Richard Ellis Talks

When we find ourselves longing more for this life than for the next, it's a sure sign that we're too attached to the things of this world. Scripture promises us that all who call Jesus their Lord and Savior can look forward to an eternity spent with Him. In the meantime, we're still on this earth because God has a job for us to do -- to glorify Him before the whole world, until He calls us home.

It sounds surprising to skeptics and non-believers, but Christianity isn't based on feeling -- it's based on fact. The fact is, God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, and nothing we do can change the fact that He chooses to love us. In the same way, we can't allow our faith to waver with our feelings, but instead, we can choose to believe the truth of His love as our basis for our devotion to Him.

In order for God to trust us in a place of authority, we first have to demonstrate that we're trustworthy under authority. Regardless of our position, we ultimately all answer to the Lord for our actions and our character. And when we find ourselves under the authority of someone we don't necessarily like or agree with, it's more important than ever that we remember who our ultimate Supervisor is -- and do all that we do for His glory alone.

God's plan for His people has been in place since before time began, and He wants to use US to accomplish it! Living by faith means trusting that God will work through us to bring His plan to completion. It's up to us to finish the work He began in us -- and even if we quit in the past, we always have an opportunity to pick up, start over, and finish strong.

Have you ever carried a burden so heavy as a Christian that it made you long for your old life before you knew Christ? Sometimes we find ourselves yearning for our past because it seemed easier than navigating the trials we face now. But Jesus promises to give us rest -- to take that burden from our shoulders and carry it on His own. When we walk with Christ, we never walk alone.

Jesus is God's Son -- but Jesus is also equal with the Father, part of the Trinity, the Godhead, three-in-one! It's impossible to invoke any greater name than the name of Jesus. He left Heaven and came to earth to live a sinless life, die on a cross, and be raised to life, all to provide us with the ultimate gift of salvation for eternity.

Have you ever picked up a can of soda and tasted it, only to discover it was...flat? Our spirituality becomes like that drink when we lack the kind of genuine faith in the Gospel that characterizes every part of our lives. The "fizz" in our spiritual lives comes from having trust in God and joy in His presence regardless of our circumstances. And when people who don't know God see that fizz bubbling over into everything that we do, they find themselves attracted to the same kind of contagious faith that we have.

Romans 6 answers the question, "Shall we go on sinning because we've been saved by grace?" with a resounding "NO!" On the contrary, Scripture tells us that we've been freed from our sin and have become slaves to righteousness instead. Our Father disciplines our sin because He loves us -- and the only way to avoid the temptation that leads to sin is to surround ourselves with the Holy Spirit and God's Word.

God has promised to provide for all of our needs -- and He's a Father who is faithful to His promises! When we take what He's given us and use it to bless others as He leads us, our obedience demonstrates our trust in Him. And when we obey God, we will receive in return far more than we could ever give away.

When we're young, this life seems like it'll stretch on forever. But in the grand scheme of eternity, our time on earth is just a vapor in the wind. We have a choice in how we use that precious little time: we can follow the ways of the world, or we can follow God's call on our lives to honor and serve Him in everything that we do and with everything that we have.