Love Not the World!

For Friday, August 30, 2024:

1 John 2:15 NLT: “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.”

Love is a two-way street. If you love someone or something, you expect to receive reciprocal love in return. And all the world has to offer is sin, short-term pleasure with long-term problems. In “the world,” Satan wants to divert your focus from the Father. This is a battle that believers must win, and the Devil must lose.

As we focus on eternity, the Father’s love becomes evident. Christians speak of agape love, love that cannot be destroyed. It’s love like when a parent welcomes children back home, no matter what they’ve done wrong. They are, after all, our children. And believers are children of God. Jesus said to pray to “Our Father in heaven.”

As a believer, you’re a member of the Holy Family, so act like it. In your heart, join the family of God. Jesus will welcome us with open arms as we transition to the next reality. It’s God’s unconditional lovingkindness!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Character of God

For Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Psalm 100:5 JUB: “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.”

The conclusion to Psalm 100 gives us the perfect description of our relationship with God.

God is good, all the time. Don’t expect any bad stuff to come out of heaven - it’s Satan who harbors evil, not God. God shows us ‘chesed,’ which we translate as ‘lovingkindness.’ That’s God’s mercy, his caring for us, which includes sending Jesus to redeem us. God provided a way for us to see heaven from the inside. Mercy inhabits God’s character. This isn’t just for people in Bible times. God’s love, mercy and truth pass from generation to generation, so our future is filled with hope!

"The Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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