How ambitious should a Christian be?

Question

According to Luke 16:13 (ESV):

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

It seems to me that God gave us the desire to pursue certain things for a reason to begin with, so being successful and enjoying your career isn't necessarily a sin in and of itself. Is this the correct attitude?

How can a Christian keep God in the center of his or her life and properly enjoy worldly ambitions (such as a successful career)? Is there anything wrong with being focused on your career?

Answer 1

Charles Stanley said in his book Success God’s Way:

In good times and bad times, on mediocre days and exhilarating days, in periods of joy and periods of heavy toil, our stance before the Lord must be, 'Heavenly Father, you’re in charge. I have no success other than what You help me achieve. I trust You to order my steps.'

I believe that this is the true attitude we need to seek.

We need to focus our hearts and minds on God and just do our best here in this life to glorify him. WE can see this in 1 Cor 10:31 (NIV)

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Having said that, God does reward those who love him and seek him earnestly, per Proverbs 28:20 (NIV)

A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

However, we have to be careful not to focus on the treasures here on Earth, per Matt 6:20 (NIV)

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Ultimately, we need do the work that God has given us to do here on Earth and focus our hearts and minds on him.

That will lead to true success without putting ambition as a "second master".

Answer 2

It's important to maintain an eternal perspective. Enjoy your career, sure, but keep in mind that your career is over once you're dead, but eternity lasts forever. As long as you keep your priorities straight and you're willing to give up your career if God's plan calls for you to do something different, you'll probably be all right.

Remember to keep Luke 18: 29-30 in mind:

29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Answer 3

Proverbs is full of verses about how to become wealthy, such as

Proverbs 10:4 (NIV)

4 Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.

But I think the focus is NOT on worldly ambitions, but on your character in how you achieve that wealth.

What God doesn't want is for that to drive your focus. If you are too focused on your career, you lose sight of what is really important (eg God, family, people around you)

However, James does warn us against selfish-ambition:

James 3:13-15 (NIV)

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

Answer 4

There are some other great answers but I want to throw in Philippians 2:3 (NIV).

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

I think this distinction of selfish ambition and of vanity are important ones. Other translations phrase it:

• strife or vainglory
• conceit and empty arrogance
• rivalry or conceit
• selfishness or empty conceit

When these are taken in context with some of the other answers, it seems clear to me that ambition is not bad in itself. When the goal of an action is to raise up oneself above God or above others, that action becomes sinful.