Richard Ellis Talks

The story of Daniel in the lions' den is an extraordinary example of what it looks like to obey God even if it means risking one's own life. Our situation might not always look as drastic as Daniel's -- but God might not always rescue us like He did with Daniel, either. At the end of the day, our focus needs to be Kingdom first and not on this world, because our obedience to Him will be rewarded in eternity.

Scripture tells us that when we give our lives to God, He doesn't just refinish what's here -- He makes us completely new. It takes time for new Christians to grow and mature; that's why we all have a responsibility to be discipled and to disciple others.

We tend to gravitate towards people who are a lot like us. After all, that's familiar and comfortable...right? But the closer we get to Jesus, the more "riff raff" people we'll find -- people who God will challenge us to love and accept even though they might think and act differently than us.

God doesn't want us to think too much of ourselves -- but He never intended for us to think too little of ourselves, either. When you and I accept His love for us as individual people who were made in His image, then we can start to view ourselves in a correct perspective as valuable to and for Him. And when we allow Him to love us and we respond by loving Him back, we're better able to love the people around us.

When Jesus commanded us to love one another, He knew that would require us to love people who we don't always like. It's easy to love people who think and act like us; it's something entirely different to love people we disagree with or are even repulsed by. But when we love others -- even when it's hard -- we show the world the type of love that God has for them.

You cannot manufacture the presence of God. When the Holy Spirit fills His people, that's what attracts people to church -- not some fancy building. God can't be contained in manmade walls; He dwells in every believer. May His Spirit be so evident in us that when we're together, people would be able to say, "God is in that house."

Proverbs 12:22 tells us, "Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight." We not only lie often, but we do it so flippantly, too. If we want to live lives that are pleasing to God then we've got to be truthful to Him and to the people around us -- and that comes from knowing the Truth Himself, Jesus Christ.

Have you ever considered that jealousy is a disease of the heart and the spirit? The world around us constantly plays the comparison game, feeding a spirit of envy within us and making us feel like what we have isn't enough. Scripture tells us that in Jesus, we have more than we could ever need. When our contentment is found in Christ, it leads to a life of joy.

God warns us against sin all throughout Scripture. That's why He's laid out a path for us to avoid the suffering and inevitable consequences that come with disobedience. When we choose to do it His way, we should also be on the lookout to invite anyone who's willing to jump in with us and follow Him.

Often we have to win the small battles before we're ready to win the war. If we keep focusing on the "big" sin that we can't seem to shake, we'll keep losing on the small stuff too. Instead of trying to conquer our biggest sin struggle right away, it's sometimes better for us to focus on simpler victories first -- because once we begin to win with God's help, it triggers a snowball effect.