Colossians

Following Jesus is a Choice

September 1, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

When you committed your life to Christ, this was a choice you determined to make. No one can do this for you; following Jesus is a personal commitment and a personal decision (Joshua 24:15). For many, this is the only choice they will make. In reality, we must choose repeatedly throughout our lives to follow Him. Being a disciple is not a one-and-done kind of deal.

commitment,discipleship,following Jesus is a choice

We choose to commit our lives to Him, and then we must spend the rest of our lives choosing to follow Him because following Jesus is a choice we make every day (Luke 9:23). When the rubber meets the road, many choose to take the off-ramp. Making a one-time decision is easy; a lifetime commitment is something exponentially more.

You Are Loved

April 17, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

Do you understand how much Jesus actually loves you? Almost every follower of Christ would acknowledge that He loves them, but do you fully comprehend the depth of that love? In John 15:9, Jesus says that He loves us just as the Father loves Him. That’s an incredible statement. Consider how much God loves His Son. Can you even fathom the enormity of that love? And yet Jesus says that He loves each of us with that same love, a love that truly goes beyond our ability to understand.

We serve others in order to reflect the love of Christ. We volunteer and sacrifice to love others as Christ loves us. But do we really get what that means? Jesus loves us with the same intensity that He is loved by the Father. Therefore, if we are to truly live a life that looks like His, we must lavish this same love on everyone we meet. No one is too insignificant, and we must never be too busy to stop and seize the divine moment in front of us. God would never pass up an opportunity to show love to His Son, just as Jesus would never overlook the chance to demonstrate His love to us. So too we must always be eager to share the love of Christ with everyone we encounter. This love is all consuming and it must permeate every cell of our bodies.

We’ve probably all gone through periods in our lives when we felt that no one cared and that no one would notice if we simply disappeared. The frenetic pace that our days are subjected to leaves us weary and frazzled by the time we lie down at night. More and more communication is happening via email and Facebook, and personal interaction is quickly becoming an afterthought. All of this leads to a feeling of emptiness, and it becomes easy to feel lost and alone. In times like these we need to quiet our hearts and remember John 15:9. Jesus loves us just as the Father loves Him. There is no greater love. We are not alone and we have a purpose to fulfill.

Jesus told us to look after the orphans and widows (James 1:27), to feed the hungry and care for the sick. He told us to visit those in prison and to take in those with no place to go (Matthew 25:31-46). How can we do those things unless we love people with a passion so consuming that it compels us to do more and more for others? Caring for the needs of another is exhausting if done out of necessity or duty; but it is exhilarating, satisfying and refreshing when done out of love. It’s all about the attitude with which we approach the situation. Are we choosing to love them as Christ loves us, or are we trying to earn our way to Heaven by doing good deeds? God does not only want us to do the things He commands, but to do it with the right attitude in our hearts (Ephesians 6:6-7; Colossians 3:23). When we serve others because the love of Christ in us allows us to do nothing else, then we are moving in harmony with His mission and purpose for our lives.

Take a few minutes today to contemplate the love Christ has for you. Drink in the overflowing richness of that love and allow yourself to bask in the glory of it. Take a mental snapshot of the feeling; this is how you want to love those around you. When you serve them, do it because you are beginning to understand the depth of the love that Jesus has for you. Share that love with another and allow them to feel the warmth of God’s Spirit as it emanates from within you. Never take the love of Christ for granted, but at the same time do not underestimate the enormity of it. Dive in deep; swim in the ocean of His love for you. Walk in light and serve others in the name of the One who loves you beyond your wildest dreams.

Kindness and Compassion

July 27, 2010 by Tim Sherfy

As followers of Jesus, one of our hallmarks is to show kindness and compassion to everyone we meet. Jesus modeled this beautifully when He was here on earth. He had compassion on the weak, the sick and the criminal. He showed kindness to the poor, the outcast, and the foreigner. Ephesians 4:32 tells us we should be kind, compassionate, and forgiving of one another. In Colossians 3:12-13 we read that not only are we to show kindness and compassion to each other, but also to be gentle, humble and accepting. Living life in such a manner would be a beautiful reflection of God. We want to live a life that looks like Jesus, so why is it so hard to behave in this way?

Forgiveness is always difficult. Our reaction to being hurt, whether emotionally or physically, seems to always be to respond in kind. It takes great discipline and maturity to restrain from lashing out. Above all, it takes great love to react appropriately. Unless we truly love others, we will never be able to successfully and consistently forgive them. Love is the key and the enabler of forgiveness. Further on in Ephesians (chapter 5, verse 2), we are instructed to walk in love, just as Jesus walked in love. Jesus loved us so much that He sacrificed everything He was for each one of us. This is true beauty. Without love, everything else is useless (see I Corinthians 13). Without love we cannot clearly demonstrate kindness and compassion; you can’t fake these things. When you offer a helping hand to someone, if it’s not genuine, it will more than likely be dismissed. No one wants to be condescended to and few will want your pity. Genuine kindness, however, is a rare and beautiful thing with almost universal acceptance.

What can you do today to demonstrate kindness to someone else? Ask the Lord to burn compassion deep into your heart, so that you may see others as He sees them. As Bob Pierce prayed years ago, beg God to break your heart with the things that break His. When your heart is broken by what you see, don’t weep and pass by; don’t simply become angry at the injustice that surrounds you. Rather, compassionately embrace the hurt that is front of you. Offer and employ genuine assistance out of pure kindness. Do the thing that Jesus would do; touch the untouchable, hug someone who smells of life on the street, and care for the needs of someone less fortunate than you.

Becoming angry at injustice is a good thing if the response is genuine and winsome. We mustn’t respond to injustice with hate, but rather with love. Compassion does not need to be a passive word. Compassion mixed with zeal can rescue children from the horrors of trafficking and can feed hungry refugees displaced from their homes by natural disaster or national genocide. Kindness and compassion require the active verb of love before they can be fully engaged. Without love, our actions are worthless. Without action, our love is hollow and disingenuous.

A simple smile, a small gesture or an out of the blue compliment can do wonders for the outlook of another. In a world filled with pain and sorrow, a little kindness will go a long way. Never become too busy to notice the needs of those around you. Never become so self-absorbed that you become blind to those in need to whom you can show compassion. Discipline yourself to never let an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus pass you by. They will know we are Christians by our love. Love is activated by our kindness and compassion toward others. Make certain you find someone to love today.