Richard Ellis Talks

Where our treasures are, there our hearts will be, also. The "capital C" Church isn't made up of brick and mortar; it's made up of people, and God's called us to work together to learn how to meet the needs of others. Learning to hear His voice is one key to the mission of generosity -- the other key is to say "yes" when He asks!

 

 

Genesis 2:24 instructs, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." The job of a parent is to train their child in the way they should go -- and then give them the freedom and the blessing to leave when that day comes. Both men and women are called to honor their parents once they're grown, but "honor" isn't always synonymous with "obedience" as adults.

Ever find yourself wrestling with God? If you want to save yourself a lot of time and energy, here's a tip: you'll never win that match-up! Too often we stand in our own way by disobeying God and what He's calling us to do, when He's waiting all along for us to surrender to His will. When we submit to His authority, He gives us His power to do things we could never accomplish on our own.

God is the ultimate Comforter. He knows our every pain and struggle. He comforts us so that we can turn around and comfort others. Instead of finding solace in earthly things, we need to seek our peace and reassurance in Him.

Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas would ultimately betray Him one day. Yet He still allowed him to get close, and served him to the very end. The devil knew he couldn't get into Jesus, so he got as close as possible -- yet even in that, Jesus gave us the ultimate example of what it means to love and serve our greatest enemies.

We live in a world that claims all truth is relative. But there's only one Truth, and His name is Jesus Christ. His Gospel is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, and it's our job to be bold and speak it lovingly to those around us.

Ever had a jug of milk that went sour because you chose to let it sit in the fridge and go bad instead of dumping it out? Often, that's what happens with our sin: it's easier for us to ignore it than to get rid of it. But God is our provider, and He'll never let us be empty. When we let go of the sinful nature we cling to, He's faithful to fill our lives with His blessings.

As newly born-again Christians, we're like infants in our faith: learning everything for the very first time. And that's okay! But sooner or later, we each need to grow up spiritually in order to be functioning, healthy members of the body of Christ. The more we grow, the more we realize that the Church isn't all about me -- it's all about we.

You've probably heard the term G.O.A.T -- Greatest Of All Time -- tossed around when it comes to describing the accomplishments of famous actors, athletes, or musicians. But the Bible clearly tells us that the actual G.O.A.T. was, in fact, a Lamb: the Lamb of God. Jesus was, is, and forever will be the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Greatest Of All Time. The only question is: what are we going to do about it?

As followers of Christ, we're called to be witnesses and to testify about what God's done in our lives. Scripture tells us that if we're not reaching out to other people with the Gospel, we're not walking as closely with Jesus as we could be -- or should be. We need to not only be attentive, but also willing to listen for and obey the Lord's promptings.