Love

Why Do We Follow Jesus?

February 27, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

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Looking around the world today, it seems that each new sunrise brings word of a new political uprising. Almost without fail, these demonstrations turn violent and people are killed and wounded. Oppressive regimes grow in power and the persecution of Christians grows more frequent and violent with each day. European nations have all but abandoned the way of Jesus, and exchanged it for a life of relativism, cynicism and ultimately hopelessness. In America, a nation once considered the shining light of the world, we see a downward spiral of respect for authority and for God. The whole world has seemingly gone crazy, and perhaps we should expect nothing less from a planet that has abandoned its Creator to seek selfish pleasure and gain.

Turning Gratitude into Action

February 17, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

I’ve spent most of my life living in America and can say without a doubt that I have been blessed beyond measure to have done so. I’ve never known true hunger and have always had a roof over my head to sleep. I’ve lived in relative safety and never run out of clothes. Sitting down to a meal, no matter how small, is a luxury so many have never known. What I take for granted, others cannot even fathom. I am not anti-American or anti-capitalism; I have enjoyed the fruits of both. As a follower of Christ, however, I am anti-greed and anti-hoarding. With all the blessings we have received, how can we but help to pass them along?

We who seek to follow Jesus desire to reach out to others in love. We long for them to know of His saving mercy and grace, and the best witness we can give them is through the demonstration of God’s love in our own lives. It’s one thing to tell someone the truth, but an entirely different matter to live out that truth. When we demonstrate the love of Christ in the way we live, others will be curious and drawn to us. Nothing compels like love; nothing repels like indifference. No matter how unlovable an individual may appear, all people have needs and as ambassadors of Christ it is our responsibility to serve them.

Take nothing for granted in your life. Practice being grateful for all the blessings you have received and then use those moments of gratitude to spur you to action. Take an extra thirty seconds to pray over your food before you eat; I assure you it will still be there when you are finished praying. Concentrate on how privileged you are to be able to have a hot, nutritious meal practically anytime you want one; recognize that more than half of the world does not share this privilege. Pray for those who do not share in your blessing of food. In the emotion of that moment, determine some way you can help alleviate hunger in the world. World Vision has a wonderful collection of ways in which you can provide food for those in need. You could sponsor a child through Compassion International, or perhaps donate to your local food bank. Consider sharing several meals each month with a stranger; if not inviting someone to physically be there, take the money you would have spent on the extra food and donate it to an organization that can minister to those beyond your reach. In this way you can share your blessings with those in need.

You can apply the principles above to any area that you currently take for granted. When you pour a glass of water for yourself, remember those who have no access to clean water and are dying from the parasites they have ingested drinking from their filthy water supply. Get involved with ministries like Living Water International or donate to the “100 Wells Campaign” of Persecution Project. Take a couple of cases of bottled water downtown in your city and hand them out to those who are homeless. Consider ways you can act in kind whenever you get dressed, get in the car, go to the grocery store, or take a hot shower – anything and everything you now take for granted. As we begin to pray for and relate to those who are less fortunate than ourselves, we will begin to understand and relate to their situation. We will find our hearts broken by their circumstances. We will find our hearts breaking over the injustices in the world, and seek out effective and creative ways to help. Our lives will begin to look like Jesus.

I challenge you to try out the above suggestions. Over the next thirty days, choose just one or two areas you currently take for granted, and focus on being grateful for it. Pray for those who are not blessed in the way you are, and then take a tangible step to do something about the inequity. If God has blessed you to live in a country that allows you to live in freedom and luxury compared to the majority of the world, then you – like me – have a great responsibility to share our wealth with others. We are commanded to love others as Jesus loves them; what better way to fulfill that command than by living out that love in a way that shares our blessings with them? Be grateful in all things, and then turn your gratitude into action by serving others with tangible acts of love. Love God and love people; never take for granted that with which you have been blessed.

How’s Your Reflection?

February 8, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

We were created to glorify God through the use of the unique blend of talents and ambitions He has placed within each of us. We glorify Him by reflecting His love and His character to the lives of others through the way we live. Regardless of where we find ourselves, we are always reflecting something to the world around us. So at least as often as we check our reflection in a mirror, we need to check what we are reflecting to those with whom we come into contact. When we are faithfully reflecting Christ, our lives will be marked by the same things that characterized His life: love and service to others.

There are to be no exceptions to our love. Jesus loves every person with the same infinite and all-encompassing love with which He loves you. We all have people in our lives that we’d truthfully rather not be around, or people who only seek to do us harm. These are the hardest to love, of course, but if we want to glorify God with our lives, then we must reach out and love all people the same. It’s not easy to think of loving someone who has hurt you repeatedly or someone who may even want to kill you, but this is the love that was demonstrated by Jesus. Shortly before His arrest, which would lead to His crucifixion, we find Jesus eating a meal with the very one He knew would betray Him. Peter disowned Jesus when Christ most needed His support, yet only a few days later Jesus was cooking Him breakfast and appointing him to be the leader of His Church. Jesus holds no grudges and forgives all wrongs done against Him. He loves with a perfect love that has little regard for Himself, yet holds those He loves in the highest esteem.

Just as there are no exceptions to love, no one is to be considered unworthy of our service. We must guard against ever putting ourselves above another. In the most extreme example of humility, Jesus stepped away from His glory and into the messiness and lowliness of sinful human life. The price was not too great for Him, and He unabashedly pursued the opportunity to serve those He loved. Mere hours before Judas would betray Him, we find Jesus washing the feet of His betrayer. Even in His darkest hour, the focus and mission of Jesus was to humbly serve others in any way that He could. He spent His last hours of freedom on earth breaking bread and sharing a meal with those He loved, serving them one last time before His death. The life of Christ was marked by love and service from the beginning to the very end.

How do our lives compare? Do we forgive others for the wrongs they inflict upon us? Do we go out of our way to serve those who mean us harm? In doing these things, we reflect the love of Jesus and glorify our Lord. Love and service are not catchphrases of Christianity, but rather the very essence of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. If we will not love and serve others, then we cannot be followers Christ. If you pray a prayer to accept Jesus but then do not demonstrate His love and attitude of service to others, I believe you are in a precarious position, one that may find you gravely disappointed when your life is done. Remember, even the demons believe in Jesus and they shudder in fear (James 2:19). Don’t be a believer who cowers, one who never experiences the fullness of life that is found only by following Jesus. Be more than a believer; be a follower.

Determine today that you will no longer allow divine moments to slip from your grasp. Act with compassion and love toward everyone you encounter today. Remember that each and every person is of infinite worth to Jesus, and we must treat them with the same honor and respect that He ascribes to them. Don’t walk by an opportunity to serve someone. If you see someone in trouble, be the Samaritan rather than the religious person; cross over to them and care for their need. You have no better place to be at any time than in the midst of God’s will in that moment. Our lives should be marked by love and service to our Savior and King. Our lives should glorify and reflect Him with every step. Take a moment to examine what others see in you. How’s your reflection?

An Army of Love

February 6, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

Every kingdom has an army, so I was thinking about what the army of the Kingdom of God would look like as we endeavor to bring that kingdom into reality here on earth. Certainly this army would not look like the traditional army. Jesus rebuked Peter when he lashed out with a sword to try and defend Him (John 18:10-11), so this would seem to dictate that superior firepower should not be a goal of our army. Christ taught that the meek would inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), so the tactic of aggression appears to be out as well. Similarly, we are taught that we should not “lord over others” (Mark 10:42-45), so domination and conquest are also out. What then, does the army of the Kingdom of God look like, and how is it that they will achieve victory?

One of the clues is found in the second half of the reference in Mark we looked at above (Mark 10:42-45). Here we find Jesus teaching that if we want to win, we have to lose in the eyes of the world, in the prevailing viewpoint of our society. He teaches that we must become the servant to those around us. Instead of conquering our enemies, we are instead to serve them. This is a counterintuitive battle strategy, but it should surprise no one accustomed to living in the upside down Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The King James Version of the Bible translates 1 Peter 2:9 to say we are called to be a peculiar people, and it doesn’t get much weirder than this. The way we prepare for battle as the army of the Kingdom is to voluntarily lay down our lives in order to serve the very ones who are warring against us. How peculiar indeed.

A typical army is financed and outfitted from the support of the nation through taxation. Supporting the army is not an option, it is rather the law. By contrast, financial support for the army of God is totally voluntary. Those engaging in battle rely on the generosity of their fellow soldiers to provide the means to furnish their supplies. In this way, we are more of a brotherhood than an army, a family that looks after one another. This is a good thing, because unlike the typical soldier who can count on the support of His family, God’s warriors are more often despised by their families for their participation in the war. Jesus told us that He came to bring division not only to the earth, but also within families (Luke 12:51-53), because not all would be willing to accept His mission. Without the support of our earthly families, we must rely on our spiritual brothers and sisters to encourage us on in the fight.

The one area where the army of God is very much like a traditional army is in the arena of battle. Make no mistake, there is a very real and very deadly war being waged in the spiritual realm, and you and I are in the thick of it. People are hurt, maimed and killed as a result of the wounds inflicted in the war in which we are engaged. Satan seriously wants to destroy you and Jesus has set in His heart to redeem you. This spiritual battle is often manifested in physical ways through oppression, possession and redemption. Do not make the mistake of believing that what happens in the spiritual realm does not affect your everyday life. You are being influenced by one side or the other in every moment, and it is up to you which way you will choose.

Though we may lack traditional firepower, we possess the greatest weapons of all: faith and love. The Bible tells us that faith can move mountains (Matthew 17:20) and can extinguish every attack of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16). Love is the ultimate weapon in that it can diffuse discord, counteract hate, and turn an enemy into an ally. Jesus said that the greatest expression of love was to lay your life down for another (John 15:13). As we seek to carry out the mission of Christ, we must daily be looking for opportunities to serve others to the point of giving our lives for them. We must invest ourselves authentically into everyone we meet. As we demonstrate the love of Christ to others, we win victory after victory for Christ. Every act of kindness and servitude brings His Kingdom on earth one step closer to fruition. Together our selfless acts of love combine to amass a movement of love that cannot be stopped. This is what the army of God looks like; this is how the war will be won. Not by acts of violence or through weapons of force. God will rule the day by beating back the darkness with His unstoppable light. As we join Him in the battle we will find victory through our acts of service and mercy. We are His army, an army of love.

All for One

February 1, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

Too many Christians relinquish their role in the Kingdom to others whose gifts and talents they deem far more significant than their own. This is a tragic mistake and runs the risk of missing out on the life you were created to live. Jesus has gifted every single person who believes in Him with unique gifts for use in furthering His mission and making His Kingdom a reality on earth. It has been said many times that we are all different parts of the same body, and indeed we all must work together to accomplish the overarching purpose of glorifying God. If any part is not doing what they were created to do, then the whole body will suffer. When those who belong to Christ sit back and watch others engage in Kingdom work, they deprive the entire body of their much needed contribution. As relational beings, we were created to depend on one another, so it is vitally important to the health of the Church that we all do our part and work in unity as we carry out the instructions of Jesus Christ.

One of the most important jobs of all Christ followers is to demonstrate love in everything we do. Those who don’t know Jesus are constantly watching our lives to see if what we have might be of interest to them. As a whole, our mission is to lead others to Christ, going out into the entire world to tell them the good news of Jesus. When we do not demonstrate the love of Christ in our daily lives, those without God will turn away because they find nothing compelling about the way in which we live. We can work diligently to love someone else, only to have another Christian act harshly toward them and so undo all the work we had done. This is why it is of such importance that each of us fully live out our calling and commitment every single minute of our lives. It is not enough for some to be diligent followers of Jesus; we must all be totally surrendered together if we are serious about changing the world for His glory.

Satan loves to convince believers that they have nothing to offer the Kingdom. Judging from the malaise of the Western Church, his schemes of oppression are highly effective. I have met too many people who think their gifts will not make a significant contribution. They are convinced they have nothing to offer and so are content to live lives of non-significance, relying on others to do the heavy lifting so that they can follow along. To be sure, there are those who will do works that appear to be more substantial in the eyes of men, but every act of service to Jesus is of infinite worth in the eyes of Christ. Giving away your sandwich to a hungry co-worker is every bit as significant as preaching to a large crowd of unbelievers. God did not model a ministry of mega-events, but rather one of simple acts to the poor. I believe the reason so many feel they have nothing to give is because they are looking at the size of their gift through earthly eyes rather than through the eyes of Jesus. God can multiply your humble acts of service into earth shaking results. Remember, Christianity started with a handful of fishermen and spread to billions throughout history. Every gift, every act of service, every life, is significant and of great worth and value. No person is exempt.

If you are one of those people who have bought into the lie that you have nothing to offer, I hope that you will be challenged to at least begin to consider thinking differently. Your faith family needs you; God needs you to fulfill the role for which He created you. If we are to reach the world with the truth of Christ, then we will need the thunderous multitude of all our feet marching to the ends of the earth. Every step adds to the glory of God, and to this we are all called. Imagine if every Christian were to put aside their insecurities, pride and selfishness; imagine if instead they were concerned only with demonstrating the love of Jesus through acts of service to others. You have been created to love others and in so doing to glorify your Creator. Only He is worthy of our devotion, and only He can bring us life. Recognize the person He has created you to be; realize He has purposed you to glorify Him and to carry out His mission. No gift is too small to gain the applause of Heaven. You are necessary and vital to God’s mission. Don’t deprive the world of the gifts He has placed within you. Join with your fellow believers and together we will achieve great things for His glory. You count, you matter; don’t let anyone ever tell you differently. You can bring glory to God this very day, simply by believing you were created to do so. Engage in the journey; we all need you. Welcome to the adventure.