Cheating -- in any relationship -- is ultimately accompanied by guilt and shame. And before cheating ever takes place physically, it starts in the heart. We can claim to love God all we want, but the way we live will show where our heart's loyalty truly lies.โดย Richard Ellis

In a rideshare program like Uber, the passenger tells the driver where to go, and the driver follows those instructions. In the same way, we need to treat Jesus like the passenger in our car -- He gives us a destination, and we obey His command. He may sometimes have us go to difficult places, but it's better that we face those challenges with Him …

Like all things He created, God designed marriage in a very specific and purposeful way. It's a representation of Christ and His Bride, the Church, and in the same way that Jesus sacrificially loved and gave Himself for His Bride, we're called to sacrificially love and give ourselves for our spouse if we enter into the covenant of marriage. The onl…

Jesus said that as His followers, we are the light of the world. But that means we have to shine in such a way that our brightness draws others out of the darkness and into His light. When we let go of the distractions that hold us back, we can run the race that God's set before us, "lights out" and fully focused on the eternal prize.…

It's easy to criticize someone in authority! But the Bible teaches us to pray for them instead. No person who's been placed in leadership has been put there outside of God's sovereignty. Let's pray that God will work in their lives and lead their hearts and decisions as they're entrusted with leading others.…

Time after time in Scripture, we read the stories of people who made some pretty "jacked up" mistakes. Yet God still used them to accomplish His work in the world. It's important for us not to continue living in sin once we've been redeemed -- but there's nothing we can do that God can't turn around and use for His glory.…

Our society continues to face challenges surrounding racial issues. But that opens the door for us as believers to bridge gaps and put into action the love that Christ has called us to demonstrate to all people -- without exclusion. It's one thing to know what the Bible says about loving our neighbors; it's another to do what it says. Only when tha…

All of creation proclaims the intricacy of its design by a majestic Creator. The Bible tells us that same Creator made a way through His only Son for us to be with Him for all eternity. Scripture teaches that the end times coming and warns how great that tribulation will be, but when we know God and are in right relationship with Him then we have n…

When we come to Jesus and are born again, He makes us a new creation. Instead of staying on the fence and trying to hold on to both Jesus and our sin at the same time, we need to let go of our sin so we can live fully for Him. We've been given the freedom to be who God called us to be -- to follow Him completely, holding nothing back.…

There's a big difference between someone who's a father, and someone who fathers. God doesn't just want to adopt us into His family and then leave us to our own devices -- He wants an ongoing, ever-growing, father/child relationship with us. Jesus tells us in Scripture that when we ask our Father for all that we need, He's faithful to provide for u…

People are like onions: they have a lot of layers! And the more layers we see of every individual, the harder it can be for us to get along with some of them. But in the Church, we have a responsibility to put aside our differences and look past the "onion rings" of each person. We're called to love one another the way God first loved us.…

The only destination in the world that can ever truly claim, "what happens here, stays here" is at the foot of the cross. When we accept Christ's forgiveness and love, we leave our old selves behind, becoming new creations in Him. And while God is merciful, He'll allow consequences for our sins in order to ultimately bring us to Him. Let's never fo…

There are moments when God, in His mercy, rescues us from the destruction we've been living in. So why can it feel so tempting to look back? When we've made the decision to follow Jesus, there's no reason to look back at our past anymore. Instead, let's keep our eyes forward and press on toward the goal that's been set for us in Christ.…

We're promised eternity in Heaven if we put our faith in Jesus. And one day, in Heaven, we'll have a better understanding of why certain things happened on earth, and we'll be able to worship God for the work He was doing that we couldn't see at the time. We may question why we face tough times in this life, but we can choose to have faith in God a…

God is a loving God. But there's a real heaven and a real hell, and those who have chosen not to accept His gift of salvation will face eternal hell. Every knee will bow before God one day -- let's make sure that all those we meet have the opportunity to bow before Him by choice in this life before they face Him in eternity.…

Too many American churches have a "closed-door" policy: their doors are only open to people who look and think a certain way. But Jesus built His Church by going after the lost -- including you and me. When we realize the magnitude of what He's done for us, we develop compassion for our fellow "strays" who need to be rescued, too.…

One of the toughest things to forgive is sexual sin -- whether that involves forgiving someone who sexually harmed us, or forgiving ourselves for our own sexual transgressions. But whatever the nature of that pain, the only One who can bring true healing is Jesus. He wants to make things right with us and for us in every aspect of our lives.…

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 exper…

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.โดย Richard Ellis

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 …

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 …

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 wit…

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 longing…

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…

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.โดย Richard Ellis

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…

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?โดย Richard Ellis

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.โดย Richard Ellis

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.โดย Richard Ellis

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 b…

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…

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.โดย Richard Ellis

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 sel…

The story of Ruth is a beautiful illustration of what it means to truly trust and obey God. Ruth's loyalty to Naomi and obedience to the Lord set in motion a series of events that would one day culminate in Joseph -- Jesus' earthly father -- being born into their family line. No matter how crazy it may seem, we're always better off for trusting God…

The devil's only purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. We can never let our guard down, but have to always be on alert for his schemes. In order to fight the enemy, we have to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus each and every day; it's in our obedience to Him that we find abundant life.…

History reveals time and time again that there are consequences for our disobedience to God. Continually making the choice to do the right thing often isn't easy, but it's always right, and our choice to obey will pay off in the end.โดย Richard Ellis

Do you remember how the Flintstones would get in their "car" -- and then have to use their own manpower to make it move? Too often, we try to live a "Flintstones" kind of spiritual life; we believe we can do things in our own power instead of relying on the power of God. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside us as believers, a…

The Christian life is about doing the work of God together with the people of God. We're all members of His family, joined together to bring glory to Him in this life. Being part of the Church isn't just about what we get out of it, but what we bring to it. And learning to love those we don't always like or agree with -- believers and nonbelievers …

Everything we have has been given to us by God; it was never ours to begin with. Yet we clutch it in our fists as though it belongs to us, and in doing so, we love our "stuff" more than we love Him. When we give our lives to Christ, we're also giving the things that we own, to be used for His purpose and for His glory.…

Clutching to our plans and our lives with clenched fists is a sure way to lose everything in the end. The only foolproof way to win is to lose ourselves to God -- and that means offering ourselves up with open hands, letting go and surrendering in obedience to Him.โดย Richard Ellis

Hebrews 12:1 instructs us to run with endurance the race that's set before us as Christians. The question is: are we running it with tenacity, or are we just coasting along? If we want to do the former, we have to let go of the baggage that's weighing us down and run with determination and perseverance -- even when it gets hard.…

At Christmas, we wrap gifts and place them under a tree to be received. But have you ever considered that the Gospel tells of the greatest gift of all being placed under a different kind of tree to be received by any who would choose to accept it? Salvation was bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus -- freely given by God to be received by us at…

Sometimes, life socks us in the gut. In those moments, the world is watching to see how we'll react. Our lives ought to show that our trust and faith in God keep us standing, even in the most painful circumstances.โดย Richard Ellis

Often, God allows pain in our lives in order to bring us back to Him. And just like the father in the story of the prodigal son, He doesn't condemn us -- He welcomes us home with open arms. When we return to Him, it doesn't matter how broken we are; He promises to rebuild and restore us in a way that makes us truly whole.…

Have you ever wondered why God would leave believers here on the earth instead of bringing us to heaven right now? It's because there's a whole world of people who don't yet know Him -- and He's charged us with the responsibility of making sure they hear the Gospel before it's too late. Every Christian has a call to tell others about the free gift …

There are times in our lives when God's grace pours down like rain. But there are also times -- many times -- when it's His "dew" that sustains us on a day-to-day basis. His provision for every area of life demonstrates His immeasurable grace, and His gift of salvation through Christ's death and resurrection is more than enough for our every need.…