Richard Ellis Talks

We live in a culture that's not only made sex outside marriage acceptable -- it's made sex outside marriage the norm. The world tells us that the purpose of sex is for mere enjoyment without boundaries, but God tells us He created it for a special purpose, to be experienced within the covenant of marriage. Scripture's always been clear and consistent about God's design, and our response to His Word should be the same -- unwavering and unchanging, no matter what other people say or think.

As Christians, it's our responsibility to take a stand against sin in our nation. The world is getting increasingly comfortable with things that go against God -- and too many are staying quiet. Yes, we need to get involved in choosing our leaders, but it has to go beyond that; now's the time for us to speak out boldly and stand up for what’s right.

The way we spend our money shows who -- or what -- we worship. It's easy to be selfish when it comes to our finances, but our perspective changes when we recognize that everything we have comes from God first. And when we live like money was never ours to begin with, we wind up spending it differently -- as a tool to bless others and to glorify Him.

We want God to use us to accomplish His work -- we just don't want to experience the trials that He uses to prepare us for that work. If we spend our lives running from tough times, we'll never be strengthened and refined to do great things, but we can choose instead to arm ourselves with Scripture and to face the trials head-on when they inevitably come our way.

Before God can use us to impact others, we first need to go to Him for wisdom in using what He's given us. Part of being a follower of Christ is allowing Him to call the shots in every area of our lives -- including our money. When we seek His will first in our finances, He not only blesses us, but He blesses others through us.

We've all got that thing that grates on our nerves, whether it's a dripping faucet or a yappy Chihuahua! But instead of letting those little irritations get the best of us, let's consider that sometimes God allows "annoyances" in our lives so that we can respond to them accordingly. When we follow Christ's example and keep our eyes on the Lord, we open ourselves up to whatever He's trying to teach us.

The story of Samson is an amazing example that no matter how much we mess up our lives, God still has a purpose for us. We're all "cracked" from things in our past, but that doesn't stop the Lord from picking us up and using us to hit a home run!

 

If we want to know God's will for our lives, we need to read His Word! He's given us clear directions on how to live, but so often we don't bother to read it and then wonder why things don't turn out the way we wanted. Scripture doesn't stop us from making mistakes, but it gives us directions to find our way back when we stray.

The very basis of the Christian faith and the Christian life is founded and centered on the truths we read in the New Testament: that Jesus came to earth, fully human and fully God, to save us and free us from the power of sin and death. In Him, and Him alone, we have new life and the promise of an eternal hope and future.

It's easy to complain when we don't get what we want. But the Bible is filled with examples of why complaining only hinders us from a life of trusting in God. We can either be like the Israelites, who didn't get to see the Promised Land because they chose to complain instead of obeying the Lord, or we can step out in faith knowing God's never let us down before, and He's not about to start now.