Covenant Loyalty!

For Friday, January 29, 2021

Psalm 119:41 CEV: “Show me your love and save me, Lord, as you have promised.”

Mankind lives under a promise of God, a covenant. Those who repent and call on the name of His Son, Jesus, will be saved, rescued, redeemed and given life-after-this-life. We'll get to see heaven from the inside! That's a promise from God himself, and that gives us a lot of hope! God's promises are always good; He never goes back on his word!

God's love and mercy, his 'hesed,' has been called “Covenant Loyalty.” The love God has for us, his “everlasting loving-kindness,” never ends. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of the Lord. God doesn't make any junk, and his desire is that none would perish – He wants to include everyone who will come!

God is driving the train to heaven, and wants you to hop on-board!

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Psalms 90 - Restoration

April 24, 2017 Monday Message:

“Fill us each morning with your constant love, so that we may sing and be glad all our life” Psalms 90:14 GNT

Interestingly, Psalm 90 is credited to Moses. We don’t know if Moses actually wrote these words or if scholars took thoughts and phrases from the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible, and later assembled this prayer. There was no alphabetic script in Moses’ day.

But the theme is like many other Psalms. God’s priority in the Israelites’ lives had slipped – they are far from God, so God is withholding protection of Israel, most likely from the Babylonians.

Then the Jews wake up – they realize that they need to return to God, get closer to God. They’ve been trying to honor God, and the question of the day is, “How much longer, God, will your anger last? Have pity, O Lord, on your servants!” Psalms 90:13

Surprisingly, this story from Moses over 3,000 years ago is applicable today. Every day you can turn on the news and observe people in a lot of trouble because they’re far from God. The good news is when someone returns to God, and their life turns around. God is in the restoration business.

I checked a number of Bible translations, and God’s love for us is described as constant, faithful, satisfying, steadfast and unfailing. The Hebrew word is “hesed,” sometimes translated, “everlasting lovingkindness.”

If only we could love God as much as He loves us.

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers Sunday, April 30, 2017, at the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Jesus cooks breakfast for the disciples on the beach, and teaches about faith and commitment. I’ll have the fish! See you at church!

His Love Endures Forever

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Nov. 24, 2014 Monday Message:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His Love endures forever.” Psalms 136:1 NIV

This Thursday, Nov. 27, we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US. Psalm 136 is about giving thanks to God for a variety of things. It’s sung responsively, with the leader detailing many good things about our God, and the congregation responding, “His love endures forever.”

In Jewish tradition, this psalm is called ‘The Great Hallel,’ the supreme praise & worship song about the awesome nature of God.

In a word-for-word translation, “Give thanks,” would read, “Give God a hand!” Not like applause, but it means to worship with gusto, hands in the air, dancing, shouting – all-in praise for our Lord, just like David! And “Lord” is actually God’s covenant name, the name he said to use when he agreed to be our God and we agreed to be his people.

“His love” is hesed, God’s unconditional love for us, which the King James translates as “everlasting lovingkindness.”

How long is “forever?” Eternal is a good answer. But most people look at “forever” and “eternity” as moving forward in time, forever into the future. But the Bible’s “forever” extends in both directions - past, present and future. God wanted to redeem you before you were even born. His desire is that no one would perish.

Have a good Thanksgiving, a great holiday, thank God and remember his everlasting lovingkindness! His love endures forever!

Norton Lawellin

Every Sunday Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Nov. 30, Pastor Michael Pilla begins our Advent journey.