Ephesians

Grace and Works Revisited

November 17, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

grace vs. works,faith vs. works,works,grace,the sheep and the goats,Matthew 25:31-46,Ephesians 2:8-10,Ephesians 2:8-9,Ephesians 2:10,Matthew 7:22-23,salvation

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I can’t seem to get away from the constant debate of whether we are saved by grace alone or works alone. As I have often commented here, I don’t believe it’s a matter of grace or works, but rather grace and works. Before you bail on me, I wholeheartedly believe and affirm that we cannot be saved by anything other than the grace of God. Without grace, there is no possible way to “work” our way into salvation. Only our faith in Jesus and the grace He extends to us can secure our future with Him. The works we do are simply proof of our love for Him. If we are sincere in our devotion to Christ, obeying His commands – doing the things He told us to do – will be a natural extension of that love.

What Are We Exhaling?

October 20, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

breath of God,fruit of the spirit,Colossians 3:4,Colossians 3:5-10,Ephesians 5:18,Galatians 5:22-23

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I love Colossians 3:4. It says, “When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” I am overwhelmed when I think about Jesus being my very life. I am nothing without Him. He has blessed me with every talent and passion that I have. He created every hair on my head and every cell in my body. He breathed His life into me. What an incredible thought. The breath of Christ is what brings us to life. Knowing what we have taken in (the very breath of God), what are we putting back out into the world? In other words, we have inhaled the breath of Christ; the important question now is: “What are we exhaling?”

Rewards

September 29, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

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Each of us, regardless of our success or social standing, will stand trembling and naked before the God of the universe. We will no longer have anything we accumulated on earth. Empty and naked, we will stand before the King. All we will have are the rewards that we stored in Heaven based on the things we did for Jesus while we were alive on earth (Matthew 6:19-21). We accumulate heavenly rewards by serving God and others in His name; by sacrificing everything for the sake of building His Kingdom. Building treasure in Heaven requires us to daily put our trust in God for our provision; not in our money, possessions, or achievements. As we do the things He told us to do (see Matthew 25:31-46, James 1:27, and Ephesians 5:1-5), we will increase our treasure in Heaven.

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Atmosphere

July 28, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

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The atmosphere you create around you will dictate the manner in which you will live. If you fill it with things that are pleasing to God, your life will reflect His beauty. If you fill it with things opposed to His will, your life will be shallow, ineffective, and virtually useless for the Kingdom. The choice certainly seems easy, but what exactly does it mean to “create the atmosphere” around you? Everything we allow into our minds adds to the atmosphere around us. The words we choose to speak add to it as well. The actions we take are the final element that goes into creating the atmosphere that surrounds us.

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How Much More Could You Do?

June 30, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

a.w. tozer,tozer,commitment,Jesus as lord,Jesus is lord,giving your all

I once read a quote from A.W. Tozer that continues to both propel and haunt me. Tozer said, “Before the judgment seat of Christ my service will be judged not by how much I have done but by how much I could have done!” I mentioned this quote before (see “Living for the Emergency”), but wanted to dive a little deeper into it because it won’t stop gnawing at me. Each of us has been uniquely created with a combination of talents, skills, gifts, and passions. We have been designed with specific work in mind (Ephesians 2:10). We will choose to obey God and carry out the job He has given us to do, or we will reject Him and squander all He has blessed us with on our own selfish desires.