Richard Ellis Talks

In the same way that it delights a parent when their child obeys and desires to do things for them, God is delighted when we obey and serve Him. When we live our lives to please the Lord, we'll be amazed by the ways He uses us to touch others -- and the ways He rewards us all the while.

Jesus was the fulfillment of the sacrifice needed to satisfy the punishment for all of our sin; it's His blood that washes us clean. He paid the price for our salvation not so that we could continue to be weighted down by the past, but so that we'd be free to run the race before us with our eyes fixed on the eternal prize that awaits us.

The Apostle Paul writes about singleness being a gift from God, because it allows the individual to serve Him wholeheartedly. But he also addresses those who are gifted with marriage, and instructs them to give God their whole lives. If someone who loves and follows and serves the Lord is going to get married, it's important that the person they're marrying loves and follows and serves Him, too.

We're naturally drawn to sin, and the more we sin, the more our lives spiral out of control. But when we submit ourselves to God's reign and rule, He grows the fruit of His Spirit in us, and it gives us the power to control the sinful tendencies of our flesh.  

We can listen to sermons all day long, or read our Bibles from cover to cover. But if we never actually respond in obedience to what we're being told, it will eventually cease to have any impact on us spiritually. If we're ever unsure of the response we should have when reading Scripture, we can ask God to give us ears to truly hear what it says -- and then act accordingly.

Jesus didn't teach His disciples to pray for monthly bread or yearly bread; He taught them to pray for daily bread. In other words, Jesus emphasized the importance and necessity of regular time in prayer with the Father. When we make a habit of praying and giving thanks to God, we're obedient to Him in the small things, and over time, the big things as well.

No one can purchase salvation. It's not up for bid; it can only be received as a free gift from God. Even after we accept that gift, we're bound to fall and fail, but because of His relentless grace, we're able to get back up and continue to follow Him.  

In America, we have a lot of churches, but not enough disciples making disciples. Our churches are orphanages for new believers, and if we're really following Jesus, we'll put away our fears about what it means to disciple someone else and obey His calling to just go out and do it.

If God is faithful to forgive us of our sins, then why do we have such a hard time releasing them ourselves? He calls us to leave our old ways behind and to power forward in the freedom that comes with our repentance. Other people will notice the change in us when we let go of the past and take hold of the future hope He's promised.

Do you ever feel tired of working for God? When we're constantly trying to do God's work out of our own strength, we just end up weary and worn down. But when we let Him work in and through us, we experience the rest that He promises us when we put our trust in Him.

As Christians, we need to always be listening, not only to the voice of God the Father, but to the prompting of His Spirit. The Lord has given us the Holy Spirit to provide us with direction, discernment, and conviction. Sometimes He tells us to "go" and do something, but other times, He tells us to "stop" -- and in those moments, whether they're big or small, our obedience will ultimately be for our own benefit and for His glory.

The Bible tells us that when we accept God's gift of salvation, we die to sin and are given the power of the Holy Spirit to live righteously in Christ. And when we're dead to sin, that means that things we used to struggle with no longer have control over us. Yielding to our own flesh only leads to sin and suffering -- but yielding to the Spirit leads to righteousness.

So many of us waste this life because we're busy fearing death. But if we've chosen to put our trust in Jesus, we don't need to be afraid; we've been given the hope and the promise of eternal life spent with Him. Instead of killing time waiting fearfully for the end or ignoring other people's fate, let's spend our time here telling as many people as we can about Christ so that they can live in the same hope.

As we grow in faith and discipleship within the Church, we become capable members of the Body of Christ who fight in the spiritual battle that the enemy wages daily against us. God doesn't intend for us to stay infants or children in our spiritual development; He wants us to grow into seasoned veterans for the work of His Kingdom.

We can't perform our way into Heaven; Scripture tells us that by grace we have been saved through faith. The Old Testament Law, and all the earthly rules we could follow, ultimately come with a curse of death because it's impossible to follow them all. Christ's death on the cross and resurrection from the grave changed everything, and only through Him can we be saved from the fate we deserve: death up a tree.