Right Ambition
Mark 10:42-44 You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognise as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
Jim Collins, is a man who, with a research team that he established, set out to determine what it is that sets the great companies apart from the ordinary ones. What are the common threads, the common attributes that run through truly great companies, when compared to the also-rans? That was the question.
So, he chose a number of stellar performers on the New York stock exchange, and set about doing the research to get the answers to those questions.
What he discovered, not surprisingly, is that one of the things that set the great companies apart, was great leadership. And one of these essential leadership attributes that he writes about in his book “Good to Great” is this:
Great leaders embody a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will. They are ambitions, to be sure, but ambitious first and foremost for the company, not themselves.
I’ve thought about that … a lot. And the conclusion I’ve come to is that Collins’ research simply bears out the truth of what Jesus said about ambition:
You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognise as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. (Mark 10:42-44)
The sort of zeal, the sort of ambition that Jesus is looking for in you and me, is the sort that sets out to serve others. The sort that removes us from the limelight, the sort that gives up the clamour and the desire for glory. The sort that is driven to seeing others experience the love of Christ through the sacrifices that we make.
Think about it. Who are the people you admire most in your life? Who has achieved greatness in your eyes? It’s those who’ve served you the most, right? Those who’ve sacrificed the most for you, correct? Not the ones who’ve been self–seeking and sought to lord it over you.
Later on in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul puts it this way:
Romans 12:10,11: … love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Yes be zealous. Yes be ambitions. Yes be driven. But for the purpose of showing honour to others. For the purpose of serving God.
So, what drives you? What motivates you? What are you ambitious for? Yourself? Your own image? Your own success? Or for outdoing others in showing honour, and serving the Lord? Because God is looking for ambitious people. Driven people. Zealous people. People who will get on and serve Him for His glory. Are you one of those?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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