Archives for September 2019

Who is Loving?

September 30, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

I read a convicting teaching from David Platt on the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the passage of Scripture where we find the story (Luke 10:30-37), a teacher of the law had challenged Jesus’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves by asking, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus proceeded to answer the man’s question by telling the aforementioned parable.

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As Pastor Platt related, Jesus showed the answer wasn’t about who we should love, but rather the focus was on who is the one who is loving. And this is the point: all who claim to be followers of Christ must live in a way that is always marked by love. We are to be the one who is loving to all people at all times.

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Let it Go

September 26, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

As followers of Christ, we know we are called to take up our cross daily and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). The problem is we’re already carrying so much stuff that carrying a cross becomes problematic. My question is, what is it you are carrying that is hindering you from carrying your cross? Whatever it is, you’ve got to let it go. The cross is not an add-on. It is not an accessory.

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Nothing is more important than the cross of Jesus. When we come to understand this, we know we have no choice but to take up our own cross and follow Him. Sadly, many who come to this realization are already carrying so much and are not willing to let it all go.

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Do Something

September 23, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

We Christians in the West are very talented excuse-makers. There are always a million reasons why we don’t do something to further the Kingdom of God. Behind all the excuses is the simple reality of we’re too busy looking like and buying into the culture around us to have time to build the Kingdom. With so much darkness, so much pain and suffering, so much hunger and need all around us, how can we not do something?

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Jesus had a habit of taking time out of His day to reach put and supply the needs of those around Him. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and protected the weak. Jesus was never to busy to do something. He never made an excuse to not do something.

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Be Unified

September 19, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

As a people, we love to label, separate, and divide. We might expect this behavior from the world at large, but unfortunately, the Church seems to enjoy it as much as everyone else. This stands in sharp contrast to Jesus’ desire for us to be unified. When He prayed to His Father for us, his emphasis was on our unity (John 17:20-23).

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He prayed we would be unified just as He and His Father were. Do you realize how close Jesus and God the Father are? They are one and the same, flowing in and around each other to the point no separation can be found. As a body of believers, we have rarely experienced a unity anything like this.

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Beyond Sunday Morning

September 16, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

As followers of Jesus, we need to move beyond Sunday morning. It’s easy to pretend how much we love Jesus when we gather with other believers. I cannot help but see the disconnect in the lives of myself and others when we proclaim our devotion to His mission on Sunday but forget about it as soon as we walk out the door. Our lives are not centered on our Savior. They are centered on ourselves.

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We are the center of our own universe. On any given day, how often do you think of yourself as compared to thinking about Jesus? What percentage of your thoughts are around what you need to get done around the office and the house as opposed to what you need to be doing for the Kingdom?