Galatians

God’s Will for Your Life

June 20, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

I’m not sure why, but we make following Jesus a lot more difficult than it needs to be. I think when we get to Heaven we’re going to see how complicated we made it and how simple it should have been. Like the Pharisees, we have added all sorts of rules, regulations, and obligations onto what Jesus taught. My guess is we do this to avoid doing what He told us to do.

God's will,committment,mission,Matthew 22:36-40,Galatians 5:22-23,love,joy,peace,patience,faithfulness,kindness,goodness,gentleness,self-control,greatest commandment,will of God,God's will for your life

Just as claiming to be a perfectionist is often an excuse for procrastination, I think our busyness in the name of Jesus is an excuse for our lack of selflessness and desire to love others. We try and hide the ugly with something good. But ultimately only God is good, and any attempt to mask Him with anything else will result in something less than He is. It will result in worthless pursuits.

Absolute Surrender

April 15, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

Surrender is a word which causes mixed emotions for me. My independent and ferocious side wants to scream out, “Never! I won’t quit, won’t stop, won’t ever give in.” Surrender implies I’ve failed in some way. I didn’t complete the task or achieve the mission. I’m not one who likes to be beaten. On the flip side, surrender is the most beautiful word I know and is the aspiration of my life.

absolute surrender,William Booth,commitment,discipleship,mission,obedience,priorities,surrender,1 Peter 1:15-16,be holy as I am holy,Galatians 2:19-20,I no longer live

I know I cannot win until I surrender. The mission will fail unless and until I surrender. While my prideful self resists surrender, my love for Christ demands it of me. So, in a paradoxical sense, I must refuse to surrender to ever stop surrendering to Jesus!

[Read more…] about Absolute Surrender

Dead People

March 11, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

There’s a famous line from the 1999 movie, “The Sixth Sense”, where the little boy says, “I see dead people.” It was supposed to be creepy at the time, but now it is more comical (or perhaps that’s just my own twisted sense of humor!). The fact is, as Christ-followers, we should say “I see dead people” every time we walk into a gathering of believers.

dead people,commitment,purpose,discipleship,priorities,Galatians 2:19-20,I no longer live,Luke 9:23,take up your cross,Matthew 6:31-33,seek ye first

If our faith in Jesus is genuine it means we have given up everything. Indeed, we have died to ourselves. Jesus said if we would follow Him we must “take up our cross daily” (Luke 9:23). Nobody walks away from their cross alive. We are dead people.

[Read more…] about Dead People

Breathing Christ

March 4, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

What if Christ were so central to our lives He became our very breath? Everything would depend on Him just as everything depends on our ability to breathe in and breathe out. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Jesus was so essential to our lives living for Him became as natural and effortless as breathing?

breathing Christ,discipline,commitment,priorities,Galatians 5:22-23,spiritual fruit,spiritual discipline,fruit of the spirit

The Holy Spirit of God infuses our body. He is not an add-on, but rather an integrated part of all we are. He adds no weight and is indeed as light as the air we breathe. Because of this, communing with Christ can be as natural and easy as breathing in and breathing out.

[Read more…] about Breathing Christ

God Calls You by Name

November 29, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

I’ve seen a quote sprinkled around the internet, not sure of its original source, but it says, “The devil knows your name but calls you by your sin. God knows your sin but calls you by your name.” This is an astute and accurate description of the difference between the way we are seen by God and the adversary. God loves everything about you.

God calls you by name,commitment,priorities,love,Luke 12:6-7,numbers hairs on your head,Galatians 5:22-23fruit of spirit,John 8:44,father of lies,Matthew 6:24,can't serve two masters

He created you to look like Him and is so intimately familiar with you He knows the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:6-7). Satan, on the other hand, only knows who you are. In fact, the closer you draw to God, the more aware of you the devil becomes. He knows who you are, but he hates you because of whose you are.