Richard Ellis Talks

The world's way is to base how we love others on how they first loved us. God's way is for us to love others based on how He first loved us. When we have a healthy relationship with the Lord, we understand the depths of His unconditional love, and we can't help but extend the same selflessness to the people around us.

Jesus didn't say that we might have troubles in this life; He guaranteed that we will. Hard times will come, but God designed His Church to be a body of believers who can comfort one another during those times. He wants to use us, not just to help each other, but so that His peace can be made known to the world in the midst of difficult seasons.

 

God used a handful of people to establish His Church and, in doing so, to reach the entire world. More than 2000 years later, the impact that those obedient disciples of Jesus made on generations of Christians who followed has set a path for us to continue the work of the Gospel. May we strive to emulate their commitment and submission to bring all people to the saving knowledge of Christ!

If you have an ex that you haven't forgiven, you run the risk of carrying around a bitterness that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Jesus tells us not only to forgive our enemies, but to love and pray for them, too. When we forgive those who have hurt us, we experience freedom from the past, and the opportunity to let go and move on.

The devil draws so many people into believing the lie that this life is all that there is. The reality is: if we've accepted Christ as our Savior, then we have the promise of eternal life with Him. But even though Heaven is waiting for us in the end, that's not an excuse to coast through this world; we have a responsibility to finish out the things God's placed us on this earth to do, until the day He calls us home.

God went all in to save us. Why would we expect to do anything less than go all in and give Him our lives in response? He holds all the cards -- the only winning strategy in this life is to bet everything on Him knowing He'll take care of us every step of the way.

Sometimes the worst harm we can do is to sit down and keep quiet when we should stand up and speak out. That's especially true when an opportunity presents itself for us to share our faith with others. God wants to use you and me to reach people for His Kingdom. Let's be ready to give a reason for the hope that should be evident in our lives.

Genealogy has become increasingly popular with the advent of modern technology that allows us to trace our DNA back through time. In the same way that we can see how the choices made by previous generations still impact our earthly lives today, we can also see the spiritual impact of those who have gone before us. It's not only important for us to live in obedience to God for our own benefit -- it also makes a difference to other believers both in the here and now, and in the generations to come.

 

God made the Church to be His Bride by loving her enough to die for her. Do we, as the Church, respond accordingly in love? Foreplay is used to lead to intimacy in marriage, but in a spiritual way, it can be used to lead to intimacy with God. We need to give Him our time and attention, in worship and prayer, showing that our heart truly loves the One who first loved us.

Have you ever known somebody who has gone through unimaginable hardship, yet they exude complete and absolute joy? It's impossible to be void of joy when we're walking in the presence of God and living in true relationship with Him. That doesn't mean we're free from experiencing sorrow and suffering -- it means that no amount of sorrow or suffering can rob us of the joy we receive from Him.