Richard Ellis Talks

God allows trials and suffering in this life because He wants to refine our character and make us more like Him. Sometimes we have to wait on His timing, even when we don't feel like it makes sense. But instead of "trying" His patience by doing things our way, what if we tried adopting His patience to persevere through our suffering?

News alert: Jesus doesn't always come knocking on our hearts when it seems convenient to us! There are times when we don't want Him to enter our lives and work on certain parts of us that need fixing. But spiritual maturity means being willing to be disciplined where necessary, and we can take comfort in knowing that the work He does in us is never without purpose and is always to make us more like Him.

As we get "lit" about Jesus and what He's done in our lives, other people can't help but see the change in us and want the same for themselves. When we first become Christians it's easy to get excited about our spiritual mountaintop experience and want to share it with those around us, but eventually we have to come back down to the valley and deal with the struggles of this life. If we saturate our minds with His Word, we're able to stay connected to Him and keep the spark within us from burning out.

As Christians, not only does Jesus live within us -- His power lives within us, too! When God calls us to perform simple acts of obedience in His name, we don't do it alone, but with the power of the Holy Spirit inside us. We have the choice to obey and act as "lifeboats" for other people, or we can disobey knowing our actions impact not only ourselves, but those around us, too.

Jesus stepped in on our behalf to stand before the Father and take the punishment for our sin upon Himself. Not only that, but He continues to intercede for us with the Lord today. The example He set for us as believers is the ultimate model of what it means to step in and advocate for others in the midst of their struggles.

The best witness for Christ that the world can possibly see is the family of God living at peace with one another! That's why as Christians, we need to strive for right relationships with each other, forgiving when needed and doing our part to live in peace and love. When conflict arises and we're hurt or we hurt somebody else, let's be quick to reconcile as a reflection of the grace that God first showed us.

Aren't you glad we serve a God Who keeps no record of wrongs when we ask for His forgiveness?! The Lord can use anyone and everyone to fulfill His purposes, regardless of our past or how often we fall short. We've got to let go of our own pride and insecurities and bask in the beauty of His grace and mercy -- and when we do, it's amazing what He'll do in us and through us for His glory!

When Jesus paid the price for our sin, it wasn't so we could just secure ourselves a one-way ticket to Heaven. Salvation is so much more than a "get out of jail free" card for us to pull out of our wallets and show when our time in this world comes to an end. It's His offer of abundant life to us while we're still here on earth!

Jesus followed His Father's direction, first to the Olive Garden -- and then to the cross. If God's own Son was obedient even to His death, what does that say about how we should respond when God calls us to do something? If we're going to follow Christ, we're going to have to pick up our own crosses and put to death our own selves in order for Him to live through us.

Part of developing spiritual maturity is learning to go when God says "go", and learning to wait when God says, "wait". When God's power is present in our lives, it's evident to everyone around us because we're in tune with His voice and His call on our lives. When we try to do something in our own power we'll always fail, but when we wait on Him, He guides us through the power of the Holy Spirit.