Richard Ellis Talks

We've done absolutely nothing to earn an invitation from God for us to be with Him forever. Yet because Jesus has covered us in righteousness, we're invited to come anyway. It's our responsibility to respond -- what are we going to choose?

We'll never fully know who we are until we understand Whose we are. When we respond to God's call in our hearts, we become His. Then, we get to learn about who He's created us to be, and how to live out His purpose for us.

When Christ lives in us, we have nothing to fear, because no weapon formed against us will prosper. God will never cause fear and confusion in our lives, but He will give us the tools to combat those things when the world sends them our way. Most importantly, He offers to give us the Holy Spirit and fill us with power, love, and a sound mind.

God always answers our prayers. Sometimes, His answer is yes; sometimes, His answer is no; and sometimes, His answer is that we need to wait. As hard as that can be, the truth is that we can't see what He has in store; all we can do is trust Him, knowing that He has the big picture in His hands.

Esther was put in a position to be used by God to save His people. But in order to live out her purpose, she had to be willing to obey Him -- even if it cost her very life. All of us have a choice every day to obey God, and in order to live out the purpose He has for us, we have to be willing to lay down our lives, deny ourselves, and follow Him.

We live in a culture where people are often fake about who they are, and how they care about others. But the Bible calls us to be the opposite: sincere in our love for one another, no matter who we are or where we come from. We've all been saved by grace through faith in Jesus; that alone is reason to love one another honestly.

If there's "nothing to" the Gospel, then why do lives continue to be changed by it every day, more than 2000 years after the death and resurrection of Christ? Even in the New Testament, we read that in the early Church, religious leaders tried -- and failed -- to shut down the movement of the Gospel, with the end result being the strengthening of believers. There's something to be said about the work that God's done, and continues to do, in changing lives daily through the power of the Gospel.l

 

People often have no problem believing history books, while simultaneously doubting the authenticity of the Bible. But as Christians, we have to put our faith in the truth of Scripture, believing that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Our sinful self was crucified with Christ, nailed to the cross with Him, and because of that truth we have the freedom to walk forward in new life.

Following Jesus isn't about acting like Him; it's about having Him live inside us. The more we get to know God through relationship with Him, the more we become just like our Father.

Our earthly fathers play a big role in how we perceive God as our Heavenly Father -- for better or for worse. They can have a lasting effect that echoes into adulthood, and they can cause us to hold onto our past even once we've been born again in Christ. But when we choose to follow Him, He doesn't just make us an "improved" version of our old self; instead, He makes us brand new.