God's character

The Nuances of Following Jesus

July 6, 2017 by Tim Sherfy

I have had the concern of being overly repetitious in my writing here. Being honest, it seems as if I continue to circle around a few ideas, putting what I hope is a fresh spin on them each time. Yet when I contemplate it, I come to a simple point. As long as I’m still struggling with it, I’m going to continue to write about it! I’m going to follow the advice of Ken Blanchard, one of my early mentors. He said the three keys to learning were repetition, repetition, and repetition.

nuances of following Jesus,God's will,mission,love,character of God,discipleship,Proverbs 16:18,pride goes before a fall

image © artphotoclub via Fotolia

Living the life of a disciple is simple. Do what Jesus did, say what Jesus said, and love like Jesus loved. Do those things and you will be a true follower of Christ.

Disciplining Yourself

May 25, 2017 by Tim Sherfy

Disciplining yourself to do what you know is the right thing to do, at the right time, is a key to a flourishing relationship with God. How many times have you been tempted to do the wrong thing and, ignoring the warning bells going off inside, you give into the temptation? Every time we find ourselves at a decision point, we must ask ourselves how Jesus would decide in such a moment.

disciplining yourself,self-discipline,self discipline,discipline,discipleship,disciple,commitment,priorities,God's character,character of God,selfishness,me first,Jesus first,God first,prayer,habit,habits,disciplines

image © Monet via Fotolia

When faced with a moral decision, the spirit of Christ within us informs us which way we should go. The problem is, the choice we know to be consistent with the character of Christ is often the more difficult path to walk. A narrow path is always more problematic to traverse than a wider one.

Daily Discipline

April 27, 2017 by Tim Sherfy

What’s the first thing you do when you awaken each morning? While I can’t admit to owning this ritual, I think the first thing we should do is thank God for the security and rest of the previous night and then ask Him how we can be used to build His Kingdom today. One reason we don’t live more powerful Kingdom lives is because we don’t begin our days with the intention of doing so.

daily discipline,discipline,commitment,calling,mission,Kingdom of God,God's Kingdom,God's character,habits,focus,perspective,checkbox Christians

image © rosn123 via Fotolia

We have no plan, yet we expect God to do great things in our lives. If we aren’t positioning our minds, attitude, and heart towards Him, how can we expect Him to be able to effectively use us?

[Read more…] about Daily Discipline

Your Identity and Mission

November 10, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

For devoted followers of Christ, two things never change regardless of any circumstance. They are your identity and mission. Your identity is who God says you are and is dependent on no one or anything else. Your mission was set by Jesus before He returned to be with His Father; we are to tell everyone about His love and character, and to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to reality on earth (Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 6:10).

your identity and mission,identity in Christ,life mission,identity,mission,God's will,God's character,Kingdom of God,God's Kingdom,Matthew 28:18-20,great commission,Matthew 6:10,Lord's prayer,on earth as it is in Heaven,John 1:12,Ephesians 2:10,John 15:15,Romans 8:17,Greg Boyd,your identity in Christ,who does God say you are

Human tendency is to focus on what is going on around us, what is affecting our comfort and our plans, and allow those things to define who we are and what we do with our lives. And thus we fall into another of Satan’s insidious traps.

The Raging War

March 12, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

raging war,spiritual warfare,spiritual battle,angels and demons,you and me forever,francis chan,lisa chan,matthew 28:18-20,spiritual warfare,character of God,God's character

It seems few of us live our lives with any recognition of the very real spiritual battle raging all around us. Real angels and real demons clash in ways that affect our physical world in tangible ways, but we carry on oblivious to it. In his book, “You and Me Forever”, Francis Chan says, “He has given us a clear mission – to make disciples. Yet Christian[s]… can most typically be found… skipping through life, ignoring the battle that rages around them. We have made happy families our mission. That is not the mission Jesus gave us.” We are to tell people about the trustworthy character of God, the sacrifice of His Son, and to make them aware of the battle that rages around us all. We are to help them follow in the footsteps of Jesus and strike back at the forces of Satan.

[Read more…] about The Raging War