Richard Ellis Talks

When we have nothing but God, we discover that God is all we need. But when we have an abundance of material wealth and financial means, it's easy to feel like we need God less and less because we can take care of ourselves. By giving sacrificially, we literally put our money where our mouth is and trust Him to provide for us in every way.

Following God isn't supposed to burn us out -- so why do we often insist on working ourselves into the ground trying to prove our worth through our works? One of the best ways for us to find the complete spiritual rest that He offers us is through worship. And when we step back and allow Him to trade our weariness for His rest, we're better able to see Him work in our lives and through our lives for His glory.

One of the best pieces of advice you'll hear given to newlyweds is that they need to continue pursuing one another long after the honeymoon is over and the excitement has started to fade. In the same way, our relationship with God might not always feel "new" or "thrilling", but when we continue to pursue Him like He's pursued us, He's faithful to demonstrate His work in our lives time and time again.

What if I told you that our job as Christians isn't to keep out of harm's way -- it's to follow the Spirit into harm's way? Jesus went into harm's way to save us from certain death, and now it's up to us to lead people out of the enemy's traps of destruction. When we stay in step with the Holy Spirit, He'll take us into places of darkness and danger, but He'll cover us with His protection as we do His work to fight for others.

Can you remember the fire that burned in your heart the day you became a Christian? The enthusiasm and commitment we felt towards Jesus when we first started walking in relationship with Him can fade and fizzle as time passes. Trials distract us, and temptation to return to our old sins can cause that fire to burn out. But the good news is this: no matter how long it's been since we last felt that passion, we can always return to it again by talking with Him, praising Him, reading His Word, and expressing our gratitude for all that He's done for us.

You might not want to hear this, but the fact is: you and I were born losers. We all entered this world as lost people with no way to God. Only through Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins can we be turned from losers into victors -- and He offers us that transformation freely, if we're just willing to believe and accept it.

When we choose to dishonor God, we can't expect Him to honor us in return. And sometimes, dishonoring Him doesn't even mean we did something malicious or intentional -- more often, it could simply mean that we haven't made a deliberate choice to honor Him with our lives, our money, and our stuff. The more deeply we're involved in a relationship with the Lord, the more deeply we should desire to honor Him in all things and all ways.

Do you know the biggest reason people don't attend church? It's not because they don't believe in Jesus -- it's because they don't feel welcome! They're more likely to believe they're crashing some exclusive party than to believe the doors are open to anybody and everybody. But God's invited us all to be part of His family, and once we join His family, it's critical that we extend that invitation to others.

Suffering can take us down one of two roads as followers of Jesus: it can build our character, or it can drive us back to our old ways of sinning. 1 Peter 4:1 says, "Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin." When we fix our eyes on Him and base our hope in His promises, God gifts us the strength to persevere through our pain and endure our struggles.

The Bible promises us that one day, Jesus will return for His people -- and on that day, we'd better be prepared. In the same way that we wake up every morning and get ready for the day physically, we should wake up every morning and get ready for the day spiritually, too. And part of being spiritually prepared is being ready, willing and able to share the Gospel with those God puts in our path along the way.