Richard Ellis Talks

God designed His Church to be a family -- a body of people who love, mentor, support, and freely give to one another. We're called to be others-focused, not self-focused. All that we have is ultimately God's, and how we give back to Him is reflected in how we show His love toward other people.

We can't always control our circumstances, but we can always control how we respond to them. When we trust that God is sovereign above all things, we're better able to trust that His plans are greater than ours and that He's ultimately in charge, no matter the situation we find ourselves in.

The hungry. The thirsty. The stranger. The naked. The sick. The imprisoned. These are all people who Jesus commands us to treat as though they were Jesus Himself. But we often miss out on opportunities to be His hands and feet because we overlook the people society would call "the least of these". When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, He opens our eyes in new ways to see those who were formerly invisible to us -- and He prompts us to act as the Body of Christ, moving and serving just as He did on earth.

Jesus left His disciples with the Great Commission -- the directive to go and spread the Gospel throughout the whole world. But do you know what's even more amazing? The same power that was in those disciples, who took the Gospel to the ends of the earth, is also in us when we choose to follow Jesus. We're not meant to keep what He's done for us hidden; we're meant to share the Good News, and share it far and wide!

God has a perfect plan for my life, your life, and the life of each baby who has yet to be born. Many of us long to become parents -- and that's okay! But if we're not careful, we can be quick to jump ahead of God's timing in giving us children. When we're tempted to focus on making our will happen, we need to slow down, take a step back, and trust that God's will is perfect.

It's common for people -- men, especially -- to go through a "midlife crisis" where we get bored with what we have, and set our eyes on what we don't have in hopes that it will bring us pleasure. But sin has consequences, no matter our age, and the way to resist being distracted by the things of this world is to fix our eyes on Jesus knowing He's the only One who can provide true satisfaction.

Every woman knows that menopause is inevitable -- but it's also a result of Eve's sin in Eden. And when women go through the physical changes that come with age, it's difficult not only for them, but also for their husbands. Men may not be able to identify fully with the struggle that comes from this season of life, but they still have a role to play: trusting God, having patience, and loving their wives through it.

We can go our whole lives having Jesus all around us, but never truly having Him in us. The Bible tells us that if we love Him, we'll obey His commands. When He moves into our hearts, He changes us from the inside out and gives us the will to obey -- but we still have to make the choice to sacrifice the pleasures of this world for His sake.

Matthew 12:34 tells us that out of the heart, the mouth speaks. The words that come out of our mouth reveal what's inside of us -- and as Christians, what's inside of us should reflect Christ. If we have poor self-control over the words we speak, it's likely we have poor self-control over our actions, too. As representatives of God to the world around us, it's our responsibility to tame our tongue and speak truth in love.

People have a tendency to ask God why He doesn't do something about the injustice we see in this world. And just as often, God's answer can be found when we lo0k in the mirror -- because His answer is us. He wants to use us as His hands and feet, to make a difference in this world, to do good in His name and for His glory.