Solid Foundation!

For Saturday, October 3, 2026:

Luke 6:49 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Anyone who hears me and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

Jesus compares our spiritual foundation to the foundation of a home. Here in Minnesota, most houses have basements, typically brick and concrete edifices to which the above-ground structure can be anchored. When winter storms hit and the North winds blow, our homes remain in place. Excessive rain and seasonal flooding can also be problematic. Floods can move houses that are not firmly anchored, so a foundation is critical.

Christian life and our religious philosophy also need to be anchored. To build a solid foundation, we attend church every week. We listen to sermon upon sermon. We attend Bible study groups. We listen to Christian music on the radio. The more “Jesus” experience we have, the better our foundation.

We not only need to hear teaching, but we need to believe it and then put it into play. Knowing everything Jesus said sounds good, but it builds no foundation if we haven’t implemented those principles in our personal lives. When in doubt, do what Jesus did!

Satan will be sending storms – count on it! That’s what he does! But Satan and his demons have never been successful against Jesus. So do as Jesus advised. Make sure there’s a solid foundation under your religious house, and if attacked, use the name of Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Rescue Plan!

For Friday, October 2, 2026:

Mark 1:7 NLT: “John the Baptist announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals.”

There are a couple of concepts we humans have trouble appreciating. One is that God is all powerful! Everything supplied to us on earth was made by God. If a human claims that they made something, they made it from parts supplied by God. I saw a beautiful wooden rocking chair in an Amish furniture store. A plaque proudly stated, “Handmade by David Miller.” Mr. Miller may have made it into a chair, but God made the wood!

There’s a story about mankind trying to make more people. They talk about special chemicals, water and dirt, all being mixed together. Add a jolt of electricity, and they almost had it, until someone pointed out, “That’s God’s dirt!”

The other concept is that God’s love for mankind is never-ending. We can’t appreciate the length God would go to to continue loving mankind. But God’s love for us goes deeper than we can imagine, so deep that he would sacrifice his Son to ensure mankind’s rescue.

The rescue plan has been implemented. Have you accepted God’s invitation to be forgiven and saved? Today is the best day to repent and return to the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Salvation!

For Thursday, October 1, 2026:

Mark 1:4 NLT: “John the Baptist was the messenger. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.”

This was fresh theology at the time. The concept of repenting and receiving forgiveness was new. Being baptized as a sign of repentance was fairly new. We speak of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. This theology is part of the New Covenant. Jesus himself was baptized, thereby teaching us to repent and return. (Jesus, being sinless, didn’t really need to be baptized.)

The Bible goes on to say that “All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John.” All? John must have made an impression on a lot of people! With no radio, no TV and no internet, person-to-person buzz was the only way people could learn of John. And a great many signed up for the repent, return and receive forgiveness program.

Here’s an analogy, so don’t take it literally. No longer did people have to try to accumulate heaven points. You could be extra good and get a few more points. But if you messed up, you’d lose points. So how many points do we need to see heaven from the inside? With the total in flux, we would never be 100% sure where we stand. With the New Covenant, we see heaven by grace, not by anything we can do. Believers put their faith, hope and trust in Jesus. That’s why we call him “Savior” – because he saves us!

Believers in Jesus have Assurance of Salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church