Richard Ellis Talks

In the Old Testament, people had to make animal sacrifices as payment for their sins, with Scripture telling us that the aroma of the sacrifice was pleasing to God. When Jesus died on the cross for us, God no longer smelled the sacrifice -- He tasted it Himself when He gave up His only Son as payment for our sins. Because of that gift, we can experience true relationship with Him -- but we'll never understand the full goodness of God unless we taste it ourselves.

God doesn't cause fear and confusion -- He safeguards us against those things. He offers us the Holy Spirit to live inside us, so that we can be filled with power, love, and a sound mind. And when we have Him inside our hearts and our lives, no weapon formed against us will stand.

The Bible tells us to make sure we're personally right with the Lord before we call others out for their actions. And when we do speak truth, it needs to be in love -- boldly calling sin what it is, and pointing to the hope that's found only in our Savior. We're not meant to turn a blind eye to the sinful actions of this world, but we can speak with a genuine sense of compassion and strive to lead people to the Gospel.

We're promised eternity in Heaven if we put our faith in Jesus. And one day, in Heaven, we'll have a better understanding of why certain things happened on earth, and we'll be able to worship God for the work He was doing that we couldn't see at the time. Instead of questioning why we face difficult circumstances in this life, let's have faith in God and trust that someday, all will be revealed!

God is a loving God. But there's a real heaven and a real hell, and those who have chosen not to accept His gift of salvation will face eternal hell. Every knee will bow before God one day -- let's make sure that all those we meet have the opportunity to bow before Him by choice in this life before they face Him in eternity.

God gave His only Son so that we could be made holy in His sight and acceptable to Him. When we accept the gift Jesus offers us, we're called to become living sacrifices of surrender. And when we live our lives giving all to God, we'll be amazed what He does in us and through us, in order to reach the world around us.

There are a lot of "rockstar" moms out there -- but there are also a lot of moms who have made huge mistakes in raising their kids. The good news for all of us is that redemption is possible! Owning up to mistakes, apologizing for them, and moving forward as an example of what it means to follow Jesus is the best action a "sorry mother" can take. Whether kids respond with forgiveness or not, God can always work with softened hearts.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they messed up the perfect order of things for all humanity -- literally! Sin has existed in this world ever since. Yet in the midst of the mess, God had a plan all along to redeem us and restore us to Himself -- and that plan came in the form of His Son, born of a woman, to save us all.

Even when we're dead tired or we feel like we're facing a mountain of difficulty, God's with us. Not only that, He's ready to step in and provide for all of our needs -- sometimes in miraculous ways. Instead of having a spirit of fear, let's listen for His voice, trust what He tells us, and then step out in faith and obey Him.

The story of Ruth is an incredible example of what it means to trust and obey God! We read in Scripture about Ruth's loyalty to Naomi, and how Ruth's obedience ultimately led her to marry Boaz. Ruth's wisdom in decision-making -- even when it seemed crazy -- had ripple effects for generations to come: from her family line came Joseph, the man who would go on to become the stepfather of the Son of God!