How to Be a Kingdom Builder // Becoming a Kingdom Builder, Part 2

<p class="p1">So many people struggle to give up their old ways and live a new way – to give up their personal empire building habits to become true builders of the Kingdom of Heaven. But honestly, before we can change our behaviour, we need a change of heart.</p> <h4><span style="color: #ff9900;">A Man After God's Own Heart</span></h4> <p>In the natural, you and I are programmed to be empire builders aren’t we? We’re constantly thinking about furthering our own interests in our little corner of the planet … in a sense, building our own despotic little empires. It’s just the way we’ve been programmed. And yet Jesus – topsy–turvy Lord and Saviour that He is – calls us to turn that whole self-interest thing completely on its head, Matthew 16:24:</p> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Then Jesus told his disciples, <em>‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’</em></p> <p>That’s easy for Him to say; it’s a lot harder for you and me to do by living it out in our lives, right? So how do you live it out? The reason I ask that question is that anybody who’s ever followed Jesus knows that feeling when you’ve tried and tried and tried and tried … and yet still you fail. Still you find yourself pulling up short. Still you see the selfishness or the arrogance or the insecurity or the faithlessness that you wish wasn’t there rearing its ugly head in your life.</p> <p>You want to be a Kingdom Builder, and yet you realise that really, you’re just trying to build your own empire. Ever been there? Yep – me too. So … what’s the answer. Well Jesus has the answer, and it goes much deeper than you and I might think, Luke 6:43–45:</p> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of their heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces ev