“Lord, my heart
is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great
matters, or in things too high for me.” –Psalms 131:1
Ambition is a funny thing, like water, too much or too little
can be harmful. When we become
complacent and slothful, this is detrimental to us and those around us. The opposite is true as well, if we look to
achieve that which is not in the will of God; or meddle in matters that are not
where we are meant to be, this can lead to our destruction. There are not many who would argue the fact
that too little ambition is a bad thing, but too much? As Christians, can we really have too much
ambition? What harm could there be in wanting to achieve? What harm could there be in wanting more?
Psalms is the most quoted book in the New Testament and I
imagine the most quoted book in Christian churches today. Through written word, this beautiful book
canvases the scope of human emotion. It
is the heart of David poured out on a page; with prophecy, doctrine, poetry,
and exhortation intertwined within.
David was the second king of Israel behind Saul. The reason Saul was no longing the king was
because his heart was haughty, eyes
lofty, and he exercised himself in matters/things too high for him. King David, the author of the book of Psalms, saw firsthand the
effect of being too ambitious. When Saul
was instructed to kill the Amalekites, the prophet (voice of God) Samuel told
him to kill all the spoils; leave neither man nor beast. Saul decided to keep the best of the flock,
saying the people wanted to offer it as a sacrifice to God. He manipulated the commandment of God to suit
his own personal desires. He wanted the
spoil, the people wanted sacrifice, and nobody stop to consider what God
wanted. Saul was anointed king under God
over the people Israel, and he spent too much time thinking about how he was
over the people, and not enough time considering that he was under God. His ambition lifted his heart beyond his
authority; outside of his occupation, and he lost the kingdom (and eventually
his life) because of it. David took
instruction from this and his ambition was only towards the things of God. The longing to praise him, to worship him,
and to fight for him was David’s heart; even in his sinfulness he saw that God
and God alone was who the offence was against (against thee and thee only have
I sinned). He loved God more than the
praise of men. He loved God more than
this world. He loved God and God was the
guide of his life.
As born again Christians who are following Jesus, living dead to
this world, and alive to God; the ambition that takes us outside of the
commandments of God it is too much ambition.
The ambition that carries us to a place where we “fear the people”, is
misplaced. Saul’s greatest sin was that
he loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Therefore he was unfit to lead. Pastors, teachers, bishops, and board of
directors across the Christian world are sacrificing the will of God for the
praise of men, and doing it because their ambition has carried them outside
their occupation. It will do the same to
you and me if we are not careful. You
can want a scholarship, job, property, or possession so much that it carries
you to a place where you forget God.
Again, religious ambition is not excluded. You can have ambition to be a pastor of a
certain church or a bishop over a certain circuit. A leader or minister. Is this God’s will for us? Or our will for ourselves, hidden under the cloak
of Christianity? It is a careful thing, because
it is a dangerous trap. Many a man has
wanted better for his family only to find himself traveling all over the
world. His kids may have a first class
education, but they don’t have a first class father. Satan is subtle, but God is greater and knoweth all things; and when our
greatest desire is for Him to guide our lives, there is no error in this ambition.
