Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2 Corinthians 5:9 NASB)
Is my life characterized by ambition? Righteous ambition is God-centered, not self-centered. Are my goals and aspirations pleasing to my Lord Jesus Christ and worthy of His call upon my life? The Apostle Paul reminds:
- As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (Ephesians 4:1 NIV)
- live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:10 NIV)
- live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:12 NIV)
Ambition gets nowhere until it forms a partnership with effort. Authentic ambition will get you into a lot of hard work. The ambition of “pleasing Him” spurs us toward excellence.
Healthy ambition generates:
- energized behavior,
- balanced emotions,
- channeled focus,
- passionate pursuit, and
- God-expectant success.
God deserves nothing less than our best effort! Oswald Sanders writes, “It is the responsibility of the disciple to be the best he or she can be for God. To please Him is a most worthy aim. He wants us to realize the full purpose of our creation; He does not want us to be content with bland mediocrity.” (Spiritual Discipleship, p. 67) We cannot settle for mediocrity.
When we get tired of working or waiting, we too easily accept far less than God’s best. We don’t need to follow the example of the lonely lady who stuck up a conversation in a checkout lane, asking the man behind her, “Where do you work?”
“I haven’t found a job yet,” the man replied. “I just finished a twenty-year prison sentence for banked robbery.”
“So,” the woman paused hopefully, “you’re single?”
Leaders need to be especially careful, evaluating their own motives. Sometimes, we too quickly excuse self-promotion. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah cautions his secretary Baruch, “Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t do it!” (Jeremiah 45:5 NLT) Paul alerts that some “proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives” (Philippians 1:17 NASB). In a book targeted for pastors, Gary Fenton warns, “the smoke produced by unbridled ambition can cloud our vision for ministry. We need to admit and channel our ambitions rather than allow them to direct our work.” (Your Ministry’s Next Chapter, p.47)
Motivation is the key. Why am I seeking to be a leader? For me? For Christ? Am I after God’s agenda or mine? Jesus told His disciples, “I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (John 5:30b NIV). Christ is our role-model. As we mature in Christlikeness, the reason for righteous living moves from:
- “I have to” (legalism) to
- “I like this” (satisfaction) to
- “It’s important” (value) to
- “God is pleased” (worship).
Ambition without determination never reaches its destination. We have got to stick it through to the end, giving our very best to the King of Kings. Let’s make it our ambition to please Christ!
