II Corinthians

Happiness is Obedience

February 15, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

People spend an inordinate amount of time seeking happiness. It occurs to me they are searching without a plan or any understanding of what happiness actually is. I think most people figure they will know happiness when they find it, but that’s a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack. If you want to be happy, wouldn’t it be better to define what that means before embarking on the journey?

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The Bible gives us a good definition of happiness in John 13:17, where Jesus says, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” Looking back further in the passage, we see the “things” Jesus is referring to are the teachings and commandments He has given them. When we obey God, the joy that brings will bless us. To be blessed is to be happy. Therefore, happiness is obedience to Christ.

What Sin Is

January 18, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

Each of us wrestles with the problem of sin. To understand how to win this battle, we must first define the terms. What is sin? Sin is any violation of God’s Law (1 John 3:4). We know everyone is guilty of this (Romans 3:23). Holiness is the goal because our lives are supposed to look like Jesus. We can’t look like Jesus when we are continuing to indulge in the same sinful patterns that we always have.

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None of us can live a sinless life; only Jesus was able to accomplish that. But each of our lives should move closer to that ideal every day. God’s law is unchanging, and He has plainly stated what violating His law involves (Mark 12:28-31). When we love anything more than God or when we do not love others as much as we love ourselves, we are sinning. There is no vagueness about what sin is.

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Die to Self

November 13, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

We don’t live surrendered lives because to do so is both inconvenient and difficult. Everything in our society and culture is designed to appeal to our worldly lusts and flesh. The culture calls us to surrender to its ways, enjoy the best of this life, and cast aside any restrictions on our pleasure and enjoyment.

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Every part of our flesh desires to chase after the things of this world. So, when we surrender to Jesus as our Lord, an immediate conflict ensues. Will we bow to the King or give our allegiance to the dark desires of our flesh?

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Living in the Last Days

October 23, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

Are we living in the last days? Many books, sermons, and pundits would say yes. Surveying the state of the world and comparing it with Biblical prophecy would also seem to point to it being a possibility. Whether or not it’s true, no one can say for certain (Matthew 24:36-44). This isn’t the first period in history when people were convinced things couldn’t get any worse and surely the Lord’s return was imminent.

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Whenever there is talk of living in the last days, there is also an increased focus on making sure you are ready to meet the Lord. Certainly, that is sound advice, but with the knowledge Christ’s return will come as a surprise, doesn’t it make more sense to live in a constant state of readiness? Since our King could return any moment, shouldn’t we be preparing for Him regardless of what’s happening around us?

The Only Answer is Jesus

October 16, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

In a world consumed with hate, fear, immorality, and greed, where can you turn? The only answer is Jesus. You knew that was coming, and perhaps you think it’s trite or cliché. That doesn’t make it untrue. What’s happening doesn’t surprise God, and it shouldn’t surprise us either. He told us this was coming in His Word. Jesus said, “There will be wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6).

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It’s been this way since sin entered the world and it becomes increasingly more vicious the longer sin keeps compounding. Until the Lord returns to reign, there will not be peace on earth. Until Christ comes for His bride, the Church will have trouble in this world (John 16:33). There is no magic fix for what ails our planet. There is only Jesus.