Richard Ellis Talks

It's easy to criticize someone in authority! But the Bible teaches us to pray for them instead. No person who's been placed in leadership has been put there outside of God's sovereignty. Let's pray that God will work in their lives and lead their hearts and decisions as they're entrusted with leading others.

Time after time in Scripture, we read the stories of people who made some pretty "jacked up" mistakes. Yet God still used them to accomplish His work in the world! It's important for us not to continue living in sin once we've been redeemed -- but there's nothing we can do that God can't turn around and use for His glory.

When we come to Jesus and are born again, He makes us a new creation. Instead of staying on the fence and trying to hold on to both Jesus and our sin at the same time, we need to let go of our sin so we can live fully for Him. We need to be who God called us to be -- to follow Him completely, holding nothing back!

The only destination in the world that can ever truly claim, "what happens here, stays here" is at the foot of the cross. When we accept Christ's forgiveness and love, we leave our old selves behind, becoming new creations in Him. And while God is merciful, He'll allow consequences for our sins in order to ultimately bring us to Him. Let's never forget: bad seed produces bad fruit no matter where we plant it, and good seed produces good fruit no matter how long it takes to grow!

People are like onions: they have a lot of layers! And the more layers we see of every individual, the harder it can be for us to get along with some of them. But in the Church, we have a responsibility to put aside our differences and look past the "onion rings" of each person. We're called to love one another the way God first loved us.

There's a big difference between someone who's a father, and someone who fathers. God doesn't just want to adopt us into His family and then leave us to our own devices -- He wants an ongoing, ever-growing, father/child relationship with us! Jesus tells us in Scripture that when we ask our Father for all that we need, He's faithful to provide for us. Let's never forget to thank Him for the gifts He gives us out of fatherly love!

There are moments when God, in His mercy, rescues us from the destruction we've been living in. So why can it feel so tempting to look back? When we've made the decision to follow Jesus, there's no reason to look back at our past anymore. Instead, let's keep our eyes forward and press on toward the goal that's been set for us in Christ!

One of the toughest things to forgive is sexual sin -- whether that involves forgiving someone who sexually harmed us, or forgiving ourselves for our own sexual transgressions. But whatever the nature of that pain, the only One who can bring true healing is Jesus. He wants to make things right with us and for us in every aspect of our lives.

Whether we realize it or not, we're all in bondage. We're all held captive by one master or another. As imperfect human beings, we all started as slaves to sin -- but because of the price Jesus paid for us, we have the opportunity to be freed from our bondage to a sinful nature and be born again as slaves to righteousness.

The story of the Prodigal Son is a beautiful illustration of God, the Father, anxiously waiting for us to come home to Him, no matter where we've been or what we've done. Nothing we do can ever keep Him from loving us and accepting us as His children. His love for us far exceeds our sin -- and He longs for us to return to Him.