Richard Ellis Talks

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.

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.

Scripture tells us we're either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness -- but we can't be both. When we give our lives to Christ, we relinquish control and submit to God as our Master. And when we become "slaves" to Him, we discover the true freedom and liberty that only He can offer us.

The only way for our nation to be godly is if its people are godly and choose to trust the Lord with their lives. It's one thing to slap a bumper sticker on our car saying, "In God We Trust", but it's another thing to live it out daily. If we want our country to progress towards godliness, we have to allow God to use us to touch the lives of those around us.

The Bible tells us to take every thought captive and clothe ourselves in the "armor of God" to fight our spiritual battles. And when we put our hands together and pray, we unleash one of the most powerful weapons God's made available to us. There will still be casualties and we'll still get wounded in the fight, but through Christ, we're given the assurance that He'll defeat the enemy and have the ultimate victory.

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 read in the story of the prodigal son that when the son finally decided to come home, while he was still "a long way off", his father saw him and ran to him. But the only way the father could have seen him coming is if he had been waiting anxiously for his return. This parable paints for us the picture of God, our Father, expectantly and longingly waiting for us to come back to Him. No matter where we've been or what we've done, nothing will ever keep Him from loving us and accepting us as His children.

You might be familiar with the verses in the Gospels where Jesus says that the most important commandment is, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." But have you ever paused to really reflect on that word..."all"? God gave His all, His only Son, so that we could be made holy and acceptable in His sight. Now, we're called to give it all back to Him, surrendering our whole selves to Him on a daily basis. When we do that, we'll be amazed at what He does in us and through us.

In Scripture, we read about the resurrection power of Jesus before He was ever raised from the dead. Jesus Himself brought Lazarus back to life after He had been dead for 4 days. Nothing is impossible for God, and no matter how dead we might feel, He's come to give us abundant and eternal life.

Families don't all look alike. And when we blend families, the odds are statistically stacked against us from the start. But the key to remember is this: the most important thing we can do for our family, no matter how it's made up, is live in a way that directs our loved ones to the Lord. In order to do that, we have to depend on God and allow Him to lead us in the relationships we build.