Richard Ellis Talks

All of creation proclaims the intricacy of its design by a majestic Creator. The Bible tells us that same Creator made a way through His only Son for us to be with Him for all eternity. Scripture teaches that the end times coming and warns how great that tribulation will be, but when we know God and are in right relationship with Him then we have no need to fear.

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've been given the freedom to be who God called us to be -- to follow Him completely, holding nothing back.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. We may question why we face tough times in this life, but we can choose to have faith in God amidst our questioning and ultimately 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.

Too many American churches have a "closed-door" policy: their doors are only open to people who look and think a certain way. But Jesus built His Church by going after the lost -- including you and me. When we realize the magnitude of what He's done for us, we develop compassion for our fellow "strays" who need to be rescued, too.

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.