Richard Ellis Talks

A foolish person is swayed by the opinions of the world; a godly person is rooted in the truth of God and His Word. When our foundation is built on Scripture and on the character of God Himself, no cultural trends or popular beliefs will blow us away from what we know to be true.

We're a world filled with people who are desperate to find peace -- and we seek it everywhere but in the One who is Peace Himself. Only in Christ can we trade our anxiety and worry for eternal calm, and rest in the fact that He will take care of our every need.

True happiness can be found in Christ alone. When we receive the fact that His love for us is endless and unconditional, we're able to give love in return to God, ourselves, and others. Find hope today in this truth: nothing you will ever do can change God's love for you!

Jesus didn't die for our sins so we could continue to live captive to them -- He died to set us free, once and for all. We have the opportunity to walk out of the prison of sin and live in the liberty that He's given us. And when we're truly experiencing the freedom that He offers us, we're able to help other people experience that freedom, too.

God commissioned us to make disciples -- and that includes within our own families. We may have had a godly example in our own parents, or we may be setting a brand-new example for the next generation. The beautiful thing about God's Church is there are plenty of Christ-followers who are ready and willing to pour into other believers, and to model what it means to form a legacy that reaches far beyond themselves.

There's an entire book of the Bible -- the book of Proverbs -- that's devoted to gaining wisdom. That's how important godly wisdom is! The Lord's waiting for us to ask Him for wisdom in our daily decisions, from the big ones all the way down to the seemingly small ones. Sometimes it comes from Him in prayer, and sometimes it comes in the form of life choices, both good and bad.

When Jesus died on the cross, He made it possible for us to be free. It might sound like a contradiction, but His sacrifice gave us the freedom to choose God as our Master. We can either be slaves to sin or slaves to God; which choice will you make?

God's patience for us is limitless: He extends undeserved, unmerited grace and love no matter how many times we mess up. We can take advantage of His kindness and mercy and continue to live in our own flesh, or we can let Him live in us and watch the fruit of His Spirit begin to grow from within.

Scripture helps light our feet every step of the way, and in doing do, it helps us avoid some of the pitfalls of sin. When we learn what the Bible says about our areas of weakness and temptation, we can use that knowledge to keep us from stepping off the path God intends for us. And as we use that light to illuminate our way, it also shines through us to attract other people to Him.

Scripture tells us of the covenant God made with the people of Israel. That covenant was then expanded and shared with the Gentiles through the saving power of Jesus Christ. That means for all of us who believe, we have been given the right to become children of the living God, Who promises to take care of us. The question is: do you believe that God will keep His promises to you?

The world's way is to base how we love others on how they first loved us. God's way is for us to love others based on how He first loved us. When we have a healthy relationship with the Lord, we understand the depths of His unconditional love, and we can't help but extend the same selflessness to the people around us.

Jesus didn't say that we might have troubles in this life; He guaranteed that we will. Hard times will come, but God designed His Church to be a body of believers who can comfort one another during those times. He wants to use us, not just to help each other, but so that His peace can be made known to the world in the midst of difficult seasons.  

God used a handful of people to establish His Church and, in doing so, to reach the entire world. More than 2000 years later, the impact that those obedient disciples of Jesus made on generations of Christians who followed has set a path for us to continue the work of the Gospel. May we strive to emulate their commitment and submission to bring all people to the saving knowledge of Christ!

If you have an ex that you haven't forgiven, you run the risk of carrying around a bitterness that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Jesus tells us not only to forgive our enemies, but to love and pray for them, too. When we forgive those who have hurt us, we experience freedom from the past, and the opportunity to let go and move on.

The devil draws so many people into believing the lie that this life is all that there is. The reality is: if we've accepted Christ as our Savior, then we have the promise of eternal life with Him. But even though Heaven is waiting for us in the end, that's not an excuse to coast through this world; we have a responsibility to finish out the things God's placed us on this earth to do, until the day He calls us home.

God went all in to save us. Why would we expect to do anything less than go all in and give Him our lives in response? He holds all the cards -- the only winning strategy in this life is to bet everything on Him knowing He'll take care of us every step of the way.

Sometimes the worst harm we can do is to sit down and keep quiet when we should stand up and speak out. That's especially true when an opportunity presents itself for us to share our faith with others. God wants to use you and me to reach people for His Kingdom. Let's be ready to give a reason for the hope that should be evident in our lives.

Genealogy has become increasingly popular with the advent of modern technology that allows us to trace our DNA back through time. In the same way that we can see how the choices made by previous generations still impact our earthly lives today, we can also see the spiritual impact of those who have gone before us. It's not only important for us to live in obedience to God for our own benefit -- it also makes a difference to other believers both in the here and now, and in the generations to come.  

God made the Church to be His Bride by loving her enough to die for her. Do we, as the Church, respond accordingly in love? Foreplay is used to lead to intimacy in marriage, but in a spiritual way, it can be used to lead to intimacy with God. We need to give Him our time and attention, in worship and prayer, showing that our heart truly loves the One who first loved us.

Have you ever known somebody who has gone through unimaginable hardship, yet they exude complete and absolute joy? It's impossible to be void of joy when we're walking in the presence of God and living in true relationship with Him. That doesn't mean we're free from experiencing sorrow and suffering -- it means that no amount of sorrow or suffering can rob us of the joy we receive from Him.