By Kevin G. Smith

To be [ambitious],or not to be?

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

SALVADOR AND DONALDAmbition in popular perspective

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Ambition in Popular Perspective

“Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.”

Marilyn Monroe

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Ambition in Popular Perspective

“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.”

Salvador Dalí

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Ambition in Popular Perspective

“ Get going. Move forward. Aim High. Plan a takeoff. Don't just sit on the runway and hope someone will come along and push the airplane. It simply won't happen. Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.”

Donald Trump

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Ambition in Popular Perspective

“Politeness. Now there's a poor man's virtue if ever there was one. What's so admirable about inoffensiveness, I should like to know. After all, it's easily achieved. One needs no particular talent to be polite. On the contrary, being nice is what's left when you've failed at everything else. People with ambition don't give a damn what other people think about them.”

Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Ambition in Popular Perspective

We have just seen the philosophy of the world. Get ahead at all costs, regardless of what you have to do and who you have to do in.

Sadly, this outlook on life is quite prevalent amongst followers of Jesus Christ, even though Jesus both modelled and taught an opposite world and life view.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

DOEG AND DAVIDAmbition in practice

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Ambition in Practice

DoegDoeg was ambitious for status, determined to get power, glory, and fame.

DavidDavid was ambitious for significance, determined to do the will of God.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Psalm 52

• To the Chief Musician.

• A Contemplation of David.

• When Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Psalm 52

1. His ambition was rooted in wrong values.

Verse 1

Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?

The goodness of God endures continually.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Psalm 52

2. His ambition was realised through deceptive actions.

Verses 2-4

Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking righteousness. You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Psalm 52

3. His ambition resulted in short-term success and long-term suffering.

Verses 5-7

God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous also shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Psalm 52

4. His ambition reflected that his heart was not surrendered to God’s will.

Verses 8-9

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Ambition in Practice

DoegDoeg sought to realise his ambitions by his own ruthless schemes. God brought his plans to nought.

DavidDavid refused to take the kingdom by force. He trusted God to promote him in due season. God later defended his kingdom.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

PAUL AND JAMESAmbition in proper perspective

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Ambition in Proper Perspective

The Lord Jesus Christ never spoke directly about ambition, but he did say things like:

• The greatest among you shall be your servant.

• The Son of man did not come to be served but to serve.

• The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

• Father, not my will but yours be done.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Paul

Selfish Ambition• a work of the flesh (Gal.

5:20; cf. 2 Cor. 12:20, NET).• preach Christ out of selfish

ambition (Phil. 1:17).• “Do nothing out of selfish

ambition or vain conceit” (Phil. 2:3, NIV).

• wrath and anger awaits them (Rom. 2:8, NET)

Godly Ambition• ambition to preach Christ in

all places (Rom. 15:20, NIV)• ambition to please Christ at

all times (2 Cor. 5:9, NET)• ambition to live a godly life

(1 Thess. 4:11, NIV)• ambition to be a servant

leader (1 Tim. 3:1)

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

James

James 3:13-18, NIV: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

James

James makes some really piercing statements about “selfish ambition”:

• Selfish ambition is worldly “wisdom”: earthly, unspiritual, demonic!

• Selfish ambition is a root cause of disorder and every evil practice.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

IN CONCLUSION

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Conclusion

Selfish AmbitionGod’s Word roundly condemns selfish ambition. It is never the will or way of God, produces all kinds of evil, ruins the blessing of God, results in fleeting success, but ultimately leads to the discipline or judgement of God.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

Conclusion

Godly AmbitionGodly ambition makes life’s chief aim to know Christ, become like him, and serve him faithfully.

Godly ambition aspires to significance for the glory of God, and allows God to promote the righteous.

To be [ambitious], or not to be?

THE END