Love

Nothing to Fear

January 14, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

We spend too much of our lives in fear. We fear violence, terrorism, being disliked or ridiculed. We fear speaking up for justice or being the dissenting opinion in a crowd of peers. Some fear dying, while others fear being alone. Still others fear being forgotten, passed over, overlooked, or ignored. We fear financial markets and technology. There are so many things about which so many are afraid. This isn’t the way God designed us to live.

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He created us to be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), with a spirit of boldness, not timidity (2 Timothy 1:7). You were created to love, not fear (1 John 4:18). Since God is for us, we know nothing can stand against us (Romans 8:31). As long as we are living our lives in the pursuit and will of God, we have nothing to fear.

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A Radically Uncommon Life

January 10, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

I want to live a radically uncommon life. I want to live so differently everyone takes notice. I don’t care if they love me or hate me, I just don’t want them to be able to ignore me. I say this not because I want to be noticed, but so Jesus would be glorified. I want my life to be so different people must acknowledge I am living for a purpose different from that of societal norms. Too often we as Christ followers look no different than our contemporaries.

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We allow ourselves to be so assimilated within our culture no one would ever know we live for a higher calling and purpose. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Peter, one of Jesus’s closest friends, said we are a chosen people, called out of the darkness to walk in the light (1 Peter 2:9). Why do we insist on blending with the shadows when we have been called to shine gloriously?

What Does Love Require?

December 24, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

In Andy Stanley’s excellent new book, “Irresistible”, he puts forth a question which sums up how we are expected to live as followers of Christ. The question is, “What does love require of me?” This simple question brilliantly sums up what Jesus declared to be the greatest commandment of the law and the prophets (“Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind”), and His command for the new covenant (“Love your neighbor as yourself”) (see Matthew 22:36-40).

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image © Elena Arkadova via Fotolia

You can apply this question in every situation as you go throughout your day. It will change your interactions with people. It will alter your mood and transform your life. Oh, and it will drive you crazy!

New Covenant People

December 17, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” While there are certainly many implications of this prophecy, one I think is often overlooked is Ezekiel prophesying of the transition from the old covenant to the new. The old covenant (or testament) was a series of laws given by God to the nation of Israel. Most of these laws were engraved on stone tablets, so the people’s hearts were committed to following what was engraved in stone.

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The new covenant was ushered in by Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. He fulfilled all the old covenant. This new covenant was for all people, not only for the people of Israel. Instead of adhering to a series of laws, we are now commanded to simply love one another so we might reflect the love of our Creator.

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God Calls You by Name

November 29, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

I’ve seen a quote sprinkled around the internet, not sure of its original source, but it says, “The devil knows your name but calls you by your sin. God knows your sin but calls you by your name.” This is an astute and accurate description of the difference between the way we are seen by God and the adversary. God loves everything about you.

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He created you to look like Him and is so intimately familiar with you He knows the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:6-7). Satan, on the other hand, only knows who you are. In fact, the closer you draw to God, the more aware of you the devil becomes. He knows who you are, but he hates you because of whose you are.