July 15

Three Ambitions

So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it. — 2 Cor 5:9 BSB

Ambition has a place within the Christian faith, and to lack it is to miss a powerful motivation for high and holy endeavor. Our Lord does not destroy any natural faculty, but He directs it toward worthy goals. Instead of striving for material gain or worldly applause, we must stir ourselves to seek things that are the legitimate objects of holy ambition. The Apostle Paul uses this word “ambition” in other passages as well (1 Thessalonians 4:11; Romans 15:20).

There is the ambition of daily toil—“Be ambitious to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.” In the Apostle’s time, there was much unrest, and within the early Christian community, the expectation of the world’s imminent end often led people to abandon their daily responsibilities. But Paul’s instruction is that we should not give in to this restlessness. We must not be caught up in the feverishness of social upheaval, nor surrender to excitement about wealth or pleasure. Instead, we are called to live in peace, focused on our daily tasks.

There is also the ambition to be well-pleasing to Christ. He will evaluate our lives at His judgment seat, and He is already doing so day by day. Our Lord continually assesses our character and determines our reward. Let us strive to be as well-pleasing to Him now as we hope to be in the life to come.

And there is the ambition of Christian work—“Be ambitious to preach the Gospel.” The world still has vast areas that remain unevangelized, and even in our own communities, there are countless people who have no knowledge of Christ. Let us make it our ambition to bring them to Him, always remembering that whatever we do for Christ must be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:18-19).

Prayer

Give us grace, O Lord, to work while it is day, diligently and patiently fulfilling whatever duties You assign to us. Help us to do small things faithfully when they are all You ask, and to take on greater labors if You summon us to them. Let us rise and work, sit still and suffer, according to Your word. Amen.