Luke

Truth

May 11, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

Truth; what is truth? Perhaps more importantly, why should we care? Wouldn’t it be easier if we all just went our own way doing whatever seemed best to us? Wouldn’t life be more fun and enjoyable without the pesky notion of truth getting in the way and demanding a response from us? But then again, most of us live as this is the case. We hide the truth because uncovered it convicts us.

truth,love,God's character,sheep and the goats,matthew 25:31-46,love the Lord your God,Johgn 14:15,if you love me obey my commands,Luke 10:25-28

image © Mark Carrel

We distort it because otherwise it is too piercing and painful. Worse still, we know it, acknowledge it, but have the audacity to ignore it. The truth is we don’t want to live by the truth because we’d rather believe a lie.
[Read more…] about Truth

Master of Distraction

May 4, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

For Christ followers, I am convinced that the source of all our discouragement, frustration, and depression is the result of taking our focus off of Jesus. As soon as we revert to our selfish nature, looking at ourselves instead of Him, everything starts to go a bit haywire. Each of us has been uniquely designed by God. We have all been given talents, skills, and passions to use to further His Kingdom. When we begin to live in ways that are not consistent with whom we were created to be, we slip and wander.

master of distraction,focus,Matthew 11:30,love the Lord your God,my yoke is easy

image © Marc Xavier

Satan does everything he can to cause this to happen. He tempts us with visions of a better, safer, or easier life. He entices us to fill our lives with things other than Christ. He is the master of distraction, and if we give in to his lies, we will find ourselves frustrated, discouraged, and perhaps even sinking into the depths of depression.
[Read more…] about Master of Distraction

What Does God Ask of You?

March 26, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

image © anyaberkut – Fotolia

François Fenelon wrote, “What does God ask of you, but to be happy? Have you not realized that we are happy in loving him? Have you not felt there is no other real happiness, whatever excitement might be found in sensual pleasures, apart from Him? Since you know where to find the Fountain of Life, and have once drunk of it, why would you seek foul, earthly cisterns?” It’s a great question. Once we have experienced the incredible love and goodness of God, why would we ever then be satisfied with the pale pleasures of this world that cannot compare in any way to the majesty and unparalleled beauty of Jesus?

Living What You Believe

March 19, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

Francis Chan’s latest book, “You and Me Forever”, will certainly challenge the way you think about your marriage, but perhaps even more importantly it will challenge the way you live your life. Every page seems to hold a new challenge for me. For example, Chan says, “While many of us would say we believe what [the Apostle] Paul believed, our lives do not reflect it. If we believe that billions are dying and headed for God’s judgment, does it make sense to center our lives around anything other than the mission to reach them?… Does the way you are living make sense in the light of the existence of hell? Does your use of time and money make sense in light of the suffering in the world today?” What if we really asked those questions of ourselves?

Act on What You Know

February 16, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

grace vs. works,grace and works,take action,francis chan,James 1:22,Luke 9:49-50,God's kingdom,hearers only

I love to learn. There is rarely a moment of the day when I don’t have a book in my hand or at least within arm’s reach. We have access to so much information in our world that you could literally spend your entire lifetime gaining valuable knowledge. While that’s great – and even enjoyable to those like me – it never amounts to anything if we don’t apply what we learn and do something useful with all of that information. This is perhaps no more prevalent than in our churches today. We have so many opportunities to learn more about Jesus, but unless we move out of the building and put into action what we have learned, it won’t account for anything when we meet God.

[Read more…] about Act on What You Know