Christocentric Ambition
This afternoon, after Christmas choir practice ended, some of us reflected a bit on the Parable of the Talents, a story that puts ambition in its proper place. As we move among God’s people, we may notice that some folks seem to be under the impression that ambition is anti-Jesus—as though the Bible calls us to be the store brand. Unremarkable. In view of God’s Word, I understand why one might easily misinterpret ambition in this way. The Gospels are full of statements from Jesus about laying down ambition. In a world that resembles a race to the top, we are surprised and unnerved by the nature of the upside-down kingdom. Its slogan is The last shall be first and the first shall be last. But Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25 an important insight about ambition: The right kind of ambition is essential to a life that is pleasing to God.
The parable (in Matthew 25:14-30) is about a wealthy man who entrusts his resources to three of his servants before a long journey. He distributes the talents based on their abilities. To sum up the parable, the first two servants invest the talents, making a profit, which they present to the master upon his return. They are both commended and called faithful. But the third servant, instead of working to increase the master’s wealth, hid his talent in the ground. When the master returns, things do not go well. He’s strongly rebuked, and the language of the master points to judgment. The message of the parable is that the gifts, talents, and resources we possess are given to us as a stewardship from God. To make nothing of them—to lack ambition in our stewardship of what is His, is characteristic of those who will be judged forever. But the one who is ambitious for the master will be commended and invited into eternal rest. A foundational question begged by the parable is, “Do we think of our gifts, talents, and resources as being not merely given to us by God, but given for the purpose of making the Master’s name great?”
What does this mean for ambition? There are two kinds of ambition in the Scripture. There is selfish ambition, which James 3 describes as, “earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.” Such ambition is packed with pride and sinful hubris. As the greatest prophet before Jesus once said, “He must increase. I must decrease.” But there is a kind of ambition that marks those who are destined for the glorious rest. We can call it Christocentric ambition. That we would invest all that God has given to us—our gifts, talents, resources, and abilities—for the glory of Jesus. What does that mean for you? Do you have a voice? Ought you not to train it to speak and sing His praises? Do you have some extra resources? It is God’s—ought you not to give to the upbuilding of God’s church? Do you have time? Why not give your time to the brokenhearted, the lonely, the desperate, and those who need Jesus? Do you possess a particular talent in your field of employment? Should you not aim to be the best, the most devoted in your office, that in God’s providence, you would have a platform to give him the glory? What kind of ambition marks your life?
