The Kingdom of God is one in which we look to serve the needs of others before our own wants or desires. We are so often told by the world just to go and get whatever we want, no matter who we might hurt or offend along the way. But those who live in the Kingdom live very differently, seeking to put the needs of others above their own, seeking never to cause another to struggle because of our actions, even if they are not wrong in themselves.

God desires that many should come into his Kingdom, the invitation is open to all. But only few choose to accept it, and often it is not those who we would expect. The Kingdom is not for the elite, the rich, the clever, the deep thinkers but rather for the lost, the lonely and the outcast, who do not take for granted the value of being invited to such a great feast.

The mercy we have received frim God, in being forgiven the debt we owed by our sin, is unlimited. There is no way we would have been able to settle our account with God through our own efforts. Why then, should we not forgive others when they wrong us in much smaller ways than we have wronged God? As citizens of Gods' kingdom, we must make sure we are forgiving others as we have been forgiven.

The rewards of the kingdom are great, and we shall all receive them for the work that we do in serving to establish the kingdom of God on earth. But what we receive will not be determined by our length of service or the number of our good deeds, but by the grace of God, which gives us all more than we deserve.

Jesus redefines for his disciples what success looks like. Success or 'greatness' looks like being children and servants.

John reminds us of the great value of the kingdom of God

Wendy and her team visit us from Kings Arms Church in Bedford. Speaking on compassion Wendy encourages us to be motivated by Jesus love for people.

The seemingly insignificant seeds of the Kingdom can have a disproportionate effect on the earth. Citizens of God's kingdom are attractive people to those who live in the world, because we offer protection and shelter. In your workplace, street, school, etc. You should expect to have an impact far greater than others, because you take the seeds of the kingdom of God into those places with you.

The kingdom of God is like a good seed, it takes root, grows and produce a plentiful harvest. But, the seed must first be buried and die. Jesus was the first of many such seeds, his being buried producing many millions more seeds over the years since. We too must be willing to be scattered, buried and die that on the day of Christ's return and our resurrection we will all see what an incredible harvest we have produced.

To establish a kingdom, you must have a king. And what a king we have! Who is this king? The King of Glory!