Ambition – Jeremiah 45:5

But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh,’ declares the Lord, ‘but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go.’

Our glorious ambition as those who love God and desire to please Him should be to know Him more personally, to serve Him more effectively, and to obey Him more devotedly.  These pursuits bring true success and eternal rewards, not as with striving after the wind for power, pleasure, wealth, or fame.

The Lord lovingly instructs us, as He did Baruch, Jeremiah’s faithful assistant, not to give in to selfish ambition, which leads its captive into unsafe places where destructive forces lurk.  For those who, in violation of the Lord’s commandments, lust after worldly success and the world’s praise while coveting what others have and being dissatisfied with the blessings the Lord has poured upon them,[1] acquire an insatiable desire for greater accomplishment and wealth.  Once whetted by greed, their appetites find no satisfaction in the abundance the Lord provides for them.[2]

Rather than longing for more, those who are wise seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, trusting their Provider will grant them that which is good and profitable.[3]  Their passion is to see Christ glorified and lifted up before all people.  They humbly serve Him without fanfare,[4] furthering the cause of salvation and restoration through their dedicated and quiet lives.[5]

Do you desire riches?  Gain the enduring kind by taking on godliness and being content with the blessings the Lord has given you.[6]  Do you hope for prestige?  Secure a place of status and honor in the Lord’s holy courts by no longer striving for recognition, but rather by peacefully allowing the Spirit of the living God to direct your paths.[7]  Do you want authority?  Walk with God, and you will judge angels.[8]

Recognize what has value and what is but an illusion, a vapor, a feather, a worthless scrap of nothingness when we weigh it on eternal scales, and give your life for those things that will endure.  Seek after great things, but not the things of the world, not after the riches, prestige, and authority held so dear by those without a view of heaven.  Seek to overcome the desires and temptations that would consume you, while striving to gain the victory of righteousness and holiness, so Jesus will invite you to take a place of greatness beside His throne, to rule with Him for all eternity.[9]

[1] Exodus 20:17

[2] Ecclesiastes 6:7

[3] Matthew 6:33

[4] John 3:30

[5] 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

[6] 1 Timothy 6:6-9

[7] Psalm 131:1-2

[8] 1 Corinthians 6:3

[9] Revelation 3:21