Matthew

Indecision Kills

August 8, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

Nothing kills momentum and mission quicker than indecision. When Jesus calls you to do something, do it right away. How many times have you felt led to help someone, donate some money, or simply say a kind word but hesitated? And then the moment was lost. Indecision kills. What could have been a beautiful moment is now gone forever. You never noticed Jesus bothered with indecision.

indecision kills,indecision,love the Lord your God,Matthew 22:36-39,love your neighbor as yourself,greatest commandment,love casts out fear,1 John 4:18,God's will for your life,God's will,mission,love,focus,distraction,love

image © pathdoc via Fotolia

He knew His purpose, He knew His mission, and He let nothing interfere with them. The life of Jesus was a perfect model of consistency. Consistency is the antidote for indecision. When our default and constant reaction to any nudge of the spirit is to act, we will cut indecision off at the knees.

[Read more…] about Indecision Kills

A Few Things

August 4, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

Clement of Alexandria wrote, “Many will never reach the Kingdom of Heaven for they have fixed their eyes on wealth. They are sick for the things of the world. They live proudly through luxury. But those who are serious about salvation must settle this beforehand in their mind. All we possess is given to us to use for sufficiency, which one may acquire by merely a few things.” For those of us in the West, this should be especially convicting. We live proudly in our luxury.

a few things,Clement of Alexandria,Matthew 16:24-26,take up your cross,persecution,comfort,luxury,indulgence,John 16:33,in this world you will have trials,Acts 4:32-35,generosity,all things in common,Luke 12:16-21,build barns,Isaiah 58:6-7,take care of your family,1 Timothy 5:8

image © Freestocker via Fotolia

We take more for granted than half the world can even imagine possessing. All this extravagance will count for nothing when we stand before God and give an account of our lives. He will ask what we did with what He entrusted to us, and we will only be able to hang our heads and admit we hoarded it for ourselves (Luke 12:16-21).

[Read more…] about A Few Things

The Death of Freewill

July 18, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

Freewill is central to my theology and in my mind is the linchpin to answering difficult questions about sin, disease, and evil in the world. After Jesus, I think freewill is probably the greatest gift God bestowed on His creation. After all, freewill is what enables us to love. It enables us to choose. Most importantly, it enables us to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.

death of freewill,Luke 10:25-28,love the Lord will all your,love your neighbor as yourself,Matthew 22:39-40,freewill,open theism,open theist,openness,greg boyd,Matthew 25:31-46,sheep and the goats,Philippians 1:21,to live is Christ,to die is gain,foxes have holes,first let me bury my father,Luke 9:57-62,Galatians 2:19-20,I have been crucified with Christ,John Sanders,God of the possible,Philippians 1:21,good samaritan

image © anzebizjan via Fotolia

But here’s the irony for all disciples of Jesus: to accept Christ means the death of freewill in our lives. When we surrender ourselves to Christ, we surrender everything, including our freewill. Nothing is excluded. The very thing permitting us to accept Christ is what we must give up in exchange for His Lordship in our lives.

One Thing

July 11, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

A few years ago, Gary Keller wrote a book called, “The One Thing”. While it was not a “Christian” book by definition, I found it applicable to life as a disciple of Jesus. The book talks about finding the one thing that drives you. It encourages the reader to discover the one thing about which they are most passionate. Once discovered, the author compels us to pursue it with intense focus and determination.

One Thing,Gary Keller,Jay Pappas,absolute surrender,Andrew Murray,take up your cross,you cannot serve two masters,death to self,crucify self,total surrender,whoever is not for me is against me,Matthew 16:24-25,Luke 11:2,Matthew 6:24

For years I have known what my “one thing” is. It is to instruct and encourage others to live lives wholly devoted to Christ. While it’s been some time since I read Mr. Keller’s excellent book, it left quite an impact on me. Then I recently read “Absolute Surrender , a book written by Andrew Murray over a century ago. In it, I came across the following statement: “Absolute surrender to God is the one thing.”
[Read more…] about One Thing

Prepared to Die

June 30, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

As someone who has longed to meet Jesus for a long time now, I was particularly struck by a quote I read from one of the early church fathers named Irenaeus. He said, “The business of the Christian is nothing else than to be ever preparing for death”. The statement also reminded me of Francis Chan’s latest book, “You and Me Forever”, in which he espouses the primary role of the husband is to make certain his wife is well prepared for Heaven.

prepared to die,Francis Chan,you and me forever,Matthew 25:14-30,Psalm 144:4,Job 7:7,Psalm 39:5,life is a vapor,life is a breath,unprepared to die,unprepared,not ready to die,five finger death punch

Our entire lives should be spent preparing ourselves and others to meet Christ. This profoundly impacts the decisions we make and activities we engage in every day of our lives.
[Read more…] about Prepared to Die