Richard Ellis Talks

The Old Testament law was an exhaustive list of all the rules people were supposed to follow in order to appease God. And yet, it comes with a curse of death, because if we break one law, we've broken them all -- and it's impossible to follow them all, because we're not perfect! But Jesus's death flipped the script and changed everything, and it's only by faith in Him that we're saved from the fate we deserve: death up a tree.

The Old Testament law was an exhaustive list of all the rules people were supposed to follow in order to appease God. And yet, it comes with a curse of death, because if we break one law, we've broken them all -- and it's impossible to follow them all, because we're not perfect! But Jesus's death flipped the script and changed everything, and it's only by faith in Him that we're saved from the fate we deserve: death up a tree.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed His followers, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Today's culture often associates "meekness" with "weakness", but in reality, it takes a strong person to allow themselves to be controlled by the Holy Spirit! When we try our hardest to act godly, the work will wear us down sooner or later. But when we yield ourselves to Jesus, His work in our lives manifests itself in fruit of the Spirit -- a fruit that others will notice and want for themselves, too!

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed His followers, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Today's culture often associates "meekness" with "weakness", but in reality, it takes a strong person to allow themselves to be controlled by the Holy Spirit! When we try our hardest to act godly, the work will wear us down sooner or later. But when we yield ourselves to Jesus, His work in our lives manifests itself in fruit of the Spirit -- a fruit that others will notice and want for themselves, too!

In the middle of tough times, it's easy for us to ask God why it's happening. But at the root of all tragedy is the sin issue of humanity, and in the end, even when we don't know the "why" of the situation, we know "Who" the solution is. Jesus took all of our sin upon Himself when He died, allowing for everybody to be saved. Hard times will still come, but the only One who can save us is Jesus.

In the middle of tough times, it's easy for us to ask God why it's happening. But at the root of all tragedy is the sin issue of humanity, and in the end, even when we don't know the "why" of the situation, we know "Who" the solution is. Jesus took all of our sin upon Himself when He died, allowing for everybody to be saved. Hard times will still come, but the only One who can save us is Jesus.

We've all had the experience of feeling let down, whether it's by other people, by God, or even by ourselves. But no matter the circumstance, God offers us comfort through every trial. Not only that, He promises to provide all that we need to do the work He's called us to do.

We've all had the experience of feeling let down, whether it's by other people, by God, or even by ourselves. But no matter the circumstance, God offers us comfort through every trial. Not only that, He promises to provide all that we need to do the work He's called us to do.

It's easy to feel like God is "outta sight" sometimes. Yet in every circumstance, we're called to trust Him. He'll often bring us to places where our faith gets stretched because we can't see how He's going to provide for our needs -- but He'll always take care of us when we seek Him first.

It's easy to feel like God is "outta sight" sometimes. Yet in every circumstance, we're called to trust Him. He'll often bring us to places where our faith gets stretched because we can't see how He's going to provide for our needs -- but He'll always take care of us when we seek Him first.

As one year comes to a close and another begins, it's a good opportunity to reflect on how we used our time the past 12 months to bring honor and glory to God. But more than that, it's important as we move into a new year to not waste the time He's given us. At the end of this life, when all we've done is "sifted" and only those things we did for Him remain, will we have anything to offer Him -- or just empty hands?

As one year comes to a close and another begins, it's a good opportunity to reflect on how we used our time the past 12 months to bring honor and glory to God. But more than that, it's important as we move into a new year to not waste the time He's given us. At the end of this life, when all we've done is "sifted" and only those things we did for Him remain, will we have anything to offer Him -- or just empty hands?

With a new year comes a sense of new beginnings, and an opportunity to do things differently. One area where the Bible teaches us how to live is in how we use our finances. When we give our first fruits to God by placing our treasures in our church home, it indicates that we're committed to a body of believers like He's called us to.

With a new year comes a sense of new beginnings, and an opportunity to do things differently. One area where the Bible teaches us how to live is in how we use our finances. When we give our first fruits to God by placing our treasures in our church home, it indicates that we're committed to a body of believers like He's called us to.

It's easy to get caught up in the world around us. And the more distracted we are, the harder it is to hear God's voice. And while it's important that we stop and listen to what He's telling us to do, listening only makes a difference when it's followed by action.