I Peter

A Radically Uncommon Life

January 10, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

I want to live a radically uncommon life. I want to live so differently everyone takes notice. I don’t care if they love me or hate me, I just don’t want them to be able to ignore me. I say this not because I want to be noticed, but so Jesus would be glorified. I want my life to be so different people must acknowledge I am living for a purpose different from that of societal norms. Too often we as Christ followers look no different than our contemporaries.

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We allow ourselves to be so assimilated within our culture no one would ever know we live for a higher calling and purpose. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Peter, one of Jesus’s closest friends, said we are a chosen people, called out of the darkness to walk in the light (1 Peter 2:9). Why do we insist on blending with the shadows when we have been called to shine gloriously?

Satan’s Promises are Always a Downgrade

January 7, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

No matter how appealing they may seem at the time, Satan’s promises are always a downgrade from what you already have in Christ. Accepting the promises of the evil one is akin to trading in a brand-new car with all the bells and whistles for a forty-year-old vehicle that barely runs. Of course, The devil is far subtler than this.

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He’s more like the used car salesman who sells you a car which looks beautiful on the outside and even runs great for the warranty period but afterward becomes erratic and unreliable until you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Everything Matters

October 8, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been haunted by an old Geoff More lyric. It’s from the song, “God Believes in You”, and says, “Everything matters if anything matters at all / No matter how big, no matter how small”. The implications of the lyric torture me. I think we would all agree some things matter, particularly when it comes to knowing Christ. Knowing some things matter, I am compelled by Scripture to believe everything matters.

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Every word I speak, every thought I think, everything at which my eyes look, every interaction I have with people, how I spend every moment – they all matter. They all will be either for the Kingdom or against it. They all will be either pleasing or displeasing to my Lord.

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We’ve Made Jesus too Nice

May 10, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

We’ve made Jesus too nice in our attempt to get more people to put their trust in Him. Our measure of success is now based on numbers rather than commitment. Once again, I defer to the wisdom of A.W. Tozer to say it best: “The meek and lowly Jesus has displaced the high and holy Jesus in the minds of millions. The vibrant note of triumph is missing in our witness…

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[The early Church] never presented Him as Savior merely. It never occurred to them to invite people to receive ‘peace of mind’ or ‘peace of soul’. Nor did they stop at forgiveness or joy or happiness.” The Jesus of modern Christianity is the least offensive person in history. This is a far cry from the way Jesus lived and taught.

Holiness Demands Action

March 26, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

Dag Hammarskjold, the Formal Secretary-General of the United Nations, once said, “In our era, the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action.” I believe holiness will always pass through the world of action. Holiness is proven both by what we do and what we choose not to do. But always, holiness demands action. Only God is Holy, but in our quest to be like Him, we must pursue holiness.

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While it is not something we will obtain in this life, seeking after it provides great training for the next. Peter reminds us God said to be holy because He Himself is holy (I Peter 1:15-16). Since we know we are not holy, it seems obvious we must do something to become holy. In other words, holiness demands action.