Richard Ellis Talks

Our lives are often the "Bible" that other people are reading, and what they find in its contents may be the deciding factor in whether they choose to meet Christ. That's why it's important that we allow ourselves to be authentically flawed instead of trying to pretend like we have it all together. When we're honest about the fact that we never stop growing and learning in our walk with God, they begin to see that being a follower of Jesus is about process, not perfection.

We live in the information age. We can access just about anything we want, at our fingertips and at a moment's notice. But God's timing doesn't always result in instant gratification. Sometimes, having too much information isn't in our best interest; that's why God puts us on a "need to know" basis where we can learn to trust His plan for our lives and walk by faith.

Just because we're saved as Christians, doesn't mean our lives will automatically transform overnight. We can easily remain in denial if we choose, surrounding ourselves with people who will tell us we're doing fine and don't need to make any changes when we decide to follow Jesus. But He didn't save us so that we could stay stuck in our sin; He saved us so that we could experience the joy of a constantly-growing relationship with Him.

1 John 4:19 tells us, "We love because He first loved us." The Bible tells us that nothing we do will have any value if it's not motivated by love. If we want to represent the unconditional love of Christ, we have to allow Jesus to reign in every aspect of our lives.

Nothing in this world will fulfill us like Jesus can -- but that doesn't stop us from trying to find alternatives. Whether it's alcohol, drugs, money, sex, food, or some other crutch, we turn to all kinds of earthly temptations in hopes that it will fill the void. The only One who can satisfy the heart is the One who made it, and the love, joy and peace He brings to us is proof to everyone around us that we have something they need.

From the Garden of Eden to the Cross of Calvary, trees have played a central role in our salvation story. Only when we go to the foot of the tree where Jesus took our sin upon Himself will we find salvation in Him. The word "bole" literally means the trunk of a tree -- and the biggest "super bole" we'll ever see is the redemption that comes from the tree of life found only in Christ.

God has a purpose for our lives -- and the enemy spends every second of every day working hard to keep us from accomplishing that purpose. Like a roaring lion, he's always on the prowl. It's essential for us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus if we want to avoid falling into the devil's traps.

It's possible to have righteous anger against something without wishing harm on another person. In Scripture, we read about how Jesus stood up for His Father's house when He became angry about injustice. As Christians, we're called to stand up for what's right and what's just -- but we can do it without malicious intent towards people and can instead focus our energy on fighting for change.

You'll never be truly hands-on in the Church until you hand on what God's given you to others. A major component of spiritual maturity involves making disciples and passing down what we've learned to newer Christians. As we grow in our faith, we teach others to do the same, and we grow the Church in the process.

When trouble and temptation come our direction, and the only way we see out is through consequences that we know will bring us pain, God provides us with an escape route and a way back to Him. Drawing near to the Lord, surrounding ourselves with other Christians who will keep us accountable, and remembering that God's mercy is eternal are all weapons in which we can find strength for the battle against the enemy.

We're all being played -- the only thing we have to decide is whether we're being played by the devil or "played" by God. When we take the bait the enemy lays out for us, we fall into his traps and suffer the consequences. But when we yield our lives to God, He can use us to do amazing things that we could have never done on our own.

The Lord's forgiveness doesn't happen in a vacuum -- nor does it leave us the same way that we were before. Salvation changes us, cleanses us, and makes us worthy of a relationship with the living God. When we experience the depths of His mercy and grace, we can't help but tell other people that it's available for them, too.

Staying close to God and distancing ourselves from God are both choices that we make. But sometimes, the shame, guilt, and hopelessness that stem from our actions and their consequences are specifically designed by the enemy to keep us from feeling like we can draw near to God. As believers, we can call on Him, knowing He cares for us, and He'll answer in times of trouble -- and no matter how far we stray from Him, we're never too far to come back home.

Many people chase after riches on earth, but those riches last only for a moment in the grand scheme of eternity. Our focus as followers of Jesus needs to be on storing up riches in Heaven by spreading the Gospel and influencing people for Christ. When we put Him first, God promises to take care of us in all circumstances.

The Lord desires a close walk with each of us. But we need to be careful not to disregard the sanctity of our relationship with a holy God. If we don't respect Him and obey what He calls us to do, we risk our hearts becoming hardened -- and we're no good to His mission with a hard heart.