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Ambition is often viewed with suspicion. The Puritan Thomas Brooks once called it “a gilded misery, a secret poison.” Scripture seems to agree, warning against selfish ambition that breeds conceit, disorder, and vile practice (Phil. 2:3; James 3:14, 16). What is the common thread in these warnings? Selfishness. Ambition, left alone, seeks recognition, comfort, and status for oneself. Moreover, it is blinding, it tramples over convictions, and it ultimately dethrones God from one’s life.
Yet the Apostle Paul states that he was himself ambitious. In Romans 15:20, he declares, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named.” His aim, goal, or ambition was not self-promotion or recognition but Christ-exaltation. The word ambition is not itself problematic, but the object of ambition often leads us astray.
Paul’s ambition was shaped by the gospel message of Christ. He never forgot that his calling was a gift: “because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles” (vv. 15–16). His message was not about himself or made by him but “the gospel of God” concerning His Son (1:1–3). Even his success was Christ’s work: “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me” (15:18). Grace of the gospel of Christ Jesus saturated his life, making his ambition God-focused rather than self-centered.
In other words, godly ambition is ultimately self-forgetful. According to Romans, Paul’s life was driven by Isaiah’s vision: “Those who have never been told of him will see” (15:21; see Isa. 52:15). This means that his ultimate aim or ambition was not driven by comfort—after all, getting to Spain was not an easy feat in the first century. It was not about popularity or financial gain. It was all about Christ, who is our life (Col. 3:4). No wonder Paul summarized his life this way: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Everything he did pointed to Christ Jesus.
Paul’s perspective challenges our priorities. Too often, our ambitions mirror the world’s: success, security, and significance. But Scripture calls us to aim higher: “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please [God]” (2 Cor. 5:9). As C.S. Lewis once said, “Aim at heaven, and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth, and you will get neither.” Sadly, our ambition is not too big; it is often too small.
What is your ambition? If it begins and ends with you, it will fail. But if it starts with God and His glory, it will endure. The Scriptures teach that we ought to seek first His kingdom and that all these things will be added unto us (Matt. 6:33). Godly ambition starts not with the breadth of our influence but with the depth of our faithfulness today. As the Lord determines the end, let us seek ambition to please Him ultimately.