Fuel of Ambition

Would you say ambition is a good attribute or a negative one to have? Encarta Dictionary simply states ambition as “a strong feeling of wanting to be successful in life and achieve great things”. Ambition is the fuel that keeps our engines running to strive for a goal, a dream, or accomplishment. All who have accomplished great things in sports, politics, business, etc. have had this fuel of ambition made up with varied additives of courage, perseverance, dedication and sacrifice. However, we have also seen unhealthy ambition become a dangerous, explosive high-octane fuel mixture that destroys. In Judges chapter 9, we see ambition in its dangerous, destructive form in the story of Abimelech.

After the death of Gideon and forty years of peace in Israel, there was a power struggle for who would lead the Tribes of Israel. One of Gideon’s seventy sons (yes that’s right seventy!), Abimelech had an unhealthy explosive fuel of ambition that left a city and a people devastated for his quest for power. Abimelech’s story was one of self-centered promotion, conspiracy, twisting morality, leading to mass murder and attacking his own people. Ambition became the fuel for evil.

Sadly, we have present examples of unhealthy, destructive ambition with politicians (Charles Rangel, NY and Maxine Waters, CA) of corruption and crossing ethical lines, sports (Lance Armstrong with mounting evidence of performance enhancing drugs), and business (all I have to say is British Petroleum). Although those cases receive national attention and we shake our heads and exclaim, “shame on you”, yet, we can also allow the same destructive ambition to fuel our lives as well. When we become highly critical, self-promoting, manipulating, undermining, conniving, overly sensitive to offenses and self-seeking, within our homes, friendships, workplace, business, schools, and sports then we have allowed unhealthy ambition to fuel our attitudes, thoughts, words and actions. Destruction is imminent.

Ambition, when in alignment with what God has for us, is a powerful, transforming attribute that is fueled by the Holy Spirit in love and truth for God’s glory (Rev. Billy Graham, Missionary to India Mark Buntane, Songwriter Michael W. Smith). The primary additives to contain this highly unstable fuel of human ambition, is humility and love in Christ.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

If you have some fuel of ambition running your engine toward God inspired goals, hopes, and dreams (and all us do), then keep your engine in tune with the Truth of God’s Word and in the hands of the master mechanic, the Holy Spirit, and run straight and strong.