Apples of Gold

If you have ever endured one or more of the infamous personality tests you have likely heard that our strengths, taken to their extreme, often become our weaknesses. The truth of this statement is evidenced by those who find their niche and rapidly rise to prominence only to fall victim to overconfidence or tunnel vision. They become so focused on their own desires or position that their motives and vision become polluted. James labels this defect selfish ambition:

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. James 3:13-16

In the church world we seem to have a bit of difficulty distinguishing between godly, healthy ambition and its evil twin: selfish ambition. The difference is actually enormous although the line between the two is quite easy to unintentionally cross.

Godly Ambition

The Great Commission challenges-actually commands, all believers to get out there and reach the lost, and teach them how to live a life that honors God. Godly ambition is often accompanied by sincere, holy passion and deep commitment to live for God.

Jesus replied, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37

Giving 90% of our heart, soul, and mind to God is often not really all that difficult. The final 10% is another matter altogether. The secret to pushing towards giving our all is found in the following Scripture:

He must become greater and greater; and I must become less and less. John 3:30

This is the heart’s cry and necessary pursuit of godly ambition. A recognition of the desperate need for God’s intervention and power in all aspects of life helps keep the feet of the believer on the ground even when they are elevated in position or influence.

Godly ambition rejoices when others are promoted and understands that being used by God is much more about who HE is than who we are. It seeks God’s will with no regard for a title or position but maintains a willingness and hunger to serve when God brings an opportunity.

Selfish Ambition

Selfish ambition focuses on-you guessed it, yourself! When you find yourself much more concerned about how you will be impacted by something rather than those you love or serve; you should be on the lookout for the evil twin. Ouch! This is a tough one. When Scripture warns us that something is accompanied by evil of every kind we better pay attention.

As desired as godly ambition should be-selfish ambition should be carefully guarded against. In a culture that worships self, we should not be surprised to find that selfish ambition is lurking in the wings ready to sneak onto the scene cleverly disguised as the next logical step or an earned perk or merit.

James gives us some warning signs, revealing things that tend to accompany selfish ambition:

Bitter jealousy, hiding the truth, boasting and lying are all listed and characterized as earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. Notice hiding the truth is distinguished from lying. While lying is saying something that you know is not accurate, hiding the truth is not saying something that you know is.

When we find ourselves trying to get ahead, or stay ahead, it is easy to allow these “evils” to surface. For the sincere follower of Jesus, this stuff tends to slowly morph from godly ambition to the ugliness of selfish ambition. More likely than not, the change was so gradual that the transformation was unnoticeable to all but the careful observer and of course it doesn’t escape the notice of our loving God.

Course Correction

The starkest difference between godly and selfish ambition is the condition of our hearts. Why do we do what we do? When our motive is to honor God and positively impact those around us we can be pretty certain that our ambition is healthy. When we begin to see others as standing in the way of our advancement or as competition we can be pretty sure it is not.

Realistically we can all expect that selfish ambition is going to creep in from time to time. Surrender is not a one-time event but rather a continuous process in our walk with God. May God use each of us to influence others to follow him unreservedly. May we pay attention to our motives and desires and quickly spot the evil twin attempting to ambush us.

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23