James

How Do You Know You’ll Go to Heaven?

August 29, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

Do we really love God with all of our heart, strength and mind? Jesus said this was the most important commandment (Matthew 22:36-40). He went so far as to say that if we did this, we would inherit eternal life with Him (Luke 10:25-28). Love is a verb, something we must actively do. Saying a prayer to commit our life to Christ is a fine first step, but it is not what gets you to Heaven; we must actively love the Lord with all that we are. There are many ways to demonstrate that love, many of which are detailed in Matthew 25:31-46, a passage in which Jesus tells us that if we don’t feed the hungry, care for the sick and shelter the homeless, we will not inherit eternal life.

From Inspiration to Implementation

August 23, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

I was recently attending a conference where I heard Bill Hybels say something that resonated deeply with me. He said that there comes a time when “we must move from inspiration to implementation.” We have more learning tools available to us than any other generation in history. Answers to virtually any question are just a few clicks away on the internet. The abundance of courses available through traditional, online, audio, and self-study courses is truly astounding. Lack of knowledge is no longer a viable excuse for a lack of action.

What Are You Learning in Church?

August 9, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

A Church Service

There are several reasons that we as followers of Christ attend church. The Bible tells us that we should get together with fellow believers so we can encourage each other (Hebrews 10:24-25). Associating with others who follow Christ also helps keep us accountable in both our actions and words. Worshipping as a group of like minded people brings a dynamic that is different from when we worship alone. All of these reasons are good, scriptural and necessarily refreshing as we seek to walk the path Christ has set before us. However, I don’t think it’s enough to simply fellowship with other believers and enjoy a time of worship. I believe we need to be learning more about God during the time we spend together. Yet today there seems to be an emphasis on shallow teaching and a focus on those gathered rather than those on the outside who desperately need the gospel of Jesus.

Moving Beyond Faith

July 24, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

Once you have made the decision to follow Christ, what’s next? How do we go about doing life the day after we have given ourselves to Him? Those who truly love Him want so much more than a “get out of Hell free” pass. We want to live in a manner that glorifies Him and sets us apart. But where do we start and how to we continue to grow in our relationship with Jesus?

Girl reaching towards Heaven

Fortunately, God did not leave us to figure this out on our own. To help guide us, He places His Spirit within each of us who put their faith in Him. He also gave us the instructions of His Word in scripture. His plan for our maturity can be found in 2 Peter 1:5-8. It’s a roadmap for how we should live our life.

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Psalm 119

May 29, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

I remember as a kid how daunting Psalm 119 was. Weighing in at an impressive 176 verses, it is the longest chapter in the Bible, so you knew it was going to take some time to work through it. Because of this, I remember avoiding it and focusing on the much shorter psalms that surrounded it. My mother, on the other hand, absolutely loved this Psalm. In fact she committed it to memory, which to me (even today) seemed somewhat unfathomable!

Psalm 119

However, as I read through the Bible chronologically this year, today was the day that Psalm 119’s number came up. Actually, according to my reading plan, I was only required to read half of it. However, like a tall glass of Pepsi or a mouth watering chocolate chip cookie, you can’t stop half-way through and save the rest for later; you have to devour the whole thing. Psalm 119 is a beautiful reading filled with longing for God. I found myself praying that I would have half the desire of the author to seek after my Creator. [Read more…] about Psalm 119