Richard Ellis Talks

We live in a world that's broken by sin -- and that includes in our own lives, whether we want to admit it or not. But if we truly love God, we need to learn to love others and live in community with them no matter our differences. When He lives in us, His love for others flows through us and the world around us is changed for the better.

The term "coup de grace" in French means to deal a deathly blow for the purpose of ending suffering. The ultimate coup de grace took place when God chose to wipe out all of our sin in a single blow -- and in doing so, bridged the gap for us to have a new life in Him. When Jesus died on the cross, He offered a death blow to our sinful nature forever. All we have to do is accept His gift.

Scripture is filled with examples of God keeping His promises, time after time. Yet we so often doubt that He'll keep His promises to us. When God makes a promise, it's up to us to walk in faith and expectation that He'll fulfill it -- not live in disobedience and doubt.

Old Testament law declares that when you harvest a field, anything left over once the harvesting process is finished should be left in the field for the orphans, the widows, and the poor. So why do we tend to hoard what God has given to us? We've been blessed with so much, but with that comes a responsibility and an opportunity for us to turn around and bless others who are in need.

The way we spend our money shows who -- or what -- we worship. It's easy to be selfish when it comes to our finances, but our perspective changes when we recognize that everything we have comes from God first. And when we live like money was never ours to begin with, we wind up spending it differently -- as a tool to bless others and to glorify Him.

We want God to use us to accomplish His work -- we just don't want to experience the trials that He uses to prepare us for that work! If we spend our lives running from tough times, we'll never be strengthened and refined to do great things, but we can choose instead to arm ourselves with Scripture and to face the trials head-on when they inevitably come our way.

Before God can use us to impact others, we first need to go to Him for wisdom in using what He's given us! Part of being a follower of Christ is allowing Him to call the shots in every area of our lives -- including our money. When we seek His will first in our finances, He not only blesses us, but He blesses others through us.

We've all got that thing that grates on our nerves, whether it's a dripping faucet or a yappy Chihuahua! But instead of letting those little irritations get the best of us, let's consider that sometimes God allows "annoyances" in our lives so that we can respond to them accordingly. When we follow Christ's example and keep our eyes on the Lord, we open ourselves up to whatever He's trying to teach us.

Even Christians who have seen the Light sometimes still choose to live in the dark. When we hide with our sin, we become prisoners of war. But God calls us to expose our sinful ways and walk in truth, embracing the abundant life He offers to us!

The story of Samson is an amazing example that no matter how much we mess up our lives, God still has a purpose for us. We're all "cracked" from things in our past, but that doesn't stop the Lord from picking us up and using us to hit a home run!