“There is a fine line between ‘Thy kingdom come’ and ‘my kingdom come.’ “- Mark Batterson
“Anytime you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he had some help.”- Alex Haley
Mark Batterson reminds us in Chapter 18 of Chase the Lion that God-given dreams focus primarily on others. Therefore, dreams that involve and excite everyone else last. In contrast, selfish dreams short circuit.
Hence, down-to-earth dreamers understand that servanthood first and foremost defines leadership. Focusing on others makes it impossible for you to keep people away. Yet, sometimes dreams seem to gather dust on a shelf. But then the moment of truth comes. At that point, you know your wait for God has ended. Now God waits for you.
Like all dreamers, we wrestle with doubt. It’s hard to know whether or not our dream makes a difference. So why, Mark asks, keep going? The short answer- conviction. In other words, feeling so convicted about something, a cause, that you can’t not take action.
However, at times all of us also wrestle with feelings of self-worth. Especially if you’re trying to make a name for yourself, wrestling with self-worth causes a variety of issues. The good news- when your dream focuses on others, self-worth doesn’t matter!
In conclusion, Mark notes that reading the list of thirty-seven mighty men in 2 Samuel 23 sparks about as much excitement as reading the phone book. But to the future king David, that list represented the band of brothers he went to war with. What do you need for your dream? Mark exhorts you to pursue a dream that :
- necessitates thirty-seven mighty me, mighty women
- takes dollars and decades
- scares you
Today’s question: How do you distinguish between “Thy kingdom come” and “my kingdom come?” Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A posture of servanthood”
