Our society is filled with ambitious people. There are some who work two to three jobs to make six figures while others who make that amount want more. When examining these people one must ask, what motivates them? It would be interesting to see how many have selfless intentions.Often times, believers are no different from non-believers when it comes to being ambitious. For example, if we were to examine the average believers prayer life, would he or she spend more time praising God for who He is and what He has done and expressing a desire to see His will accomplished or would he or she spend the majority of the time asking Him for things that enhance ones quality of life.
Although believers are supposed to bring their requests to God, they must be careful not to spend the entire time praying for things that benefit them. Yesterday, I talked with our kid’s about Solomon’s request in 1 Kings 3. God gave him the option to ask for what ever he desired. He asked for wisdom rather than health and wealth. He did not ask for wisdom to make his name great, but to govern God’s people in a way that was pleasing to Him. According to Warren Wiersbe, “God was pleased with Solomon’s request for wisdom, for it showed that the king was concerned with serving God and His people by knowing and doing God’s will.”
The biblical wisdom that Solomon requested should not be confused with human wisdom that celebrates philosophy and rational thought to answer questions pertaining to the mystery of existence and the universe. Biblical wisdom is God-given and not man-centered. It is meant to produce humility not arrogance. Solomon requested something he did not have, but needed. He asked for wisdom because he knew that he had been placed in an important position and wanted to represent God well. His request also indicated his recognition of being unable to do what God had called him to do.
I told our kid’s that we have also been placed in an important position as adopted children of God and have been given the remarkable assignment of making Christ known where he is not. The problem is that we too are ill equipped. We are in need of God-given wisdom so that we can live a life that is pleasing to Him and represent Him to others.
Because people are inherently self-centered, their desires will naturally be geared toward things that benefit themselves. Ambition is defined as “A cherished desire” or “A strong drive for success.” The people of God should be ambitious for the cause of Christ. They ought to have a cherished desire to see people trusting in Him for salvation so that God can be known and worshipped. They also should to push for the success of His Gospel for His names sake. This will only happen when believers realize that they are helpless and profess their need of Godly wisdom.
Wiersbe, Warren. 1 Kings. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Cook Communication Ministries, 414.
