Discipline

Lessons from My Mother

May 11, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

My mother passed away earlier this year. She was 86 years old, and if I could sum up her life in one sentence, it would be, “She loved the Lord.” Her legacy lives on in me because she taught me to love Christ and to be diligent and disciplined in studying the Scriptures. I remember multiple instances where she modeled Jesus so well that it was breathtaking.

She was not perfect, but she was committed to loving the Lord more every day of her life. I do not take for granted how blessed I am to have had such a wonderful, kind, and caring mother. Her life taught me many things, both in practice and by example. Allow me to share a few lessons from my mother with you.

Hypocrisy

April 20, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

If you paid a stranger to watch the way you live for a week, what would they say was the focus of your life? Would they see Jesus? Would they understand what it meant to be a Christian from watching what you did and listening to what you said? We Christians can talk a pretty good game, especially when we’re cloistered safe inside our places of worship or surrounded by like-minded believers.

The manner in which we exercise our faith is less convincing. There’s an old word for that: hypocrisy. Nobody I know ever wants to be called a hypocrite, but if your actions don’t align with your words, what else would someone call you? To behave like this is the same as looking at yourself in a mirror and then forgetting what you look like the moment you turn away. (James 1:23-24)

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Open Your Bible

March 16, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

How often do you open your Bible? The only correct answer to this question is “not often enough.” I know this because, like me, if you opened it often enough, your life would not resemble what it looks like today. The Word of God is unstoppable, inexhaustible, and transforms us to the core of our beings. (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16–17) I can say with confidence that you don’t love the Bible enough.

For that matter, you don’t love God enough. I don’t either, and it disgusts me. If you desire to follow Christ with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27; Deuteronomy 6:5), let me ask you the same question I ask myself: where’s the proof? Can you say with a straight face and complete honesty that you are walking just as Jesus walked? (1 John 2:6)

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Don’t Love This World

March 12, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is 1 John 2:15–17. It’s not an easy or feel-good passage. I love it because of how convicting it is and how clear it is. People love to inject their own opinions and rationalizations into the Bible and, in doing so, neuter its message and strip it of its power. This passage leaves no room for any such nonsense.

It says if we love the things of this world, we don’t love God. There are no qualifiers, no exceptions, and no loopholes. The converse shows us how to navigate this life: if we love God, we will not love the things of this world. If you want to show your love for God, don’t love this world.

Are You Exhausted?

March 9, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

Are you exhausted? Everything about our modern culture seems to drive us to unattainable goals at unsustainable speeds. The 24/7 news cycle, social media, job and familial expectations, all keep us hurtling through time with little chance of stopping to figure out where it is we’re going. Today, exhaustion is both normal and a badge of honor. If you aren’t exhausted, you must be doing something wrong or missing out.

Of course, exhaustion is nothing new. Jesus was so worn out from doing the work of His Father that He was sleeping through a terrifying storm while reclining in a boat. (Mark 4:37–38) The disciples were so tired they couldn’t stay awake to pray with Jesus just hours before His execution. (Matthew 26:40–43) There are legitimate reasons for exhaustion, and then there is the inexcusable cause of indifference.

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