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. A Man After God's Own Heart 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: Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’ 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. 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: 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 evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. In other words if you and I truly want to take up our cross and follow Jesus, if we really, really want to become Kingdom builders rather than our own despotic little emperors, it’s a matter of the heart. Good things and bad things, all that we do, begin in the heart. Jesus also pointed out that murder begins in the … heart, right? (Matthew 5:21–26). So what you and I need is a change of heart, not a change of actions. Come on, you and I know that we can do anything if first, it begins as a work in our hearts. Problem is, there are some things deep down inside that you and I simply cannot do. There are some major works required in our hearts, that only the Holy Spirit can do. So to answer this question – how can we become kingdom builders rather than empire builders, we’re going to go to a man who had a right heart and see what it was about his heart that enabled him to build the Kingdom of God, rather than his own personal empire. Now this man – David – ultimately became the greatest King that Israel ever had. So if anybody could have been an empire builder, it could have been him right? And yet he was more interested in building God’s Kingdom than His empire. Here’s why – a thousand or so years after the life and reign of David, Luke the Apostle is writing the book of Acts and this is what he writes under the power and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Acts 13:22: When he had removed him, he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.’ Do you see? The heart comes first then the actions. David was a man after God’s very own heart and as a result, he was a man who would carry out all God’s wishes. Now the great thing about choosing David to talk about being a Kingdom builder is this: David was a terrible sinner. He was an adulterer, a murderer, a bandit and marauder. He had times when he was faithless in his life – causing huge punishment to fall on the nation of Israel. In fact, he did things that you or I would never dream of doing. In other words he was a sinner just like you and me, only much, much worse than us. And the point of God calling HIM a man after His own heart is that God knows we’re not perfect, He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He wants our hearts to beat as one with His. Over the last little while I’ve been reading through the books of 1 and 2 Samuel in the Old Testament in my personal devotion times. Now of course, as always, certain passages leapt out and I highlighted them, thought about them, prayed over them, as you do when you’re reading God’s Word. But the biggest thing that struck me was the big sweep of the story of God and David. I think sometimes it’s easy to miss that. We read this verse, or that verse, this chapter or that chapter – it’s as though we chop up God’s Word and we miss the huge story of God’s love and salvation. You know what I mean? So it’s a great thing sometimes just to read the Bible as a story, and ask, what’s the whole story telling me here? And the thing that this story showed me is what it was about David that made him a man after God’s own heart. What was it about his heart this mighty warrior, this sinner – despite all his failings – that made him a man after God’s own heart? And here’s the answer: time and time again David showed through his actions that he considered the nation of Israel to be God’s Kingdom and not his empire. Israel wasn’t his, it was God’s. Over and over again, David showed respect for authority even when that authority was murderous and despotic, he forgave those who persecuted him, he honoured those who were nothing. As I read about those things, I could see the heart of God beating in and through David’s attitudes and actions. And as tough a life as David had, I found myself praying – God, make some of those changes in my heart too. And let me tell you, there’s power in a prayer like that. Friend, you and I can’t produce good actions out of a bad heart. When there’s arrogance, selfishness and pride dwelling in our hearts, in a little room there that we’ve locked up tight to keep God out, then there’s no way that we can have the God–given security to honour authority that God has set over us even when we don’t agree. When we hand everything over to God, except just this one little thing, let me tell you, that one little thing is going to ruin our lives. That one little thing is going to be the devil’s foothold; his beachhead from which he’ll plunder our whole lives; our effectiveness in ministry. Because let me tell you something, the devil definitely wants to keep you and me in our natural, sinful state. What does the Bible say? Ephesians 4:27: Do not make room for the devil. Romans 13:14: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. If in your heart of hearts you want to be used of God to be a part of building His Kingdom rather than your own empire then that thing that you’re hanging onto that you know is wrong, the one thing that you’ve locked away tight and kept from God, needs to be handed over to Him. I know you’re never going to be perfect; so does God. But wilful rebellion in your heart, will rob you of your role as a builder of God’s Kingdom. There’s nothing surer than that. 2 Timothy 2:20,21: In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good...

Released on 7 Nov 2021