Richard Ellis Talks

We believe in a God who came down in the flesh -- who lived among us here on earth before He died for our sins. Our Savior thought it was vitally important that He show up in person to build relationships and reach the lost. Shouldn't we follow His example and do the same?

One of the best-known stories of sibling rivalry in the Bible is that of Jacob and Esau. Their competition for birthright privileges ultimately caused family conflict that would echo for generations. But God had a purpose for these twins' lives, just like He has a purpose for ours, and nothing they could do would change His greater plan for them -- just like nothing we can do will change His greater plan for us!

As followers of Christ, we're not "only human". We have the supernatural power of God Almighty in us! And even though we're still prone to our basic instincts, as Christians, we're given everything we need to overcome the temptation to sin -- as long as we keep our eyes fixed on Him.

There've been a lot of famous religious leaders whose names can be thrown around, but none carry the same impact as the name of our Savior. There's only one name that brings power, and it's the mighty name of Jesus. When we follow Him and seek to glorify Him, we're given His power in His name to do His work.

Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." There's nothing wrong with making plans for our lives, but it's important to leave room for God to change those plans. Sometimes the way He gets us where He wants us to go is never the way we would've chosen for ourselves. The question is: will we worship Him despite our circumstances, or will we shake our fists at Him when things don't go the way we planned?

Have you ever felt the rumble that shakes your car when you start to drift off the freeway? Those strips are also called "sleeper lines", and they're there to keep us alert and make sure we stay on the road and in our lane. In the same way, God never lets us drift off course without sending us warning signs, whether it's in the form of specific Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, or wise and God-honoring people -- but's up to us to heed those warnings if we want to keep from driving our lives into the ditch.

Have you ever heard the joke, "I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not quite sure."? God wants us to be decisive in our relationships with Him - and with others - so that He can count on us to get His work done. Jesus was steadfast and focused on His mission during His earthly ministry, and He set a great example for us to follow. When we're faced with obstacles, let's make God-led decisions about how to overcome them, and then commit to following through -- even when it gets tough!

The devil doesn't care if you read your Bible or go to church -- just as long as you don't apply it to your life. Because it's only when we apply the things God's taught us that real change starts to happen in our lives. Instead of continuing to do things our own way, hearing but never applying what Scripture teaches us, what if we tried it God's way? We have nothing to lose -- but everything to gain!

What would you do if today was your last day? It's not something we really like to think about, but one day we'll each take our final earthly breath. And when that day comes, we'll find ourselves standing before the Father, accountable to Him for what we did or didn't do with our time in this world. In order to be prepared for that day, our lives need to be marked by obedience to God every day.

We'll never be younger than we are at this moment! Getting older is a fact of life, but God's never done using us or teaching us until the day He calls us home to Him. One of the ways we can prepare for that day is by pouring ourselves into Scripture. And when we do that, we invite God to pour His Spirit into us!