Richard Ellis Talks

Scripture explains that God's Church is the Body of Christ. In the Body of Christ, Christ Himself is the head. And because we're one body, when we remain connected not only to Jesus but to one another, there's no limit to what God can do through us.

God requires obedience from us -- not the second time, or the third time, but the first time He asks. And when He tells us to do something and we disobey, there will be consequences. His discipline isn't about punishment -- it's about Him loving us enough to let us face the results of our choices.

If you were to take a survey about your life, how would you rate it: Poor, Fair, Good, or Great? Sometimes it's hard not to wonder if we could do better. The story of the prodigal son is all about one person's decision to leave home and do things his way because he believed he could do better on his own than in the safety and protection of his father's house. And it's a picture of how merciful God is to us; even when we decide to stray far from Him, He's always watching and waiting with open arms to welcome us home.

One thing different religions have in common is their basis in tradition. Some religious rituals even falsely promise a route into heaven. But no building, tradition, or person other than Jesus Christ can save us from sin and give us eternal life. The only way to salvation is through Christ alone.

There's a difference between being at peace with God when we become saved, and having peace from God that comes from a genuine relationship with Him. When we choose to follow our own desires over obeying His will, we declare war on Him when He wants us to bring peace. It's when we live a life of obedience to Him and extend forgiveness towards others that we experience the peace that comes only from Him.

Do you know about God, or do you know God? We have a world of "information" at our disposal, but sometimes, it's more important that we just take time to be quiet and listen. God knows every detail about each one of us. He doesn't just want us to know about Him -- He wants us to know Him in a deeply intimate way through a deeply personal relationship with Him.

Have you ever felt like you called out to God and He just...didn't answer? In some cases, it might seem like He's silent -- like He's all but abandoned you. But remember, He sacrificed His only Son on the cross for us, all so that we could be brought into His family, and He's promised to never forsake us. Sometimes, He doesn't answer us immediately because it's in and through the waiting that our relationship with Him can grow.

Have you ever successfully counted the stars in the sky? How about the grains of sand on the earth? Or what about the number of hairs on your head? The answer is "no"...but the Bible tells us that God counts them all. When we consider our problems, challenges, difficulties and disappointments in comparison to His power and love, we can find comfort in knowing that He didn't just create us -- He sees each of us for who we are.

The devil likes to remind us of our past -- but God wants to remind us of our future. We all have a background of sin, but when we accept Christ's sacrifice on our behalf, we're pronounced "not guilty". The blood of the Lamb has washed us clean in God's eyes. Let's live like we've been set free -- because we have!

God allows difficulties in our lives -- not because He doesn't love us, but because He does love us. Those trials are there to test us and teach us, and when we walk through them, we have the opportunity to grow closer to God. In tough circumstances where it feels like we're walking through fire, we're actually being refined to become more like Christ and better able to make a Kingdom impact in the lives of other people.