Habakkuk

The Mercy of God

September 3, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

How much time do you spend thinking about the mercy of God? If you are like me, not enough! God is holy, and His standard for our lives is holiness. (1 Peter 1:15-16; Leviticus 19:2) Not one of us can measure up to that. Every one of us has sinned and fallen short of the standard. (Romans 3:23) The penalty for such failure is death. (Romans 6:23) Those are God’s rules, and if we don’t like them, then we don’t understand what it means to be holy.

Holiness cannot tolerate sin because if it did, that holiness would be lost. (Habakkuk 1:13; Psalm 5:4-5) As sinful beings, we then have no hope of escaping God’s judgment. (Hebrews 9:27; Romans 2:5-6) No hope, that is, except for the mercy of God. He loves us so much that He made a way to deliver us from His just wrath and punishment. (Romans 5:8-9; Ephesians 2:4-5)

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Conformity

August 6, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

The Bible has much to say about our conformity. Make no mistake, in this life you will either allow Satan to conform you to this world or allow God to conform you into the likeness of His Son. Those are the only two options. You will end up as one or the other. Of course, only one way leads to eternal life, so the choice should be easy, right? (Matthew 7:13-14; John 14:6)

If only it were that simple. We know the way we should go, but the other is enticing because it’s so much easier. Being sinful by nature, we are prone to laziness and choosing the path of less friction and pain. (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 7:18-19) What looks to us to be an easier path is in truth the opposite.

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Hate or Regret?

July 6, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

When it comes to sin and evil, are they something you hate or regret? The difference is not wordplay or subtlety. It’s one thing to feel bad about disobeying God and quite another to be repulsed at the thought of ever doing so. Our sin is the reason Jesus had to suffer and die in our place as an atoning sacrifice. (Isaiah 53:5-6; 1 Peter 3:18) To come to a place of repentance requires more from us than just regretting Jesus had to go through that.

He doesn’t need you to feel bad for Him. What Jesus desires is that you recognize your need for His sacrifice. (Mark 1:15; Luke 5:32) The Lord cannot tolerate sin (Habakkuk 1:13; Psalm 5:4-5) and as we are called to look and act like Him (Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 2:6), we too must hate every sin and every form of wickedness. (Romans 12:9; Psalm 97:10)

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Give a Defense

April 9, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

Peter instructed all followers of Jesus to be ready to give a defense for what they believe. (1 Peter 3:15) We all know that verse, but if someone asked us to, could we give a defense for our faith? It’s not a trivial question. If you can’t explain why you believe what you do, then why do you believe what you do? The modern landscape is littered with churches that never preach the gospel, much less instruct their people in it. The results are more than tragic.

At best, these churches produce generations of illiterate Christians, and at worst, they are hastening their path to Hell. (2 Timothy 4:3; Hosea 4:6) The fault does not stop at the door of the church, however. The Lord will hold you responsible for your spiritual decisions and growth, so we need to nail this down before we face Him. (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

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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.