Richard Ellis Talks

Regardless of how we see ourselves, God sees us as His own sons and daughters -- people of greatness because Christ made it so. When we look in the mirror, we might not see ourselves as anything special. But when we choose to follow Jesus, we're adopted into God's family, and He instills greatness in us!

Life comes with suffering and tragedy -- they're a package deal in our broken world. But trusting God through our trials allows Him to use them (and us) for His greater good. Let's allow Him to work through us in every circumstance, knowing He is greater than anything we face!

When people encounter Christians, they're coming so close to Christ without even knowing it! We're carriers of God's love to the world -- and that means we have to take advantage of every opportunity to spread the Gospel. Whether or not they choose to be close-minded, we have a responsibility to obey the Lord's leading to share the Good News.

We don't have to do huge things or make grand gestures in order to please God. On the contrary, it's when we sacrifice ourselves for His sake in little, everyday ways that we honor Him. The key is to start small and obey His leading, so that when He prompts us to make bigger changes down the road, we'll be available to be used by Him in amazing ways!

When it comes to loving our neighbor, it's not enough to simply know the truth -- we have to back it up by doing the truth, too. Who have you and I excluded as not being "our neighbor"? Who have we turned a blind eye to in their moment of greatest need? In John 13, Jesus is crystal clear when He tells us, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." The only answer to the racial injustice that plagues our country, which will result in permanent solutions and long-lasting change, is Jesus.

A wild horse must first be tamed before it can become usable by its owner. In the same way, we have to allow God to tame us before He can use us for His Kingdom. The more we resist Him, the more suffering comes with the process of breaking us in.

The Bible teaches us that when we sow seeds of sin, we'll reap consequences. But when we sow seeds of righteousness, we'll reap great reward. We have an opportunity to plant seeds in the hearts of each person we meet -- let's make sure we're planting seeds of the Gospel.

Cheating -- in any relationship -- is ultimately accompanied by guilt and shame. And before cheating ever takes place physically, it starts in the heart. We can claim to love God all we want, but the way we live will show where our heart's loyalty truly lies.

In a rideshare program like Uber, the passenger tells the driver where to go, and the driver follows those instructions. In the same way, we need to treat Jesus like the passenger in our car -- He gives us a destination, and we obey His command! He may sometimes have us go to difficult places, but it's better that we face those challenges with Him than face the same inevitable trials without Him by our side.

Jesus said that as His followers, we are the light of the world. But that means we have to shine in such a way that our brightness draws others out of the darkness and into His light. When we let go of the distractions that hold us back, we can run the race that God's set before us, "lights out" and fully focused on the eternal prize.