing people on the other side living a good life, and knowing that you can never cross over. For me, the eternal separation would be the greatest penalty.

Paul warns people of the bad things coming for those who don’t know Jesus. But then he teaches the good stuff, the benefits of knowing the Savior. People have been warned. Now let them choose wisely. We’ve shared all the information needed to make an intelligent decision!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Is the Doctor In?

For Sunday, July 5, 2026: 

Luke 5:31-32 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

 Nowadays, even healthy people need a doctor. They call it ‘preventive medicine.’ Doctors want to spot little problems before they become big ones. I take prescriptions daily, not because I’m experiencing any problem, but because my numbers are just a little off. As a result, life expectancy is much higher now than it was when Jesus walked the earth! Preventive medicine works!

 2K years ago, people would only call on a physician if they were really sick or severely injured. When people had exhausted all their personal healing options, it was time to summon a professional. Hence Jesus’ analogy, comparing physical healing with spiritual healing.

 The physically sick are eager to find a solution. They welcome the opinion of a trained medical professional. But those who are spiritually ill oftentimes are embarrassed by their situation and reluctant to seek help. For example, one symptom of addiction is vehemently denying the problem.

 When sinners are ready to repent, ready to seek help, Jesus stands ready to forgive, forget and absolve. ‘Repent’ in the Hebrew language literally means to get closer to God. Someone sinning is said to be far from God. Someone reversing the course of their lives, repenting and returning, is said to be closer to God.

 That’s the best place for us all to be, closer to God. We should have Jesus looking out for us, forgiving our sins, and clearing the way for believers to live closer to God. You’ll find that Jesus has prepared a place for you in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom! If you repent and return, there’ll be a room with your name on the door!

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

Family Biz!

For Thursday, June 11, 2026:

John 15:23 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Anyone who hates me also hates my Father.”

This spiritual battle with the world is family business. Jesus defends Father God just as God keeps a heavenly hand on his Son. They’re inseparable. They’re family!

Believers are included in that Holy Family. John wrote, “To all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” And Jesus taught us to pray to “our Father in heaven.”

We should not be passive in defending our Holy Family. Active participants get a lot more done! We can testify about the goodness of the Father and his Son. We can advocate for God’s Laws as a better way to live. We can (gently) identify false religions as such, explaining how they’re off track.

All the work required for our eternal salvation was done by Jesus on the cross. Salvation came to mankind as a free gift courtesy of the Most High. This Assurance of Salvation is a major plank in the Christian platform. No other religion has this! Proudly tell others!

Our extended family is incredibly large, and yet there’s always room for a few more. People often arrive at churches when they’re down and out. Our love, kindness and sharing are some of the factors that draw people in. There is therefore agreement that Christians are a good family, a good way to live. People like what they see, and want to become a part of it.

Earthly families can have multiple children, just as our heavenly family always has room for one more. Have you been instrumental in adding anyone to our family? I hope so!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Heaven is Expecting You!

For Tuesday, June 9, 2026:

Romans 8:30 NLT: “Having chosen his people, God called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”

Disciples of Jesus are part of God’s plan for eternity. You were chosen, earmarked for heaven, from the beginning. Since the Father cannot coexist with sin, he arranged for our sins to be forgiven by the work Jesus did on the cross. In the end, everything works out according to God’s plan, and we’re blessed to be included.

Do you appreciate the size of God’s gift? The Bible says that there is life after this life, and there are only two destinations: God’s Kingdom, or Satan’s place. The Kingdom will be fun, filled with activity, worship and other good things. Satan can only provide a lake of fire, leaving residents miserable – forever! Once we leave this reality, we cannot cross over from one side to the other. The decision to be with Jesus can only be made by humans on earth. So there’s an urgency to lock in our eternal position before passing. Me? I’m with Jesus!

Nothing could be worse than knowing you had a chance to spend eternity with the Savior, but never followed through on it. TODAY is the day to claim your reservation in the hereafter. TODAY is the best day to dedicate or rededicate your life to the Son. He’s already preparing a place for you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Jesus Way!

For Tuesday, June 2, 2026:

John 15:21 NLT, Jesus speaking: “The world will persecute you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.”

In my mind, Jesus should have been the unifying piece of the puzzle. When people heard him speak of heaven, watched him heal the sick and broken and raise souls from the dead, they all should have been on board. Jesus could be none other than the heaven-sent Son of the Most High! How anyone could reject him befuddles me!

Nonetheless, Satan wields significant influence on earth, and he was cheering for the status quo, the Old Covenant, whereby citizens weren’t getting into heaven very often. But people were familiar with the rules. They knew the system and didn’t have to change anything.

Jesus, on the other hand, ushered in a New Covenant whereby mankind’s sins could be forgiven and many more people would find their names in the book of life! But this new system required a change in beliefs, a theological reorientation. Jesus is right up front, telling believers that the new way wouldn’t be popular with everyone. In fact, if we do what Jesus said to do, we should expect a certain amount of trouble. Satan will do his best to sideline our efforts!

Our reward for following Jesus is eternity in the Father’s Kingdom. Once we realize the enormity of that reward, it becomes impossible to consider non-compliance. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him, and everyone seeking eternal residence in the Father’s House knows his name!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Peace with God!

For Wednesday, May 27, 2026:

Colossians 1:20b NLT: “God made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”

Sin and God’s goodness cannot coexist. But God’s desire is that everyone would repent and return. He wants us all to join him in the hereafter. Therefore, sin needs to be removed, blotted out from Heaven’s Book of Life registry. What could possibly pay the penalty for the sin of the world?

God, who has all resources at his command, knew that the earthly sacrifice of his Son was the only thing that could satisfy the debt. So Jesus went to the work of substitutionary atonement, paying for the trespasses of mankind through the ages. Past sins, present sins, and even future sins were paid for. Believers in Jesus have been granted special grace. When heaven looks up our name in the Book of Life, the column marked “sin” will be blank. No scratch-outs; no erasure marks; simply blank white space, as if we had never sinned. That’s how thorough Jesus’ forgiveness is!

As believers, we’ll be a part of the heavenly group only present because of the Son. “I’m with that guy sitting just to the right of the Father. He said he’d prepare a place for me in his Father’s Kingdom.”

And heaven will reply, “We’ve been expecting you!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church