Richard Ellis Talks

From the beginning of recorded time, the heavens have declared the glory of God. Modern technology now allows scientists to estimate that there are trillions of galaxies in space. Yet in the midst of all that vastness, God not only created you, me, and this planet on which we live -- He created a direct pathway back to Him and His love by sending His Son to Earth to show us the way back to the Father.

 

We doubt God's unconditional love because every other kind of love we experience is...well...conditional. Only unconditional love could have caused a Father to send His only Son to die on our behalf. And only unconditional love is eternal and everlasting. We might not always be overwhelmed by the emotions and feelings that the world tells us equate to love, but we can always have faith that the Lord loves us, His children -- no matter what.

Scripture tells us that everyone has fallen short when it comes to hitting the mark of perfection. No matter how much we try to act the way we think a Christian should, we'll never be sufficient until we allow Jesus to enter our hearts. Only when He works in us and through us will we begin to hit the "bull's eye" for the life He's called us to live.

A key part of the Christian life is the study of Scripture. But God doesn't just want us to read it; He wants us to be engrossed and embedded in it in such a way that we apply it to our lives on an everyday basis. When we do more than just read the Bible, and we also obey what it says, then we not only model its life application to the people around us -- we gain credibility to teach others to do the same.

Ever heard the term "return on investment"? This world only has so much to offer that money can buy. But when we invest in others' lives, we're making an investment in the eternal -- in a treasure that we'll receive on the other side of this life. When we lose ourselves to Christ's calling and purpose on earth, we gain so much more in heaven.

Prayer isn't about a perfect script or eloquent speech; it's about having a simple heart-to-heart with a Father who loves us unconditionally. The Bible tells us to seek out a quiet place to talk with Him privately. It not only helps us to build our relationship with Him -- it allows us a front-row seat to witness Him meet our needs and answer our prayers.

God's design for His family is for each of us to be growing with the help of another -- while also helping others to grow. He emphasizes the necessity of teaching His Word to our children, and that includes those in both physical and spiritual infancy. When we lead another person to Christ, let's not abandon them to figure out the discipleship journey on their own; let's take them by the hand and help to grow disciples who make disciples.

God calls us to preach the Good News and make disciples of all nations -- whether we journey to another country for a mission trip, or we walk down to the end of our block to love on our neighbor. The world is hungry to know the one true God, and it's our job to tell them about Him. He's given us the Gospel to share that every person we meet might have the opportunity to become part of His family.

How we handle our finances -- especially when it comes to how we give -- has a way of "tipping the scales" for or against us, because God sees the intent of our hearts. It's important that we're honest with our money, including when paying people who work for us. Are we living lives of generosity like we've been called to do?

When we live in sin, we essentially give the devil a key -- and full access -- to our lives. And while he cannot possess us as followers of Christ, he can get us to believe his lies. God gives us the weapons and the armor we need to keep the enemy and his schemes out of our lives: meditating on Scripture, worshipping, forgiving others, and ultimately, letting Jesus have control.