Kingdom of God

Give It Away

March 19, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

David Platt said, “You and I both have a choice. We can stand with the starving or with the overfed. We can embrace Jesus while we give away our wealth, or we can walk away from Jesus while we hoard our wealth.” No one wants to admit they are a hoarder. I suspect most followers of Jesus want to consider themselves generous. But we can’t deny the fact those of us in the West live in incredible comfort while nearly half the world is starving and lacks access to clean drinking water.

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Half of the people groups in the world have never heard the name of Jesus. Half the world has never been given a cup of cool water or a piece of bread in the name of Jesus. This is devastating.

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Dyed By the Thoughts

December 11, 2017 by Tim Sherfy

I have long been fascinated with Stoicism and am often intrigued by quotes from thought leaders of the movement. I often find an interesting application of Stoic principles in my own discipleship quest. One quote I read recently, from Marcus Aurelius, said, “Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.” This mimics – and is no doubt inspired by – Proverbs 23:7, which says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

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What we think about defines who we are. You can’t think selfish thoughts and be an unselfish person. The brain doesn’t work in such a manner. Every thought burns a new neural pathway. The more we think the same thought or way, the deeper the pathway gets grooved into our psyche. We do indeed become dyed by the thoughts we entertain.

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Fantasies and Daydreams

November 16, 2017 by Tim Sherfy

In his book, “All Things New”, author John Eldredge writes, “Where we take our fantasies is a helpful way to know what we are doing with our Kingdom heart”. Which begs the question, “What is it about which you are fantasizing?” Said another way, when you daydream, about what are you dreaming? We go in the direction of the things about which we think. Indeed, we grow in the direction of the things about which we think.

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Our fantasies and daydreams reveal the deepest desires of our heart. Far from fancy or whimsy, and regardless of their implausibility, fantasies and daydreams reveal what we would be if we were God. What are your fantasies and daydreams revealing about you? Are they revealing a God-focused, others-centered disciple? Or are they revealing a prideful and self-centered individual?

Satan Is a Liar

November 6, 2017 by Tim Sherfy

To live a life worth living, you must know Jesus is the truth and Satan is a liar. Until you understand this beyond an intellectual level, you will struggle and continue to live an ineffective life for the Kingdom of God. Every sin, every distraction, every temptation in your life started with you believing what the devil told you. Let me assure you, as the father of lies (John 8:44), everything coming out of his mouth is a lie.

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You never should wonder if it might be true, it isn’t. Conversely, anything Jesus says is an absolute and undeniable truth. You never should wonder about this either. Jesus is the truth and Satan is a liar.

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God’s Will for Your Life

November 2, 2017 by Tim Sherfy

When attempting to figure out God’s will for your life, it’s helpful to look at who God is. Since we are created in His likeness, it follows His will for us is to look like Him. It’s why both prayer and Bible study are so essential in the life of a disciple. If you want to figure out your purpose in God’s plan, you’ve got to get to know the author of the plan. From the beginning, we see God is relational.

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He created humans for us to not only worship Him but to commune with Him. God was not alone in the very beginning. Jesus was beside Him creating everything that was made (John 1:1-3). Creation didn’t happen in a vacuum, it happened through a collaboration of perfect unity.