Richard Ellis Talks

One of the hardest things we'll ever do is grieve the loss of someone we love. But when we know they've entrusted their life to Jesus, the pain of their death is coupled with the assurance that we'll see them again one day. Unless Jesus returns first, we're all going to face death at some point. Knowing that, it's essential that we give our lives to God so that we can rest in the promise of eternity with Him.

Can you remember how old you were the first time you said or heard the phrase, "It's not fair!"? We learn pretty early on -- and often the hard way -- that sometimes, life just isn't fair. But allowing unfair situations to get the best of us, or trying to do things our own way in an attempt to get the results we want, never works out well (just take a read through Scripture!). Instead of complaining about the unfairness of our circumstances, what if we choose to trust that God plans to use those moments for His glory and for our good?

Fossils are fascinating -- until you realize all that's left of some of the world's most magnificent creatures are some dead, dried-up bones! We're the same way. Without God, each of us is just a pile of spiritually dead, dried-up bones. He paid the price to bring our dead souls to life, and we have the opportunity -- and the responsibility -- to share that gift with a lost world.

 

The Bible tells us that God intricately formed us -- just the way we are! From the moment we became life in the womb, He's had plans for each of us, and no amount of mistakes we make can mess up God's ability to fulfill those plans. He knows us completely, loves us completely, and calls us to submit completely to His will for our lives.

Have you ever seen a warning on a product and thought, "Gee, that's obvious?" Like a "Caution: Hot!" label on a cup of hot coffee! We're all prone to messing up, even when the right way seems obvious. Jesus said that it's important not just to know Scripture, but to apply it. The Bible's filled with stories that warn us about the consequences of disobedience, but it’s only when we apply what we read that it makes a difference.

Ever heard the saying, "If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse"? It's easy to find all the reasons why God shouldn't use us -- or the reasons why we don't want Him to use us -- but all of those "reasons" are just excuses in disguise. God wants to use us to reach the people He's put around us, and no amount of inadequacy on our part can stop Him from accomplishing what He wants to do in and through us!

Scripture tells us that God ordained all the days of our lives before we were even born. And only He knows when our time's up. We can choose to waste the time He's given us trying to run our own lives, or we can hand our lives back over to the One who created them and ask Him to use us for His glory before our time on earth expires.

 

 

God loves us so much that He gave up everything in order to get us into His family! And when we're a part of God's family, the people He cares about become the people we care about. Orphans, widows, the poor, the imprisoned -- He calls us to love each of these family members the same way He loves us.

 

Jesus tells us that if we want to come after Him, we're to deny ourselves, take up our own crosses daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). To do that, we've first got to assume a position of humility, lay prostrate before the Lord, and submit to His will above our own -- even when it means there might be suffering in store for us.

We believe in a God who came down in the flesh -- who lived among us here on earth before He died for our sins. Our Savior thought it was vitally important that He show up in person to build relationships and reach the lost. Shouldn't we follow His example and do the same?