Fear

The Return of Christ

December 29, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

The return of Christ necessitates that we live in ready and anxious anticipation of His coming. Woe to that person caught unawares at His return (Luke 21:34–36; 1 Thessalonians 5:2–3). His second coming has always been the plan, and Jesus made certain we understand that (John 14:2–3; Acts 1:11). What then should be our response? I like how J. C. Ryle put it:

Man thinking about the return of Christ contemplating the second coming with reverent fear and purpose in recognition of his need for salvation and discipleship

“Our plain duty then is to live always prepared for His return. Let us walk by faith and not by sight. Let us believe in Christ, serve Christ, follow Christ, and love Christ. So living, whenever Christ may return, we shall be ready to meet Him.” That sounds like a plan to me! Jesus is coming back, and we have no excuse not to be found ready (Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40).

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God’s Abhorrence of Sin

December 22, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

In Egypt and many other countries, Christian girls and women are vulnerable and susceptible to rape, marriage, and forced conversions to Islam. To think of young girls not over eight or nine years old experiencing such horrors, it is easy to understand God’s abhorrence of sin. Human trafficking has always been a sin that pushes my buttons and engenders heated wrath in an instant.

My guess is we all have certain sins that make us angrier than others. Should it be like that? Shouldn’t all sin be as abhorrent to us as it is to God? Forget the sins of others; every sin we commit should generate the same hatred we feel towards the most horrifying sins.

Deny Yourself

October 16, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

Jesus said if anyone wants to follow Him, they must first deny themselves (Luke 9:23). What does it mean to deny yourself? It means you must deny your ego. You have been bought for a price, and your life no longer belongs to you (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You are a slave of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:22). How could you, a slave, think more highly of yourself than anyone else (Philippians 2:3-5)?

Young man contemplating what it means to deny yourself as he seeks the discipline to surrender his priorities and live with a commitment to discipleship without fear

You don’t have the right to make your own decisions, as every choice must now align with God’s will and His Word. As slaves of Christ, we are the lowest of the low, deserving of nothing, and any good that comes our way is only by the incredible grace of our Lord and King (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are nothing, but that’s okay, because He is everything!

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What Will Change?

September 15, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

The Bible is the greatest book ever written. Its truths are timeless, always relevant in any age or circumstance (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35). It has been my goal to model the writings here to honor God’s Word. I want to expound the truths of scripture in ways that will be as relevant today as they will be a hundred years from now. Because God’s truth is timeless, I seek to never tether that truth to a specific moment in time.

Man pondering what will change and how to respond in humility without fear and with a focus on discipleship to God's Kingdom in light of this cultural moment of the assassination and martyrdom of Charlie Kirk.

This proves difficult when momentous cultural events or tragedies occur. My heart desires to help bring the clarity and peace of God’s Word to bear to help people cope with difficult moments and keep our focus on God’s bigger and perfect plan. With that in mind, the question we all must ask ourselves in a potential seminal moment is, “What will change?”

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Downplaying the Devil

August 11, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

Christians spend too much time downplaying the Devil. I’m sure you are familiar with the old adage, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” The typical response to hearing that is a smile and a knowing nod. Did you ever consider how ridiculous that statement is? Hell has no fury like a fallen human? Are we serious? It’s one more example of how flippant we can be when discussing things we should take with the utmost seriousness.

commitment,fear,focus,discipline,salvation,downplaying the devil

We’ve reduced the power of Satan to that of a byline or a joke. This is where it is typical for a writer to give the caveat of something like, “We have to be careful not to take this to extremes, or fall into legalism.” But you know what? I hate caveats. Truth is truth, and the fact it makes some uncomfortable is no reason to soften it. We need to treat the power of Satan and the power of God with the respect and trepidation both deserve.