Compassion and Growth: Embracing God's Kingdom Together

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Compassion calls us to to to act, to respond, and so when the seed is planted and the seed starts to grow and this relationship is growing within us, there's something in us that God calls and we respond and he calls and we respond and he and he says something and I hear him. [00:52:31]

What if the process of growth in my relationship with God is the very dynamic by which ministry takes place by which the birds come and because I am an extension of him because he is in me and moving through me and when they come in contact they are coming in contact with him. [00:53:28]

There's a reason for the growth, there's a reason for the growing and that's exactly why he says so that here it is you want to experience the kingdom this tree is great this relationship with me is great and wonderful you want to experience the kingdom let me tell you what it looks like. [00:54:21]

The passage is saying we're not the ones that are going out and catching the birds so why do the birds come when they come willingly they're more likely to stay they come for safety a tree is a safe harbor for them from predators it's a place that they can come and be nourished. [00:58:14]

It's God who draws us to himself sometimes I think we think or maybe it's just me that God wants me to save all these people but really he just wants to use me he wants to work through me because he's the one that pursues us he's the one that finds the lost. [00:59:14]

Our branches are an extension of what is within us it's an extension of our relationship with him do you want the birds to come that's a good question to wrestle with what does this extension of Jesus look like through us well it's a willingness to do what God desires. [01:00:28]

God desires that we would love him and that we would love others you've probably heard that before right love God love others even my two-year-old knows that god love me god love chickens that's how we pray i think I mentioned that before that's his prayer every meal. [01:01:03]

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me for whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me will find it and he says if you let me put this this seed in your field and you allow it to grow. [01:02:32]

The birds they need access to an understanding of restoration to an understanding of of healing and hope that they've never seen before and that doesn't come from a life apart from God the extension of Christ through us can be the very access that they need. [01:03:05]

When our relationship with Jesus grows we start to see so much more it's not that the landscape has changed it's just that we're seeing it differently and when we love God so so much and we want what he wants and we love what he loves and we want to do what he wants to do. [01:04:18]

When God is working in your life and you're saying "Okay God how do you want to use me today oh God give me opportunity to be to to be whatever you need me to be for your people today to love your people today to I don't know." And then you walk into the store. [01:06:38]

It's a direct expression of loving God that I love others how he loves them and that can be really hard because relationships are messy and people are people but God still asks us to love uh Pastor Josh is going to come and I'm going to give you a couple next steps. [01:08:52]

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