James

We Love Sin

December 12, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

Did you ever wonder why the world hates Christianity, and by extension, Christ so much? The world doesn’t care if you’re a Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu, but a Christian? That’s unacceptable. Years ago, Matthew Henry wrote, “Christ is hated because sin is loved.” Deep down, we all know that’s true. We love sin (John 3:19). Even those of us who follow Christ and reject sin know that our affection for it never goes away (Romans 7:15-20).

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Our natural desire from birth is to sin, to follow the patterns of this world, and to resist anything that would restrict our freedom to pursue sin (Ephesians 2:1-3). I’m uncomfortable with even the thought that I might love sin, and it’s difficult to write it in such a public place. But if we didn’t love sin, we would not struggle to follow the commands of God (Romans 7:21-24).

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Obey His Commands

December 9, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

It’s easy to read the Bible at such a surface level that we never grasp what it’s saying. Most of us are aware of a verse like John 14:15, which says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commands” (see also 1 John 5:3a). We say we love Him, which means we obey His commands. But what are those commands? Do you know what it is you should do to confirm your love for Him?

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If we read this verse like we’re reading a novel, we’ll never grasp how the Word of God applies to the way we live. We must do the deeper work of studying God’s Word so we understand what it means. What are the commands we must keep so we might show our love for Him?

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Until My Dying Breath

November 28, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

While praying this morning, I blurted out, “Lord, let me serve and glorify You until my dying breath.” This is without a doubt the deepest desire of my heart. At the same time, I am only too aware of how often I fail to live this way. There is no higher calling in life than to love and glorify the Lord. Each of us is called to this privilege, yet most of us will live lives far short of this.

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Instead of pursuing the greatest purpose, we settle for a life that is, at best, mediocre. All the treasures and wisdom of Heaven are at our disposal (Colossians 2:3; James 1:5; 2 Peter 1:3; Philippians 4:19), but we live as if we are ignorant paupers. Life with Jesus should be so much more (John 10:10), and it will be so much more if we surrender and commit everything to Him.

Your Love of Christ

November 25, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

In times of severe testing, what keeps you persevering for the faith? When life hands you one setback after another, how do you maintain hope? The obvious answer for believers is always, “Jesus”. But what about Jesus compels you to get knocked down over and over, then get up tomorrow to do it all again? What drives your desire to suffer in this life?

Your love of Christ,commitment,devotion

There are a lot of very good answers to this question: “He commands us to obey Him” (John 14:15). “We know our calling is to suffer” (1 Peter 2:20-21). “A great reward awaits those who hold fast until the end” (Revelation 2:10). These are all true and good reasons to carry on. But none of these reasons will be strong enough to carry you when the pressure becomes extreme. The only thing that will sustain you in the toughest of times is your love of Christ.

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Who Do You Think You Are?

November 4, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

Who do you think you are? That’s not a recommended conversation starter, but I think it’s a question we should often ask ourselves and others. In a world where everyone wants to create God in their image or deny He exists at all, I think it’s a fair question. Once upon a time, there was a man named Job who suffered almost every loss and calamity imaginable.

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Being a God-fearing man, he couldn’t make sense of the logic of it all. He was confident if he could present his case to God, that the Lord would relent and exonerate him from all his sufferings (Job 13:3; Job 23:3-5). God’s response was to ask Job the question we are contemplating today: “Who do you think you are?”