Richard Ellis Talks

Would you rather suffer for obeying God, or suffer for the consequences of your sin? When we choose to disobey the Lord, we aren't the only ones affected by our decision. Suffering in this life is inevitable, but we have a choice either to walk through it in obedience to Him and reap the blessings He has in store for us and those we love, or ignore His lead and suffer all the more in the end.

In the midst of our busy, chaotic, nonstop lives, the most critical thing we can do is STOP and spend time with Jesus. We can spend all the time we want doing good deeds and religious acts, but all He wants is for us to spend that time in relationship with Him instead. When we find ourselves getting distracted by the pace of the world, let's be mindful to take a time-out and sit at Jesus' feet.

As Christians, the best way we can live is to start every day by asking God what He wants to do in us and through us that day -- and then we need to actually LISTEN for His voice! We have to open our ears and our hearts in order to be obedient to His prompting. And at the end of the day, it's our call whether we choose to listen and to follow His lead.

2 Corinthians 9 tells us that as important as it is to give, the most critical part is that we give CHEERFULLY. When we give out of obligation or with a reluctant heart, God isn't interested in our money. It's when we give willingly and openly out of love for Him that He's pleased with our offering -- and in return, offers to take care of all our needs.

We often long for a reprieve from "ordinary", for a break from what can feel like the monotony of everyday life. Yet the Christian life is meant to be lived on an everyday basis. There will always be trials and struggles, but God sustains us in those moments so that we can continue to do His work.

If someone asked you what motivates you to live the way you do, what would you say? When we enter into a relationship with God, the Holy Spirit enters into US and compels us to do things that might seem crazy to the world, but make sense to Him. It's important for us not to let our own selfish ambitions get in the way of God's designs for our life -- He's chosen to use us for His purpose and to bring Him glory!

God offers His promise of abundant life to every human being, including the unborn. Abortion has become another form of birth control, but Scripture is clear on its stance about the value of life. Whatever mistakes we've made in the past, His mercy is available to us, but first we have to own our sin and earnestly seek His forgiveness.

We can't invite God into our lives and then expect our lives to stay the same! He transforms our hearts by compelling us to love others deeply, to demonstrate mercy and compassion, and to take action when He calls us to step out in faith. Our role as followers of Christ is to be His hands and feet to a hurting world, and in doing so, we show other people that there's something truly different not only about us, but within us.

There's a difference between the godly fear we should have for the Lord, and the ungodly fear the devil tries to surround us with in this life. God's promised to take care of us, and with Him, there is no reason for us to fear. Instead of letting the enemy lock us down in dread of what could go wrong, what if we allowed God's love to free us from that bondage?

God requires obedience from His children -- even when it's hard for us to do. But we tend to put off what He asks of us and then wonder why we don't hear His voice or see Him working in our lives! Instead of delaying and watching as yesterday becomes today and today becomes tomorrow, what if we obey him THIS day and choose to follow His lead regardless of what He's asked of us?