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It is said of Jesus Christ, He was “born to die.” Consider that as a man’s life ambition for a moment. No, we cannot even fathom such a thing since most of us spend our lives doing everything possible to stave off the inevitable. However, the Son of God and Man came into the world with the express ambition to secure salvation for fallen mankind by the only means possible: the shedding of His own sinless blood culminating in death (Mark 10:45, 14:32-42; Luke 24:44-47; Hebrews 9:11-22). As this edited 2011 Commentary shows, ambition is of God and can drive men in noble and ignoble activities. Marginalizing men demoralizes them and chokes off their natural ambition.
Originally Published December 2011
Tied directly to visionary leadership is the necessary drive to fulfill what has been envisioned. This drive is called ambition. Without this drive no man would have ever set out to achieve or accomplish anything. The so-called advance of civilization never would have occurred nor buildings that touch the clouds, sports records, great musical compositions, technological breakthroughs or sea voyages to the earth's edge. Ambition is the natural companion to visionary leadership and like it, is another of the transmittable attributes of God imparted to man made in the divine image and likeness. Therefore, of itself, ambition is not evil. Men on the sidelines stifle human achievement.
As it originates in God, ambition is a marvelous quality of the divine nature. Indeed, not only does God envision the thing to be done, but He also exerts the drive and power to make it happen! In the case of the universe, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands,” (Psalm 19:1, NIV). The perfect ambition of God acted to bring forth the physical creation with a joyful ultimate purpose: the creation also of His image bearer, man. Even when it appeared that this act of love was a bust because of man's sin in the garden, God announced His plan to help him (Genesis 3:15). From the Seed of the woman would come hope and deliverance.
Package it any other way you want to, Christmas for Christians celebrates the unbridled ambition of God Almighty to save the creature of His love. For this plan of His was not hatched in a “fly by the seat of the pants” moment of inspiration when His creature fell. But He foreknew man's failure and planned from eternity to send His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to be our Savior and Champion (Matthew 1:18-21; 1 Peter 1:20-21)! Seven centuries before His birth the prophet Isaiah ended an inspired utterance announcing it saying, "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this," (Isaiah 9:6-7, NKJV). What is the Lord's zeal but His passionate ambition for His causes?
What is the joy of the mother of Jesus, a virgin that miraculously carried Him in her womb if not at the ambition of God fulfilled in her centuries after the promise (Luke 1:46-55)? What is the joy of the angels if not at seeing the unshakable will and ambition of God to save lowly mankind take another step closer to realization (Luke 2:8-14)? Moreover, what is this ambition in the Son of God to serve His Father as a youth (Luke 2:41-52); this Son of Man too who upon reaching the prime of adulthood, began His fulltime service to God? His genealogy through His mother goes back to the first man and historically demonstrates the longsuffering ambition of God to save (Luke 3:23-38)!
"Like father, like son," the saying goes. Thus, Jesus Christ spent the next three and one half years of His life consumed with the ambition to please His Father and do His will which preeminently involved the salvation of lost mankind (Luke 19:9-10; John 6:38-40). In His ambitious warfare and work He victoriously contended with "that serpent of old" for the liberation of His people from prisons of darkness, torments and afflictions of every kind including death. In the process, He fulfilled His personal ambition born of love for His Father to seek His glory (John 8:48-50, 12:27-28, 15:8, 17:4). Finally, in His death on the cross He completed His ambition and mission to save (John 19:30)!
The excellent divine virtue of ambition is nearly impossible to see in its purity in fallen men. Influenced by sin and often deceived by Satan, fallen men dream dreams and pursue them with the most selfish of motives. Truly, what evil men in their selfish ambitions will not do even persecuting the righteous (John 11:45-53; James 5:1-6). The chief end of ambition in sinful men is personal pride of achievement and glory from other men. This is true too for no small number of those professing to be Christians and working in ministry. The aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ takes to heart the apostle Paul's instruction to do nothing out of selfish ambition, but all for the glory of God (2 Corinthians 10:17-18; Philippians 2:3-11). Such men give us our fleeting look at noble ambition.1
Nevertheless, men sidelined because their historical visionary leadership and ambition are no longer valued is leaving its mark. Many decry the loss of American ingenuity that once dreamed never before imagined inventions, built companies to produce them and created jobs. The News is filled with stories of suffering families and disillusioned, out of work men. Many churches have few men and a number of them suffer the inability to fulfill their divine design because of oppression by threatened leaders that pander to the women. Like a bizarre nightmare, the very group that claims to know God cooperates with the world in deconstructing men as He designed (1 Timothy 4:1-2). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Learn more about the aspiring strong man of God by getting a copy of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available through all major internet
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