Richard Ellis Talks

The world is angry over all kinds of injustice. But instead of looking in the mirror and recognizing that the change starts with us, we find ourselves pouring gas on the flames and spreading anger all around us. When we live in the confidence that Jesus has truly set us free, then we're able to freely love, freely forgive, and live in peace with one another as a result.

1 Corinthians 1:18 tells us, "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." When we read the Gospel message -- that Jesus came to earth, lived, died for us, and rose again from the grave -- it sounds foolish. But to those of us who hear that message and believe, it becomes our very breath of life.

We can't truly be free from our wickedness and sinful nature unless we trade it in for God's righteousness. The choices we make will eventually overtake us in their consequences, but God will provide a life of righteousness under His protection if we choose to depart from our wicked ways. It's up to each of us whether we remain trapped in our sin or trust the Lord instead.

Before God even created the world, He already had a perfect plan: He would send His only Son to die for us because He loves us more than we could ever imagine. When we choose to accept His gift of salvation, He writes each of our names in the Book of Life. He's calling us to Himself so that we can be saved from the destruction of this world's end, and spend eternity with Him.

Society tells us that if there's a God, there are many ways to get to Him, and Jesus is just one of those ways. But the Bible is the Word of God, and the Bible tells us that Jesus is the only path to the Father. If we want to be in relationship with God, we first have to come to terms with the fact that the Bible isn't just some religious book -- it's Living Truth.

If we're part of God's family, then other believers are our brothers and sisters in Christ. And that means we need to love them as family -- no matter what our differences may be! There's enough segregation in the world today, especially within the Church, but we're instructed to model what it means to love and follow Jesus by demonstrating unity to a watching world.

The Body of Christ is made up of believers who will never again be alone once they join that Body. We always have Jesus with us, but it's important to get plugged in with other believers around us. And with that comes a responsibility to remember that the things we do and the decisions we make affect more than just us -- they affect the rest of the Body, too.

Sometimes, God turns up the heat in our lives for the purpose of making us more like Himself. When we're living in obedience to the Lord and affliction comes our way, we can be certain that He's using those circumstances to refine us and purify our hearts. No matter the struggles we face, our hope and our purpose are found in Him alone.

Sometimes the trials we face are ordained by God for the purpose of building perseverance in us. And sometimes, the longer we fight adversity, the longer we remain caught in the middle of it! Our suffering often leads to outcomes even better than what we experienced before the hard times began -- so let's remember that God can use any struggle for His greater purpose of molding and shaping us into who He's designed us to be.

We live in a world that's broken by sin -- and that includes in our own lives, whether we want to admit it or not. But if we truly love God, we need to learn to love others and live in community with them no matter our differences. When He lives in us, His love for others flows through us and the world around us is changed for the better.