He Restores My Soul

For Thursday, July 16, 2020.

Psalm 23:2a ESV: “He (the Lord) restores my soul.”

Believers oftentimes sing, “The earth is not my home,” and they’re right! We are from somewhere else, and we are on our way to somewhere else, and that’s what we’re concerned with today. We’re looking at ‘life after this life!’

Following life on Earth, we move on to a different reality. Our earthy bodies are temporary, but our soul, our eternal essence, will live forever. So the question to ask is, “Where will I be spending my time?” The simple explanation is that good people go to Heaven to be with God, and bad people wind up with Satan. Trust me – you want to be with the good group!

Unfortunately, we’ve all made mistakes, done things wrong; the Bible calls it ‘sin.’ And to reserve a room in Heaven, we have to be without sin. We can’t get there on our own, but the Lord provides a way. He restores our souls. God sent his Son Jesus to take care of our sin problem, to be substitutionary atonement for us, so that our names could be on Heaven’s guest list.

When you knock on Heaven’s door, tell them to look for your name in the Book of Life. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior – if you’re saved by grace through faith – your name will be there! They’ll check in the column labeled ‘sin,’ and it will be empty. You can point to Jesus and say, “I’m with THAT guy – the guy just to the right of God!” Congratulations - you made it!

On your own you didn’t have a chance. But the Lord restored your soul – as promised!

Blessings and protection to you all this week!

Pastor Norton

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Worship in Spirit

October 15, 2012 Monday Message:

Jesus, teaching the woman at the well: “God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

God is Spirit, and so are we. It’s important to realize that an earthly body is just a temporary home for our ruach, our spirit, and our nephesh, our soul, the essence of our life.

Our body will not live forever, but our spirit will exist as long as God allows us to continue. That’s why it’s important to know Jesus as your savior. Then your eternal spirit will rest in heaven, in the presence of God, rather than in hell, separated from God.

True worship would be our spirits communing with the Spirit of the Living God. Many of us don’t often get there. Our worship hours are filled with man-made traditions and rituals, and most churches do little to help you connect your spirit with God’s spirit.

And yet that’s what Jesus said we were to do. May your spirit reach out to the spirit of the Holy Father today.

Next week – worship in truth!

Norton Lawellin

See you at New Hope Center Friday Oct. 19, 7pm for Chapel, and we’ll dig deeper into Jesus’ meeting with the woman at the well.

JICF worships Sunday in the North end of the Oliver Ministry Building, 27^th Street & Bloomington Avenue, 10:30am. This week Pastor Daisy Mae Rader teaches from Luke. See you at church!

NL

It is Well with My Soul

June 25, 2012 Monday Message:

“It is well with my soul.” c.1873, Horatio Spafford penned these well-known hymn lyrics, allowing us unparalleled insight into the “Joy of the Lord.”

True Joy from the Lord isn’t based on circumstances, things that are happening around you. Rather, it’s the confidence that God has your back, no matter how bleak the current situation appears.

Remember that our God is a rock, an anchor, the cornerstone, unchanging, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He’s a God of substance, not circumstance. The same God who adopted you into his Holy family is there for you forever – in spite of how your current situation appears.

Spafford’s four daughters had been lost at sea in a tragic accident. Only his wife survived. As his ship crossed the same piece of water, he wrote, “It is well with my soul.” Instead of mourning the loss of his children, he rejoiced at the fact that they were now with Jesus. He rejoiced with thanksgiving that his wife had been spared. No matter what went wrong here on earth, he and God were still OK. He was filled with the Joy of the Lord, no matter the circumstances.

Spafford and his wife went on to have three more children, and later founded the “American Colony” in Israel, to help the poor. See, God is still in charge, still on the throne. God is good, all the time, in all things.

Most of us stand before a mirror when getting dressed for the day, wanting to look our best. Unfortunately, what we see won’t last. What is eternal is our soul, our nephesh - and our spirit, ruah.

Is it well with your soul?

Norton Lawellin

This Sunday I’ll be leading worship at Jesus in the City – the old location – lower level of Trinity First, 1115 E. 19^th St., Mpls., 11am, and Pastor Daisy Rader continues our journey through Galatians.

We can’t wait for July 29 – that’s the day that Jesus in the City Sunday worship moves to the Oliver Ministry Center, 27^th Street & Bloomington Avenue. Note the new service time: 10:30am. Prayers covering this transition and move would be appreciated.