Archives for November 2011

Obeying God

November 28, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

What has God been telling you to do that you have been putting off? It’s okay to admit it; we’ve all been guilty of ignoring God many times in our lives. Even the apostle Paul said that he didn’t do the things he wanted to do, but rather kept doing those things he didn’t want to do (Romans 7:15). Each of us know the things we should be doing to glorify Christ, but more often than not we keep to our old habits and more “comfortable” ways. Who are we to believe that what we are doing is more satisfying than obedience to God? It’s ludicrous and very dangerous to flaunt our freewill in the face of the One who granted it. Yet time and again we play with fire and ignore the commands of Christ in order to continue our greedy and selfish pursuits.

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What if Time and Money Were No Object?

November 24, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

If money and time was no object, what would you most desire to do for the Kingdom of God? So often we say we’d serve more if only we had the time, or we’d give more if our personal finances weren’t so tight. While there may indeed be truth behind these statements, I think it is too easy to use our circumstances as a convenient excuse for not living out the Kingdom mission of Christ. There are many ways to earn more money if we were motivated enough to do so, and time can be freed up by shuffling our priorities. So if you could find a way, what would you really do if you had unlimited resources of both time and money?

Intentional Living

November 21, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

When you gave your life to Christ, it was an intentional choice. Since that moment, how often have you made the same kind of conscious decision to live your life devoted to Him? Most of us drift through life content to do what everyone else does – find a steady job, live in a respectable neighborhood and perhaps start a family. Along the way our goals appear to be how much stuff we can acquire and how large we can grow our 401(k) balances. We live a life that looks no different from those who do not claim to follow Christ, most of whom don’t even believe He was who He said He was.

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Hard to Believe?

November 17, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

As a musician, I’ve definitely had some songwriting heroes over the years. One of those people is the amazing Steve Taylor, a man with an incredible talent for creating unique and incredible lyrics. One of his more haunting songs was titled, “Harder to Believe than Not To”. The tune was running through my head the other day (I am blessed/cursed with a non-stop 24/7 radio playing continually in my subconscious!), when I suddenly realized I totally disagreed with the words. The troubling line was from the chorus where Taylor sings, “Don’t you know by now why the chosen are few? It’s harder to believe than not to.” I understand where he is coming from; certainly to the world at large, it seems to believe in Jesus is a difficult thing. I live in America, the wealthiest nation the world has ever seen, and Jesus said it is nearly impossible for a rich man to enter Heaven (Matthew 19:23-26). I get that the cross is a stumbling block for many who refuse to put away their own selfish desires and ambitions to instead live a life of service to God. To me, those examples demonstrate more of an unwillingness to yield control rather than a difficulty in believing.

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All for Jesus

November 14, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

What are you doing today? What plans are you making for your life? In our consumerist and materialistic society, it is easy to get caught up in a life that does little to reflect Jesus or promote the growth of His Kingdom. The problem is, as followers of Christ, we are called to live for a single purpose: to glorify God by furthering the mission of Jesus. We stand in the midst of a generation of believers who profess their faith in Christ yet live lives that show little evidence of that commitment. Jesus died to not only forgive our sins, but to transform us from the inside out. I don’t know about you, but I don’t run into a lot of transformed Christians. I meet many who go to church or donate their time and money to worthy causes, but those activities are a far cry from transformation. We have one purpose and one goal; everything else is futile and worthless.

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