priorities

Wholly Devoted to Christ

November 30, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

The primary goal of my life is to live it wholly devoted to Christ; to become the person He created me to be. My second goal is to instruct and encourage others to do the same. I’ve read and listened to countless exhortations to put God first in your life, or to live a Jesus-centered life. I’ve written those very words on this blog many times.

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What is often missing from these exhortations (and I stand guilty here as well) is an explanation of how to do this in practical terms. How do we center our lives on Jesus and live wholly devoted to Him when myriad distractions are assaulting us every day? How do we live for Heaven and still survive on earth?

Die to Christ

November 26, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

If we can’t die to Christ, we cannot live for Him. This is true in my life and yours. And yet, as I look around, I see so few who are taking this to heart. I see and hear those who call themselves Christians spew venom on social media, pontificate on politics, and concern themselves with so much having nothing to do with the Kingdom. Believe me, I am not immune. I am not some super-Christian who has it all figured out and diligently picks up his cross every day without fail.

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This message applies to me as much, if not more than, it does to everyone else. We can’t continue to live the way we do and call ourselves followers of Jesus. We are living our lives for most of the same things the world does and deceiving ourselves by thinking God is looking the other way.

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Time for God

November 23, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

Despite promises to the contrary, technology continues to overcomplicate and frustrate our lives. Having spent most of my career in the information technology field, I speak not as a Luddite but as an enthusiast. Still, it doesn’t take an expert to recognize how technology has exacerbated, and sometimes even led to, the growing sense of despair and sense of being overwhelmed so many are experiencing.

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Social media fuels both the cancel and comparison culture while stealing away the moments we used to spend in the actual company of people or in quiet times of reflection. Our busy lives crowd out any time for God. He exists only in the margins of our lives if we allow Him entrance at all.

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Close to God

November 12, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

Your discipleship is up to you. Your level of commitment is your choice. It’s one of the beautiful aspects of free will: God chooses us, but we are free to decide if we will choose Him. If we are not as close to God as we say we’d like to be, it is because we are choosing not to be. God desires that we would know Him and experience all He is.

He has already made the first move. Now it’s our turn. If we want to pursue God, we can. He is waiting for us to find Him. There is no further action required of Him. Jesus left nothing undone on the cross, and we have an all-access pass to the Father through the blood of His Son.

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Election Day

November 2, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

The day after this post publishes, it will be election day in the United States. Each election cycle in recent memory has grown more vicious, more distasteful, and more divisive. It’s not a good trend. I don’t care if you are an Independent, Libertarian, Republican, or Democrat, if you are reading this blog I hope you are finding your identity in Jesus Christ and nowhere else.

The day after election day, half the country will rejoice, and half will be on the verge of despair. If you can believe the media (a dicey proposition these days), civil unrest will follow the election regardless of results. As followers of Jesus, this is our opportunity to show the love of Christ to those around us and around the world.

Please recognize no matter how dire the apocalyptic warnings preceding the election, no matter how violent the social media-fueled response to the results, our hope is in the Lord. Neither candidate will usher in the Kingdom of God. Only Jesus will do that. The President of the United States will never be the savior of the world. History shows our lives won’t change dramatically over the next four years. Some experts are saying this election is different, and the effect of the results will dramatically alter the trajectory of our country. I don’t know who is right. I do know Jesus is the same today as He will be the day after the election and for an eternity to come.

We do a disservice to the glory of Jesus when we as His followers put politics before the mission of Christ. Our mission will always be to further God’s Kingdom here on earth. This won’t change, no matter the extent of our freedom. We must keep our eye on the ball. Jesus must remain our focus. If our freedoms increase after the election, we must not squander the opportunity to be the light to a broken world. If our freedoms retract, we must shine brightly through persecution just as our brothers and sisters around the world do every day.

Voting is an enormous privilege and responsibility. As an American, please exercise this right and go to the polls to cast your vote after praying for wisdom and guidance. Be thankful we have this wonderful opportunity. After voting, I encourage you to pray for peace, soberness of mind, and civility. As a nation, we are desperate for an intervention of God’s grace and mercy. Pray this election will lead many more to come to Him. That is all that matters.

On election day, do not fear. Love God and love others. Do not be afraid to go to the polls. It is the Lord your God who goes with you into battle (Deuteronomy 31:6). Rejoice in insults and persecution (Luke 6:22-23; John 15:19-21). Understand Jesus endured the same, and by going through this, you are identifying with Him. The most important thing I want to impress upon you is to keep your eyes on Jesus and your identity firmly grounded in Him. We cannot control the outcome of an election, but we can rejoice in being part of God’s elect. Our time on this earth is brief (James 4:14) and we should spend our days reflecting Jesus and telling others of His amazing love. We will spend eternity in His presence. Focus there. This world will pass away. Jesus remains. Jesus rules in power. He loves you, and that will not change based on who is in the White House.