Matthew

Your Best Year Ever, Part I

December 28, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

As this year draws to a close, I am excited to see what might unfold in the next. The danger is we approach next year without a plan. If we don’t determine how we will endeavor to draw closer to Christ and to better reflect His love, odds are we will accomplish neither. There are plenty of articles out there dealing with setting New Year’s resolutions. I don’t want to talk about resolutions you may or may not keep past February. I want to discuss reorienting your life around Jesus not just today but for the rest of your life.

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Have you taken time to put any thought into this? If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, you must continually learn more about Him and live your life in a way that looks just like Him. This year can be the year you quit pretending and finally make the leap of committing fully to Jesus.
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The Faith of George Muller

December 21, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

I recently watched a documentary on the life of George Müller. I was aware of Müller and the orphanages he started, but I didn’t have a grasp on the intense faith of this man. From the time he founded the orphanages until his death 62 years later, Müller never once asked for a single penny of support. He simply trusted God to provide.

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There are many stories of times the children all sat around an empty table at dinner time because Müller could not afford to buy food, only to have someone knock on their door at the last moment with baskets of bread and bottles of milk to provide a meal for those under his care. No meal was ever missed, and no child ever went without clothing. And through it all, Müller never requested anything other than prayer from anyone.
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Love the Lord

December 17, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

I read a quote from the wife of A.W. Tozer that has haunted me for months. I don’t really know what to do with it, as the words evoke such strong and diverse emotions within my soul. After Mr. Tozer passed away and his wife remarried a man named Leonard Odam, she said, “Aiden loved Jesus, but Leonard loves me.” I am at once excited about A.W.’s devotion to Christ, that He was unashamed to love Jesus more than his wife, but at the same time find it sad perhaps his wife (Ada) did not feel loved by her husband.

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While I can’t know everything that happened in their life and marriage that led up to her statement, it does make me wonder if perhaps she desired love from her husband more than she desired to love God. While I intend no disrespect and admit I do not and cannot know her heart, it makes me reflect on my own life and marriage.
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The Unmaking

December 3, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

Nichole Nordeman had written some amazing lyrics over the years, and one of her latest songs, “The Unmaking”, is no exception. While the entire song makes one do some serious soul searching, one simple line in the song sticks with me more than any other. It says, “Had to lose myself/To find out who You are”. It’s a recurring theme in my life these days.

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To truly know God, we have to empty ourselves of everything that is not God. This is both daunting and uncomfortable. It has caused me to confront things in my life I would rather have left undisturbed. But my ultimate goal remains to know God fully and to be utterly consumed by Him. This requires a bit of unmaking. It means I have to lose myself to find out who He is.
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Syrian Refugees

November 23, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

I don’t typically write about current event topics. There are enough voices out there clamoring for your ear. I also avoid them so as not to be pigeonholed as leaning in one political direction or another. That’s so useless to me. All I care about is demonstrating the love of Christ to others and living in a way that allows people to see Him through me. I couldn’t care less about much else.

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This blog has always been, and always will be, focused on teaching and encouraging fellow disciples to authentically live out their faith. So I had mixed feelings when a friend suggested I write about the plight of Syrian refugees. It’s a hot political topic with opinions raging for and against whether or not they should be allowed into the Country in which I live. But let’s strip away the politics and look at this through the eyes of Jesus.
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