Some years back, I took a new job to expand my career horizons. What seemed straightforward at first became more complicated when I found out I would split my time between two locations. The locations could not have been more different. While one site was inviting and clearly concerned with the needs of the clientele, the other site was more concerned with ambition and an ongoing power struggle. One half of the job was joy while the other half was pain. Years later, I still reflect on how poorly management functioned at the second location.
The Bible is full of examples of ambitious people who eventually meet a dreadful end such as Ahab (1 Kings 16-22), Jezebel (1 Kings 18-21, 2 Kings 9), Sennacherib (2 Kings 18-19), Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26-27), and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). Each of these people wanted something different such as power or money, but they found that the ambition of something aside from God did not end well.
Even years after working with those ambitious people, I cannot find positive thoughts about the management. There are feelings of frustration, anger, disappointment, and confusion, but I cannot find positive feelings. I think of the management more like these people in the Bible. They were so determined to succeed that they failed. Watching management care more about ambition than employees and clients had a long-term impact on how I view management even now. This legacy makes me distrust ambitious people.
My question for us today is, “What is your ambition as a believer?”
Are you concerned with what God has for you to do, or are you more concerned with personal goals? Do eternal goals outweigh worldly ambitions? Have you ever been negatively impacted by someone else’s personal ambitions? Does it impact how you look at jobs, management, and future goals?
Let’s try to keep the Word of God in mind:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17, NKJV)
And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12, NKJV)
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33, NKJV)
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4, NKJV)
Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:24, NLT)
God doesn’t want you to always fail, but He does want you to keep your successes in perspective. Our ambitions shouldn’t hurt other people. At least my experience with someone else’s ambition taught me to be careful. We don’t want to be someone’s cautionary tale of what not to do.
All Things Subject to Change 