Richard Ellis Talks

You might be familiar with the old hymn that goes, "The church is not a building. The church is not a steeple. The church is not a resting place. The church is a people!" But it's more than just a catchy song. When God lives in you and me, He fills us to overflowing. And when we're filled with God, we can't help but spill over His love, grace, and mercy to others!

Here's a weird question for you: how many times do you hit the "snooze" button when your alarm goes off? Many of us drag our feet and have a hard time waking up in the morning, but we might not realize we do the same thing in our spiritual life. The devil works hard to lull us to sleep by desensitizing us to things that should bother us. Instead of continuing to hit the "snooze" button on our walk with God, it's time for us to wake up and let Him work in us and through us -- and one way to do that is to start each day with prayer!

Here's a weird question for you: how many times do you hit the "snooze" button when your alarm goes off? Many of us drag our feet and have a hard time waking up in the morning, but we might not realize we do the same thing in our spiritual life. The devil works hard to lull us to sleep by desensitizing us to things that should bother us. Instead of continuing to hit the "snooze" button on our walk with God, it's time for us to wake up and let Him work in us and through us -- and one way to do that is to start each day with prayer!

We're called to spread the Gospel to those we meet, but not everybody we encounter will accept the truth we share. No amount of convincing that we try to do on our own has the power to save somebody. It's the Holy Spirit's job to work in each heart to convict each person of their need for Christ, and it's our job to pray and trust that God's ultimately in control.

We're called to spread the Gospel to those we meet, but not everybody we encounter will accept the truth we share. No amount of convincing that we try to do on our own has the power to save somebody. It's the Holy Spirit's job to work in each heart to convict each person of their need for Christ, and it's our job to pray and trust that God's ultimately in control.

When it comes to having children, there have been lots of "accidental" conceptions throughout human history -- but there's never been an "accidental" adoption! Adoption is an intentional, deliberate choice that comes at great cost and sacrifice. In the same way, God chose us to be adopted into His family before the world ever began, and His choice came at great cost and sacrifice. The sacrifice Jesus made by dying on the cross was bittersweet, but all the pain He endured was worth it to Him in order to adopt us into His family.

When it comes to having children, there have been lots of "accidental" conceptions throughout human history -- but there's never been an "accidental" adoption! Adoption is an intentional, deliberate choice that comes at great cost and sacrifice. In the same way, God chose us to be adopted into His family before the world ever began, and His choice came at great cost and sacrifice. The sacrifice Jesus made by dying on the cross was bittersweet, but all the pain He endured was worth it to Him in order to adopt us into His family.

When it comes to trusting God, it's easy to cling to what we already have. But it's a whole different story when we're challenged to let go, give it back to God, and have faith that He'll multiply it above all we could ask or imagine! Once we loosen our grip on the things we have, it gives God room to come in and add even greater blessings to our lives -- but we have to trust in His provision first.

When it comes to trusting God, it's easy to cling to what we already have. But it's a whole different story when we're challenged to let go, give it back to God, and have faith that He'll multiply it above all we could ask or imagine! Once we loosen our grip on the things we have, it gives God room to come in and add even greater blessings to our lives -- but we have to trust in His provision first.

We can do nothing to lose God's love for us, because we did nothing to earn it in the first place! And the more we realize our value to God, the more we grow in our appreciation for Him. Our Father loves and treasures us more than we could ever fathom -- and He's promised an inheritance for us in heaven greater than anything we could ever dream up for ourselves!

We can do nothing to lose God's love for us, because we did nothing to earn it in the first place! And the more we realize our value to God, the more we grow in our appreciation for Him. Our Father loves and treasures us more than we could ever fathom -- and He's promised an inheritance for us in heaven greater than anything we could ever dream up for ourselves!

We only have to marvel at the colors of a sunset to realize that creation reflects the grace and glory of God! He didn't create only what seemed "necessary" -- He went above and beyond to make it beautiful, too. In the same way, when we trust Him to take care of us, He not only meets our immediate needs, but he graciously blesses us on top of that -- like cherries on a sundae!

We only have to marvel at the colors of a sunset to realize that creation reflects the grace and glory of God! He didn't create only what seemed "necessary" -- He went above and beyond to make it beautiful, too. In the same way, when we trust Him to take care of us, He not only meets our immediate needs, but he graciously blesses us on top of that -- like cherries on a sundae!

Mother Teresa famously stated, "The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved." But even when it feels like everyone has left us, God's promised that He never will! Instead of looking for someone else to fix us, the Lord wants to us to put Him first and trust that He'll provide for us.  

Mother Teresa famously stated, "The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved." But even when it feels like everyone has left us, God's promised that He never will! Instead of looking for someone else to fix us, the Lord wants to us to put Him first and trust that He'll provide for us.