Thirst II: Impact

Perhaps Part II should be about relationship, but the church speaks so much of that (not necessarily accurately), that perhaps the impact thirst should be addressed first.

Scripture is ripe about impact. It starts in the first book, Genesis, chapter 1. We are made in the image of God. Before the fall, we had dominion of the earth, though we gave that away. Throughout scripture, God is referred to as King, and John 1 tells us that we are given opportunity to become children of God. What do mature children of a king do? Typically, they reign in some area of appointed authority on behalf of the king, and in time they inherit the kingdom. In Matthew 25, we see those on the Son of Man's right invited to take the inheritance, the kingdom prepared. If we inherit a kingdom, what do you do with it? You rule.

Children of a king, those who inherit a kingdom, their actions impact, intentionally or not. We are meant to impact the world. We thirst to do so.

Between now and when we take positions of ruling, we are learning to impact. To learn, one has to make an impact in the mean while. If one goes back earlier in Matthew 25 than the sheep and the goats story, we see the parable of the talents. The two men who took what they were entrusted with and grew it, they got more responsibility in their master's domain. We are preparing to inherit the kingdom now. What do we do with what we are given?

So we are created to impact, we long to fulfill our creation, and we are being trained in impacting. Our thirst for impact is a part of the equation for preparing for life when we inherit the kingdom.