Love

God on a Leash

March 5, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

daron earliwine,pub theology,pub pastor,unleash power,unleash,God's power,God's love,commitment,discipleship,following Jesus,surrendering everything

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I recently heard Daron Earliwine preach a sermon where he relayed a story about having to keep his new puppy on a leash when they walk. After giving it some thought, he surmised that the reason he keeps his new pal on a leash is because he doesn’t trust him. They haven’t developed the level of trust where Daron can rely on his dog to stay with him in every circumstance. Since the dog can’t be fully trusted, Daron feels safer keeping him on a leash where he can exercise a modicum of control over his actions. His point was that we often treat God in the same way. We keep Him on a leash, so to speak, because we don’t fully trust Him. Let me explain a bit further.

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Your Greatest Achievement

February 12, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

success,schievement,well done good and faithful servant,meeting Jesus,God's will,Matthew 25:31-46,the sheep and the goats,love,I Corinthians 13,Matthew 25:23

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What is the greatest achievement you can think of in life? If you could achieve your dreams, what would they be? How do you define success? Think of the biggest goal you can imagine. Dare to dream your biggest dream. Now think what it will feel like if we live our life in such a way that when we meet Jesus He says to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23). Wouldn’t your wildest dreams, all of your greatest achievements combined, pale in comparison to that one conversation?

Fearing God

February 5, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

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Satan loves to fill our minds with doubts and fears. He reminds us of our perceived shortcomings and failures. If we listen long enough, these thoughts become debilitating and prevent us from carrying out the mission of Christ. Too often we fail to recognize Satan as the source of our destructive thought patterns. If we did, we wouldn’t lend them the credence that we do. The Bible tells us that Satan is “the accuser” (Revelation 12:10). Any time you have thoughts of not being good enough or you doubt your ability to accomplish something, those thoughts are from the devil himself. In the same way, when you are afraid, those feelings too are from Satan. God is one hundred percent love, and there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18).

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Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

January 29, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

We’ve discussed similar topics on this site before, but it seems that every couple of months I start hearing this question repeated over and over again. Perhaps the evil that occurs so frequently in our world prompts the question. Perhaps it comes from years of being given no or unsatisfactory answers to the question. Regardless of the reason, I am repeatedly frustrated and amazed that so many otherwise learned and respected Theologians and Pastors continue to struggle and give out such bad teaching when it comes to the question of why bad things happen to good people.

How Can You Improve Someone’s Life?

January 26, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

resolutions,new year,goals,dreams,serving others,helping others,humility,loving others,love,priorities

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I recently heard Andy Stanley speak about goals and resolutions. His premise was instead of making plans how we can improve ourselves over the coming year, we should instead determine how we might improve the life of someone else. That’s a great shift to get our thinking off of ourselves and onto others. I guarantee you will have better results and greater happiness in your life if you consistently focus on serving others more than yourself. It’s the model Jesus taught, and therefore the one we were created to live. Everything we do should be with the goal of helping others, and our New Year’s resolutions or life goals should always be formed with this in mind.