mission

Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?

March 23, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

Why does it have to be so hard to follow Jesus? Do you ever ask yourself that? We want to obey and serve Him, but it always seems to be a battle. Why does the road to Heaven have to be so narrow? (Matthew 7:13–14) A better question might be why God provides a road at all! One sin makes us fall short of God’s requirement to live in eternity with Him. (James 2:10; Romans 3:23)

Every day we prove over and over how unworthy we are to be in His presence. (Isaiah 64:6) The gate isn’t just narrow, it’s impossible to pass through. (Matthew 19:26) Instead of focusing on how difficult it is for us to live for Christ, we should focus on the amazing mercy and grace that allows us to live at all. (Ephesians 2:4–5; Titus 3:5)

Unpopular

March 19, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

From the earliest days of adolescence, almost everyone aspires to be popular. I never met anyone when I was younger who told me they wanted to be unpopular. As beings created in the image of God, we all desire relationship and communion with others. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:18) Some personality types desire this more than others, but we all need it. In our formative years, popularity is something we crave. We all want to fit in, to be liked, and to have others respect our opinions.

Such desires don’t vanish when we finish school. It continues to resonate with us as we enter the workforce, move into neighborhoods, and develop social relationships. Even in our church communities, no one wants to be unpopular. When everyone desires something, it should set off warning bells in our minds. (Romans 12:2)

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Urgency and Mission

February 19, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

A mantra is a repeated word or phrase that exemplifies your beliefs or goals. It’s a device to keep you on track and to remind yourself of what is most important. Do you have a mantra for your life? If not, how about “urgency and mission”? Mission because the Lord has entrusted you to carry on His work, to be His hands and feet in sharing the gospel to the ends of the earth. (Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 1:8) Urgency because we know the time is short. (Romans 13:11–12)

These truths should be at the forefront of the mind of every Christian and the driving force of each of our days. (Colossians 3:2) To our shame, these are not the hallmarks of most of our lives. Since they aren’t, we must ask, are we serious about our commitment to follow Jesus? (Luke 9:62)

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Would You Follow You?

January 29, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

Before His ascension, Jesus told His followers to make disciples all over the world (Matthew 28:19–20). A disciple-maker is one who leads a life worth emulating. Jesus had and has so many followers because He lived a life that everyone who fears God wants to live. He proved Himself worthy to be followed (1 Peter 2:21). Can we say the same? Do others see our life as one worth copying?

Perhaps a better question is, if you weren’t you, would you follow you? Jesus left us with the responsibility to look so much like Him that everyone else would want to know Him. That’s our mission every day. When we wake, we should focus on looking like Jesus. When we lie down at night, we should reflect on whether we accomplished that goal, and if not, why not?

Who Will Jesus Be in Your Life?

January 1, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

It doesn’t matter if you are reading this on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, or a random day in May. The question you must answer is, “Who will Jesus be in your life over the next year?” Where you will be in the future is determined by the decisions you make right now.

woman contemplating who will Jesus be in your life knowing it means an increase in commitment and discipleship, reordinering her priorities to be on mission in humility and no pride

If Jesus isn’t who He should be in your life today, where do you think you will be a year from now? What I know for certain is you will be further away from Him than you are today. Is that what you want? You can’t keep going the same direction and expect to end up in a different place. Your steps dictate your destination (Galatians 6:7–8).