Ambitious for God

Ambitious for God

Bible: 1 Kings 8:54-63

May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him (V.58).

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Is it good to be an ambitious person? We want to work hard and do well at exams—that kind of ambition is good. But we live in a world where ambition often means pushing others out of the way to get what we want. God tells us to live differently. We are to “do nothing out of selfish ambition” (PHILIPPIANS 2:3). Instead, our ambition should be to love and follow God. There is a test for our ambition that never fails: “Do it all for the glory of God” (1 CORINTHIANS 10:31). After the flood in Noah’s day, a group of people decided to build a tower because of their ambition to “make a name” for themselves (GENESIS 11:4). They wanted to be famous! But they were not doing it for God’s glory; they were not ambitious for Him to be loved, known and praised. Yet when King Solomon finished building the temple, he said, “Just as the Lord promised, I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord” (1 KINGS 8:20). Then he prayed, “May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands” (V.58). When God is the centre of our lives, we’ll want to bring glory to Him. He will make us driven, ambitious people; not ambitious for ourselves, but ambitious for His great name to be known by our friends and family. May our “hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands” (V.61).

DO EVERYTHING FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

YouTh Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries