I Peter

The Price of Betrayal

May 22, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

Judas Iscariot’s price for betraying Jesus was thirty pieces of silver, or about six months’ wages (Matthew 26:14–15). How high do you set the price of betrayal? Most of us recoil at the question because there isn’t enough money in the world for us to betray Christ. We’ve read the book and know how that decision ends (Matthew 27:3–5).

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Knowing history, we learn from it and can avoid making the same mistake Judas did. Or can we? Sure, we’d never accept money to walk away from Jesus. Still, we’re setting the price of betrayal every day and almost always multiple times each day. It’s a gut punch to think about, but the truth often feels that way.

True Commitment to Jesus

May 19, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

True commitment to Jesus comes with no strings attached. Luke recounts three men who came to Jesus professing their allegiance to Him (Luke 9:57–62), but none of them would end up following Him. The story shows no matter how strong your profession of faith is, it’s no guarantee of how strong your commitment will be. As Jesus said, “Many will come to me saying, Lord! Lord!” (Matthew 7:21), but He will say to them, “Depart from me because I never knew you!” (Matthew 7:23).

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Anyone can say they love Jesus, but few are willing to prove that love. Almost everyone respects the person of Jesus, but they despise and revile Jesus as God. Why? Because loving an idea is easy, but serving the King means surrendering everything we once were. Humans gravitate to whatever is easy, but seem repelled by anything that impinges on their desires.

Already Dead

May 15, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

What God wants, and the world needs, is dead people. Being willing to die for Christ is the necessary point of surrender for all who profess Jesus as Lord, but it’s only theory until you take the next step. Plenty of people say they would die for their faith, but very few ever do. I’m not talking about physical death, I’m talking about dying to everything in this world.

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God doesn’t need another person who claims Him as Lord but can’t let go of the entanglements of this life (2 Timothy 2:4). Christians who are already dead desire nothing and nothing sways them. This world no longer holds a single claim on their lives.

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Don’t Go Incognito

May 12, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

Wherever you go in life, don’t go incognito. You should never disguise the reason for your hope or the light burning inside you (1 Peter 3:14-15). Our purpose in life is to know and glorify God (John 17:3), so we have a responsibility to be His ambassadors in a world that doesn’t recognize Him (2 Corinthians 5:20). How will people hear about Christ if we won’t be bold and speak the name of Jesus everywhere we go (Romans 10:14)?

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The world at large will never darken the doors of a church, so we can’t rely on professional teachers to get the job done on their own. We are all called to be salt and light in this world (Matthew 5:13-16). That responsibility is not for a chosen few, but for the entire body of Christ.

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One Moment of Distraction

April 28, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

There is never a moment when the purity of our commitment is not being tested. Every conversation we have, every activity we engage in, and every thought we entertain presents a choice: we can stand firm on the authority of God’s Word or allow Satan to encroach on our lives. None of us are above temptation or reproach, and every day is a battle for our heart and soul (James 1:14-15).

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One little crack, one moment of distraction, can not only lose the battle but cost us the war. We must always be diligent to guard against any compromise (1 Peter 5:8-9; Proverbs 4:23). Never give the devil a foothold in your life (Ephesians 4:26-27). Give him an inch and he will take a mile. Give him a mile and your witness for Christ will be annihilated.