Since the day we were born, most of us are taught to be
happy and pursue happiness. It is not wrong to be ambitious. However, if that
is the focal point of our existence, then we’re missing the boat. The greatest
happiness you’ll ever find is experiencing God on a continual basis.
Being ambitious for God is not about performance. It is
having a desire to please God in everything we do and make decisions affect
Him. God has given us the freedom to choose. We have entered into a
relationship where everything is based on love and trust. When we wake up every
morning and ask God for His direction, we’re being ambitious for God. When we
leave our homes looking for people to help, we’re being ambitious for our
Master. When we’re representing Him with honesty and integrity in the
marketplace, we’re standing out for our God. If we’re not intentional about
these things, we will have little impact for our Lord and Savior.
William Carey, the great missionary to India, said, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great
things from God.” When we set spiritual goals, we’ll have an opportunity to
achieve them. If we involve God in our personal lives, homes and at work, we’ll
change our world for the betterment of God’s Kingdom.
In our personal lives, we can start with a commitment to
connect with God daily. A recent survey in America showed the average household
has 4.4 Bibles. Fifty-seven percent of those people only read their Bible four
times a year or less. Young people are moving away from the Bible. A majority
(57%) of those ages 18-28 read their Bibles less than three times a year. Only
twenty-six percent of Americans say they read their Bible on a regular basis
(four or more times a week). We all agree that our country is on a moral
decline, but what are we going to do about it? I challenge you to read the
Bible every day. Start with only a chapter or even a verse. Keep the Bible in
your favorite couch. Have a set time (morning is the best) to read the Wisdom Book.
When you give God’s Word priority over your life, you’re honoring God, and He
will honor you back in everything you do. In communist China, underground
Christians share one Bible between dozens of believers. Leaders get arrested
and thrown into prison for owning a Bible or conducting a house church. Is
there any wonder, China is on course to become ‘world’s most Christian nation’ within 15 years?
The best Christian homes take their families to church.
This is a great start but don’t just be a pew-warmer. Yes, we must gather
together in the house of God. But we will have little or no impact if we do not
honor God in our own homes. J. Edgar Hoover said, “If discipline were practiced in every home, juvenile delinquency would
be reduced by 95%.” What children get, they give to society. When kids
watch their parents living in harmony, honoring each other, and living a God-fearing
life, they will pick up on it. They too will model their lives to be ambitious
for God. The greatest investment we can make on our kids is not to leave a
great inheritance, or give them a great education in their career, but to help
them encounter God and pursue His plans for their lives. The world doesn’t need
more professionals; we need more disciples of Christ.
At work, we can be ambitious for our God as well. In
certain religions, they take time out in the middle of their work hours to
worship God. Why are we afraid to bring our faith to work? Allow me let you in
on a secret. If you’re the best producer and hardest worker at your job,
management doesn’t care what religion you practice. I’m not telling you to be
obnoxious, but to gently, quietly, and deliberately live your faith at work. If
you do not compromise your character or your faith, you’ll be working for God
at your job and make the devil pay for it!
Friend, set some impossible goals for the extension of
His Kingdom. Don’t just settle for giving 10% of your income to God. How about
joining a neighborhood evangelism team? Serve at a local food bank. Visit the elderly,
homeless and the prisons. Go on a missions team with Build International. The
possibilities are endless. If you have a desire to attempt great things for
God, He will make is possible for you to experience great things for Him.
“Live
such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong,
they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter
2:12 NIV).
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