Small Things

This week in small group we talked about Luke 13:18-21...

Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”

He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

This passage is full of all sorts of great thoughts about how the Kingdom of God starts small in our lives, almost insignificantly, but grows into a powerful force that impacts not only our lives but the lives of everyone we come in contact with. It's written into the DNA - the Kingdom of God will grow. It has to. It's how God designed it.

Which leads to this thought: What does it mean if the Kingdom of God isn't growing in our lives? What does it mean if my relationship with God is not really going anywhere? What does it mean if my life is not having an impact on those around me?

Let me ask you this question: What would keep a flower from growing in a garden? Lack of water. No sunlight. Weeds. Infestation of nasty bugs. The one thing that all these things have in common is that they are external forces. The flower, if placed in the right circumstances, will grow. It's written in it's genetic code. It requires external forces to prevent it's growth.

It's the same in our lives. For the Kingdom of God to not grow in our lives, it would mean there are external forces preventing it from growing. You see, the only reason many of us don't experience all that God has for us is that we keep things in our life that suppress our spiritual growth. We hold on to relationships, sin and selfish desires that limit our ability to grow. We allow things to block God's nourishing sunlight, preventing us from growing closer and closer to him. Proverbs 1:18 describes the person who commits the ultimate act of self-sabotage and suppresses the Kingdom of God from growing in their life:

But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get
themselves killed.

Ask yourself this: Is the Kingdom of God growing in my life? If not, what is it in my life that is keeping it from growing?

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious
thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me
along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24

Get this week's small group guide here: Small Things.