Showing posts with label return. Show all posts
Showing posts with label return. Show all posts

Monday, June 8, 2026

Preaching Good News!

For, June 8, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 4:43 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.”

Early the next morning, Jesus left Simon’s house, preparing to leave the city. People begged him to stay, but he explained, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.” Jesus was on a mission trip, sent from God’s Kingdom to planet Earth with a goal, an agenda, a mission.

The Good News is that Jesus himself would pay the penalty for the sins of the world, and that believers would be redeemed. He could explain the Tanakh and Torah, and teach us God’s ways, that God loves us, and that he made a way for us to return home.

There are far too many cities for Jesus to visit himself, so eventually he sent his Apostles and disciples to proclaim the Kingdom on his behalf. And before ascending back to the Father, he told the believers to continue making disciples of all nations. That’s still our mission nowadays. Jesus wants us to share the Good News with as many as possible before his return.

He’ll be returning soon, and that’s our Good News for today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Saturday, May 23, 2026

Who's First?

For Saturday, May 23, 2026:

Colossians 1:18 NLT: “Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, firstborn over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.”

The Bible says that the church is the bride of Christ, making Jesus the head of the church. Without Jesus, there would be no reason for any church to exist. Mankind could have just stayed with Synagogues. It’s important that we understand the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

Under the Old Covenant, mankind was expected to conform to God’s commandments, sometimes called the Law of Moses since God sent most of the commandments through his servant Moses. The grading scale was tough: Live life 100% right, pass; miss one, fail. Any sin disqualified a person from accessibility to heaven.

God’s desire, though, is that none would perish, so he gave us a chance to repent and return. We call this the New Covenant. God’s Son Jesus died to atone for the sins of the world. In other words, He gave us a second chance, a do-over! Forgiven believers, those who would put their faith in Jesus, are given an opportunity to see heaven from the inside!

Abbott and Costello asked, “Who’s on first?” The answer should always be, “Jesus!” He’s responsible for creation, the forgiver of mankind’s sins and head of the church! Jesus is first in everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Saturday, April 18, 2026

Decision/Assurance!

For Saturday, April 18, 2026:

Romans 8:3 NLT: “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”

God’s preferred outcome is that every sinner would repent, return to Him and join Him in the hereafter. Mankind has been given free choice to accept God’s offer or not. The correct choice is obvious, so only a few will intentionally decide incorrectly. The biggest hangup in the US is procrastination by fence-sitters. If someone hasn’t decided to accept forgiveness through God’s Son, it’s counted as a ‘no’ vote. When I did work for Billy Graham, we had a daily radio show called “Decision Today,” the premise being that “today” is always the best day, the preferred day, to make your decision for Christ. Tomorrow may be too late!

Other parts of the world are littered with false gods. Friends, there is only one God, the Creator of everything. The false gods may appear good on the surface. They encourage everyone to do good things and to be kind. Think of a balance scale, where a person is trying to pile up enough good on one side to outweigh the bad on the other. When do we have enough good? I don’t know, and neither do they! In the false religions, no one is ever guaranteed heaven (or paradise.)

Christianity is different. Jesus personally paid the penalty for our sins, past, present and future. Therefore believers, having a clean slate, are eligible to spend eternity in the Lord’s presence. Jesus promised to go ahead to prepare a place for believers, and we are blessed with Assurance of Salvation, something no other religion has!

Now sing a chorus of Blessed Assurance, thank Jesus for covering your sins, put a smile on your face and have a great day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church


Thursday, March 26, 2026

David's Anointing!

For Tuesday, March 24, 2026:

1 Samuel 16:11c NLT: “At once, send for the youngest, the shepherd,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

God had told Samuel that one of Jesse’s sons was to be anointed as Israel’s next king. Samuel thought he had interviewed all the young men, but God had yet to pull the trigger. So Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”

Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” Voilà: David, anointed to be the next king of Israel! Not because his father Jesse decreed it, not because Samuel said so, but because he was God’s choice! Because God said so!

Frankly, there was no way David could have turned down the assignment. Think back to Jonah, called to deliver the “repent and return” message to the people of Nineveh. Fearing for his life, Jonah took off in the opposite direction, went overboard during the voyage, was swallowed up by a giant sea creature who spit him out. Where? On the beach of Nineveh, right where God had called him to be. God always gets his way! It would take a few more years, but David would ultimately assume the position for which he had been earmarked by God.

Have you ever been called by the Lord? First, identify your God-given gifts and talents. God will not call you to a task for which you have no skill, no knowledge. He will not send you on a mission without supplying the tools needed for success. If you’re volunteering to join the “God team,” something He needs will jump out at you, will fall right into your lap. You’ll be better at it than others. It wouldn’t be the same without you! God knows what he’s doing!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church


Sunday, March 15, 2026

Serve like Jesus!

For Sunday, March 15, 2026:

John 14:12 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

There’s only one Jesus. He wanted to multiply his efforts. So he sent disciples, believers, to spread the Good News. “God loves you, repentant sinners can be forgiven, there is life after this life and you can be included.” Think of this like McDonald’s franchising new locations. Sending teams of disciples to other towns would open up entirely new markets, convincing more people to repent and return! Good plan, Jesus!

In the same way, as Jesus returns to the Father, he wants to empower the faithful to continue his work. “Go and make disciples of all nations,” he tells them. “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons and preach the Good News!” In 2K years, the job description for a believer hasn’t changed!

A non-serving Christian is a contradiction!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

 

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Christian Focus!

For Thursday, March 12, 2026:

Romans 7:21 NLT, Paul speaking: “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.”

Paul is living in a world filled with sin, and as much as he tries to honor God by doing right, frustrations of this life find him slipping back into his old behavior. Remember, when he first set out, Paul was armed with a letter from the Temple leaders authorizing him to stop these radical new Christians, to return them to Jerusalem in chains! The risen Jesus stopped him on the road to Damascus, striking him blind and helpless, saying, “Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?” This was enough to make Paul do a 180, to realize that Jesus was indeed the heaven-sent Son of God. Paul became a Jesus advocate. He was brought into the city and his sight restored by a believer. Paul was immediately baptized and became an instant evangelist! (By the way, “Saul” was his Hebrew name, like King Saul. “Palus” was his Greek name, which we translate into English as “Paul.”)

God gave mankind the power to think and reason. If we were forced to follow Jesus, our loyalty would mean nothing. Therefore, God lets us choose, wants us to choose Him! We’re taken off track by Satan and his demons shouting, “Pick me! Pick me!” At first, sin seems to be fun and exciting, but it never works out in the long run. God’s desire is for everyone to repent and return — repent of our sins and return to the roster of believers. When this life ends, we want to find ourselves on God’s short list, unwavering in our commitment to the Father and his Son.

The longer we’re Christians, the easier it will become to stay on the high road. God wants us to succeed!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church


Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Healing Messiah!

Daily message of hope...
For Wednesday, February 25, 2026:

Matthew 4:23 NLT: “Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.”

As he gathered his disciples, Jesus continued his ministry around Galilee. Tradition said that if a guest showed up to worship in a Synagogue, he would be invited to speak. Jesus had plenty to say!

He could tell the people to repent and return to the Lord. He could explain God’s willingness to forgive all who would call him Lord and Savior. He could explain that he was God’s Son, God’s representative on earth. He could share the knowledge that believers become Children of God, eligible for residence in the Heavenly Kingdom. He could explain assurance of salvation!

Jesus would take as much time as needed to heal all who needed healing. No disease or illness was higher than the prayers of God’s Son. Jesus would oftentimes begin by casting out the demons, which were the root of the problem. No demon is higher than God’s Son.

People were quick to notice the healings and would tell others. Although they had no television, no newspapers and no internet, somehow the word spread swiftly. Soon, all who needed healing were being brought to Jesus. He healed them all, even though that wasn’t his purpose in coming to earth.

Soon, large crowds were following Jesus around, people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem – people from all over Judea, even those east of the Jordan River. The Hebrew people had been expecting a Messiah, and here was Jesus!

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

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Do What's Right!

For Tuesday, February 24, 2026:

Romans 7:15-17 NLT: “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”

Have you ever found yourself in a similar predicament? You’ve been introduced to Jesus, you believe, and want to live your life his way. And yet you find yourself slipping back into your old, sinful behavior. In spite or your best intentions, the author of sin makes sin look attractive and drags you down into the muck once again. You don’t want to do wrong. You swore you’d never do those bad things again. And yet here we find ourselves!

The author of this Epistle is as human as we are. “I want to do what is right, but instead I do what I hate.” Fortunately, there is no limit to God’s love. If our heartfelt desire is to do the right thing, we can confess, repent and return to the Lord as often as need be. God offers forgiveness in abundance, free to all who confess and plead for redemption.

I believe that the longer we’re believers, the fewer encounters we’ll have with sin. We will become better people, more acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. He’ll need to forgive us less often because we’ll have a firmer grip on living according to God’s instructions.

When in doubt, just do what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church


Friday, February 6, 2026

1-on-1 with Jesus!

 For Friday, February 6, 2026:

Luke 3:8 NLT, John the Baptist speaking: Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.”

 How you live and what you do will be signs that you have discarded your sinful ways and repented and returned to the Lord. God has stretched out the hand of forgiveness. All we have to do is grab on and decide that God’s way is the better way.

 People tend to make excuses for not doing the right things. In those days before Jesus, the excuses ranged from, “I was born Hebrew,” to “I’m in the Synagogue every Sabbath.” Those are good things, but they won’t open heaven’s gates. Salvation is a contract between you and God. It’s dependent on your heartfelt belief, your faith in the Father and his Son. We are saved by grace through faith.

 When evangelizing, people tell me, “When I was young, I went to Sunday School; My mom was a Baptist; My wife attends a church; and We’re pledging members.” All good things, but they won’t get you into heaven. Assurance of Salvation is a 1-on-1 deal with Jesus, putting your faith, hope and trust in God’s Son.

 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” The way to heavenly eternity, and everything he speaks is truth about the life after this life. “No one can come to the Father except through me.”

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

Monday, February 2, 2026

Baptized!

     February 2, 2026:

Luke 3:4, 6 NLT: Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’ Then all people will see the salvation sent from God.”

Today, we’re looking at John the Baptist, who was on a mission trip for God. He was to encourage everyone to repent and return to the Lord, and to be water-baptized as part of God’s plan for forgiveness and reconciliation. And he was privileged to introduce Jesus the Messiah to the world.

Jesus would eventually be baptized by John. Being without sin, Jesus didn’t really need to be baptized, but chose to do so as an example of what others should do and to identify John as one of God’s servants. John protested, “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you!” But Jesus insisted they fulfill all of God’s requirements.

As Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy spirit descended upon him like a dove, and a voice boomed out from heaven: “This is my dearly beloved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Jesus’ ministry just shifted into high gear! What lies ahead will truly be exciting!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Repent & Return:

Daily message of hope...
For Saturday, January 24, 2026:
 
Mark 16:15 NLT: “Then the risen Jesus told the believers, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”
 
Throughout the Old Testament, the bottom-line message has always been to repent and return. Repent of sin, and return to the Lord. Come back to God’s way, his commandments and his thinking. God has a plan to reward loyalty.
 
As the New Testament begins and Jesus enters our world, the plan unfolds. Jesus’ mission is to put the Father’s plan in motion. As He dies on a cross, He will take the sins of the world upon himself and carry them to the place of the dead, leaving the forgiven faithful as eligible for eternal residence in God’s heavenly Kingdom. Didn’t Jesus promise to prepare a place for us? And doesn’t Jesus always speak the truth? You might as well start packing, because we’re leaving soon
 
Before we leave, we should be doing what Jesus commanded: “Preach the Good News to everyone!” How we do that may look different for each of us, but if we combine our gifts, we can get the job done. Everyone needs to know that the heavenly train is leaving soon. There’s plenty of room, but we need to get on board with haste. That train won’t wait forever!
 
If you believe Jesus is who he said he was and have faith that he can do what he promised, you’re “IN!” You have something that only redeemed Christians have – Assurance of Salvation! Relax. God has you covered!
 
Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship
The Father’s House
Truth and Freedom Church

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Messiah!

For Thursday, January 22, 2026:

Luke 2:28-29 NLT: “Simeon took baby Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.’”

It had been prophesied to Simeon that he would not die until the Lord’s Messiah had been revealed to him. And now he’s personally lifting baby Jesus in his arms! Voilà! The Messiah had arrived!

God always makes good on his promises! He promised to send a Savior, a Rescuer, a Messiah for his people. As it turns out, God’s gift was much more important than what the people were expecting. They were frustrated with Roman occupation of their land. They would have been happy just to be free of the Roman Army. God’s almighty gift was forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness opens the door to eternal life and residence in God’s forever heavenly Kingdom! BTW, there is no Roman army in God’s Kingdom! Mission accomplished and then some!

Don’t expect to understand supernatural events. Just accept the results. The Holy Spirit brought Jesus and Simeon together that day in the Temple, and Simeon identified Jesus to the world. This was only eight days into Jesus’ life. So everyone would have known right from the beginning that Jesus was heaven-sent.

His promise to forgive the sins of all who repent and return is as good today as it was 2k years ago. And God’s desire is that ALL would repent and return. His desire is that none would be lost. You can sign up for that program for free. Just acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life and repent of past sins. Draw a line in the sand, before Jesus and after Jesus. The after Jesus side of the line will be clean and fresh. Garbage will be left on the other side of the line. It’s easy to make the right decision. The sun will be shining on Jesus’ side of the line. See you there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church


Saturday, September 27, 2025

Forgiven & Forgotten!

For Saturday, September 27, 2025:

Hebrews 10:17 NLT: Then the Lord said, “I will never again remember their sinSos and lawless deeds.”

We need to take God at his word. If He says our sins are forgiven and forgotten, we should expect that to be the case. As imperfect humans, we may remember erring in our ways. But if we exalt the Son and repent and return to the Lord, our sins will not only be forgiven; they will also be forgotten. God says!

When it is time for a believer to approach the Pearly gates, his or her name will surprisingly be in the Book of Life! The surprise is that the Bible says that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But God promised “forgiven and forgotten,” and that’s His policy for believers. The column labeled “sin” will be blank white space. No scratch-outs, no tell-tale eraser marks; forgiven and totally forgotten, as if our sin never happened. That’s what God says!

If you need a reference, use Jesus’ name. Today’s believers are today’s disciples. Come on in to Heaven and sit down. You belong there. Believers have been adopted into the Holy Family, and Heaven is our future family gathering place.

Get to know all your brothers and sisters!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship


Monday, August 4, 2025

Temptation!

 Daily message of hope...
August 4, 2025, Monday Message:

Luke 17:1 NLT: “One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!’”

In this dissertation, Jesus identifies two types of sinners. The first is like most of us, average, everyday people who easily fall into sin. We’re not careful enough. We’re not constantly guarding against sin. Therefore, sin easily falls into our lives. We need to repent and return to the Lord, and realize that Jesus helped us by dealing with our sin problem. We can and will be forgiven.

The other type evilly leads others into sin. It’s not just their sin that’s wrong. It’s doubly wrong to encourage others to sin. It’s as if they set up sin traps, attempting to ensnare as many as possible. This is far worse than just falling away from the Lord. This is treason, switching sides, going to work for the bad guys. God will deal with these turncoats. Jesus says it would be better for them if they tied a millstone to their neck and dived into the deepest sea. Redeemable? Probably not.

Jesus goes on to explain that if another believer sins, we should call them on it. Don’t give it time to fester into something bigger than it is. And if they repent, we are obligated to forgive. If they sin seven times and repent seven times, we are to forgive them seven times.

We should always guard against the ever-present sin. The ever-present sin should highly regard the loving forgiveness offered through Jesus. Repentant sinners should be met with our forgiveness. If we forgive others, we’re following in Jesus’ footsteps!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship

Sunday, July 13, 2025

Lost Coin!

For Sunday, July 13, 2025:

Luke 15:8 AMPC: “What woman, having ten [silver] drachmas [each one equal to a day’s wages], if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and look carefully and diligently until she finds it?”

Jesus is teaching the mixed crowd – tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and teachers of religious law – the parable of the lost coin. In today’s dollars, about $200 had gone missing, and if any of us lost $200, we’d certainly look until we found it! Note the ratio, 1 out of 10 missing. We’d check every dresser drawer and go through our purses and pants pockets. Is it time to clean out the car? Check every nook and cranny. The search wouldn’t be over until the sum was located!

In real life, something far more valuable than a coin had gone missing. In this parable, the lost coin represents the soul of a lost sinner. Heaven is patiently waiting for that sinner to repent and return, and heaven will not abandon that soul until they have had adequate chances to reconcile with the Creator. God’s desire is that none would be lost, and that all would repent and return!

When the sum is retrieved, the woman invites her neighbors in to celebrate the victory. “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin!”

Jesus summarizes his teaching: “In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

You are extremely valuable to the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship


Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Second Chances!

For Tuesday, June 17, 2025:

Luke 13:8-9 NIV, Gardener speaking: “Leave the fig tree alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then I’ll cut it down.”

The gardener is giving the fig tree one last chance. Following Jesus gives mankind second, third and fourth chances. God doesn’t throw us away the first time we sin. We’re given an opportunity to repent and return, to correct a situation and make things right with our fellows. Like I said yesterday, it doesn’t seem to matter as much what you did as a sinner, as what you INTEND to do as a repentant believer!

As he died, Jesus took the sins of the world to the place of the dead. Our sin problem is thereby solved. We all need to look to the future. What has changed? What do we intend to do differently? Actions speak louder than words, so hopefully people will acknowledge your newly changed behavior rather than dwelling on the past. Paul is an extreme example of this. If you only considered his past, his persecution of Christianity, Paul would never be elected leader of a Christian fellowship. But on the road to Damascus, Paul did a 180! He became the leading itinerant evangelist of the New Testament!

By sending Jesus to walk alongside mankind, God is giving us another chance. His desire is that ALL would repent and return. If there’s no fruit, the fig tree will be cut down and thrown into the fire. If mankind doesn’t accept the Son – God’s gift of salvation – we too will be thrown into the fire.

Friends, this is serious business, and Jesus doesn’t mince words. Today is the accepted day to choose your eternal destination. There are only two choices: God’s way or the wrong way! God’s way grants us everlasting happiness. The other way gives us eternal misery.

Choose wisely!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship


Monday, June 16, 2025

Repent!

June 16, 2025, Monday Message:

Luke 13:2-3 NIV, Jesus speaking: “Do you think that these (murdered) Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Don’t miss the point of Jesus’ teaching. The Bible says that ALL have sinned, so on Judgment Day we’re all in the same boat. It’s up to that judge to separate the sheep from the goats.

Goats may have just continued sinning. Or if their sinning ceased, they never repented. They were never sorry. Goats never squared things up with their fellows or with their maker.

Sheep, on the other hand, have an advocate, a counselor at their side. The Holy Spirit will point out their humble ways and their apologetic attitude. Repentant believers have their past sins wiped away. Jesus took care of that. And with a clean slate, sheep can be welcomed into the Kingdom!

So in a way, it doesn’t seem to matter as much what you did as a sinner, as what you INTEND to do as a repentant believer. Jesus wants us to draw a line in the sand. We all have a past, the before-Jesus time, but believers have a future, the after-Jesus time, and that’s what Heaven is keeping its eye on.

If we applied God’s rules to our criminal justice system, we wouldn’t punish offenders so much for what they did, but for what they intend to do. Of course, we have no way of seeing into the future, so that’s not really practical. But the reason we incarcerate criminals is that we expect their deviant behavior to repeat itself. They need Jesus.

Getting back on the straight and narrow won’t work without Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship


Father's Day!

For Sunday, June 15, 2025:

Luke 15:20 NLT, Jesus speaking: “He (the Prodigal Son) returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”

It’s not easy being a dad. The role of family patriarch requires love, forgiveness and patience. To say that this prodigal son was at odds with his father would be a huge understatement. He demanded his inheritance while good ol’ dad was still alive, which is like saying, “I wish you were dead!” When papa finally gave in, the son took off for the wine, women and song of the big city, hoping never to see his family again.

It didn’t work out so well. He was soon broke, and the country was experiencing a famine. No money and no food. This Jewish boy found himself accepting employment caring for pigs, unclean, non-kosher animals. He was so hungry that pig food started to look appetizing. The only solution would be to return home with his tail between his legs, saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”

Surprisingly, the father had been watching out the window, praying that the prodigal would come to his senses. This is where love, forgiveness and a bucketload of patience were required. The son was learning about repentance, while the father was practicing forgiveness. They were both working on reconciliation. It’s said that blood is thicker than water, and this son and his father both desired to rebuild their relationship. It wouldn’t have worked if both weren’t willing!

In many countries, today is Fathers’ Day, where we honor the patriarchs from all our families. Patriarchs put up with the prodigals. They never stop loving their wayward sons and daughters, praying that they all will repent and return.

Jesus said to think of God as our “Father” in heaven. We honor him with our worship. God watches out the window, hoping that each of his children will repent and return. He’s a patient God, offering forgiveness to all who will come home.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship