Divine Ambition

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,”

Philippians 2:3

 

 

How much would your plans and goals have to change

if you took the admonition above to heart?

A little or a lot?

Ambition is defined as:

“a particular goal or aim : something that a person hopes to do or achieve”

Using that definition most would agree that goals, something to aim for, and achievements

can all be good things to aspire to.

Jesus came to earth with a particular goal.

It was to die on the cross for our sins.

As He accomplished that goal He uttered the words: “It is finished.”

Ambition – by that definition – was a very good thing!

Did you notice the qualifier in the scripture above regarding ambition?

We are told to do nothing out of selfish ambition.

Selfish ambition would never have led Jesus to the cross.

Selfish ambition has only one person’s interest in mind.

It cares not what other people’s needs are.

That is the toxin we are warned against.

Jesus, through His life and death on the cross,  showed us something we might describe as ‘divine ambition’.

Love motivated His actions, His goals and His achievements.

Love for His Father and love for us.

That sounds a lot like the ‘greatest commandment’ doesn’t it?

So perhaps another way of expressing what Paul wrote would be to phrase it this way:

Do everything out of divine ambition….

That is certainly a goal worth pursuing!