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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you

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Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is on keeping close to God.

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Speaker 2: We returned with the devotional after a brief message from

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Speaker 2: our sponsors. One Thing that keeps Us Close to God

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Speaker 2: written and read by Kelly Blari. No one has ever

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Speaker 2: seen God, but if we love each other, God lives

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Speaker 2: in us, and his love is brought to full expression

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Speaker 2: in us. First John four twelve. We can't give what

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Speaker 2: we don't have. If I don't have flowers in hands

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Speaker 2: and I can't give them to you. If I come

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Speaker 2: with an empty chocolate box, you will never taste that

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Speaker 2: gooey caramel and dark chocolate on your tongue. If I

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Speaker 2: don't hold love, I won't hand it to you. We

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Speaker 2: love because God first loved us. Do we behold and

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Speaker 2: hold his love? Do we dwell in his love? Soak

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Speaker 2: it up like a sponge, consider it, own it, give

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Speaker 2: thanks for it. We cannot effectively give what we don't have,

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Speaker 2: and it's very important that we give out love why.

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Speaker 2: First John four twelve says no one has ever seen God,

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Speaker 2: but if we love each other, God lives in us,

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Speaker 2: and his love is brought to full expression in us.

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Speaker 2: To love is to know God lives in us. To

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Speaker 2: love is to see God's heart outflow through us. This

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Speaker 2: is critical because the full expression of God is a

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Speaker 2: full expression of love. The full bloom of Him is love.

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Speaker 2: And I don't know about you, but I can grow

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Speaker 2: in love. This weekend, I sat next to a woman

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Speaker 2: at a sports game. I heard her mention something about

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Speaker 2: her kid going to a church in it. I took

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Speaker 2: note of that, Yet a couple minutes later, she was

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Speaker 2: costly complaining. I asked myself what kind of church does

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Speaker 2: she go to? Before long, this woman's endless talking gave

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Speaker 2: way to such a headache that I had to get

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Speaker 2: up and walk away from her. I can't take this woman.

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Speaker 2: Next time, I'll be sure to sit somewhere else. Yet

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Speaker 2: today I'm convicted. Love for her had no place in

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Speaker 2: my mind. Grace had no space either. Instead, judgment reigned

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Speaker 2: to remove myself from people in need to serve keeping

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Speaker 2: my own peace. Jesus didn't do it. He went to

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Speaker 2: the lepers. He felt it necessary to see a scandalous

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Speaker 2: Samaritan woman he ate with the sinner. Jesus didn't run

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Speaker 2: from people in need. He discerned and then set them pray.

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Speaker 2: Of course, my job is not to be savior to

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Speaker 2: this woman, but I can pray for her. I can

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Speaker 2: extend compassion. I can smile upon her from the inside

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Speaker 2: of my heart. God knows I'm not perfect either. God

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Speaker 2: knows he loves me. Even though God knows, there are

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Speaker 2: areas in my life where I am still a work

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Speaker 2: in progress. I am not obligated to be best friends

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Speaker 2: with everyone, but I can love them in my mind,

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Speaker 2: pray for them from my heart, and extend to them

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Speaker 2: a gracious act of kindness, from the deep gratitude I

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Speaker 2: have for what Jesus did for me. Because Jesus loved

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Speaker 2: me well I was yet a sinner, I can love

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Speaker 2: them too. Intersecting faith in life, do you often consider

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Speaker 2: how loved by God you are? How much does God

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Speaker 2: love you? How does God's love flow through you as

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Speaker 2: you love others?

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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what

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Speaker 1: you heard today, we want to make sure you know

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Speaker 1: a brand new prayer and devotional each day, so your

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Speaker 1: days begin in conversation with God. If you're looking to

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Speaker 1: grow in prayer or start your day with your heart

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Speaker 1: focused on the right things, search for your daily prayer

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Speaker 1: in your favorite podcast app and be sure to follow

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