What's Your Ambition Look Like?

Last week I preached about ambition. The two main points were "where's your ambition leading you?" Is it through selfish ambition or selfless ambition? Are you being led by your heart and spirit, in love, or are you led to personal achievement no matter the cost? We're programmed from an early age to look out for number 1, ourselves. Without the Holy Spirit guiding us, well step on, over or through anybody and anything to achieve our goals. It's an innate trait. We can't help it. But, when we submit our souls, hearts, and lives to Jesus, He takes that space full of selfishness and turns it towards selflessness. That doesn't mean we deny ourselves of our basic needs. It doesn't mean we allow people to walk all over us and take advantage of us. But, a changed heart brings a changed life. Where's your heart leading you? Take a look in the mirror each morning. God made us in His image! Do you see Him, or do you see someone scraping and struggling any way possible to always put yourself first, before the Word of God. His Word doesn't make us secondary. His Word educates us to what our needs really are. That takes patience to allow trust and faith to grow through the repetitive reading of His Way, His Word, and lots of prayer, asking for guidance. 13 years ago I began to try to stop praying for "things", and just pray for guidance, and be thankful for Him in my life. God already knows what you and i need. I began to spend more time in prayer being thankful for the little things, rather than asking for things. It has slowly changed my life for the better. Some days I'm still a slow learner. Gratitude and faith is the beginning of selfless ambition. When I went to rehab 16 years ago, a saying stuck with me; "My worst day sober is better than my best day drunk." Kind of a strange thing to hear from a pastor. And now, my worst day with God leading me is better than the best day I had without Him leading me. Gratitude for even the smallest of goodness each day strengthens me and keeps me from dwelling on my struggles and keeps me looking forward towards God's ever-available wisdom. You can't move forward while you're looking back at the past. It'll eat you alive when dwelling on the regrets of yesterday that you can't change. You typically walk into walls when looking backwards, too. Um, that's not good. Check out my sermon notes today. Pray on the scriptures in here. Make a vow to God and yourself to trust that His Way will take care of you IF you will walk in faith. Walking in faith takes a good church family around you. It takes folks who can identify with your struggles. Sorry, but we don't fit into every church out there, same as we don't fit into every circle of friends we see. Find your circle. There are many God-led churches out there with many different styles and groups of people. Find your people. Amen? Y'all have a great week. Make it one, with Jesus.

Pastor J

Sermon Summary

Pastor Jay Cheek

July 14, 2024

“Ambition”

• Philippians 2 is our Bible verse today.

• Are there any signs of unhealthy ambition in your life?

• Any parts that you've made into idols?

• Anything you've rewritten to fit you, rather than conforming to God?

• Maybe it's time to ask God to purify your heart and motives!

• Philippians 2 “1Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy. 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

• Many of us may read these words and assume that they are call to get rid of ambition. This is not a call to quench our ambition but to exchange it… a call from ordinary ambition to extraordinary ambition.

• “Do nothing out of SELFISH ambition.” Ambition is used as positive except when selfish.

• Paul said, ’Do nothing out of selfish ambition.’… not ‘do nothing.’. God created you to be ambitious…Ambition itself is a good thing… a gift from God.

• Actually Paul speaks of a new ambition… 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

• "4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Jesus Christ has come not to quench our ambition, not to put out the fire of ambition, but to transform it… to change the very center of our drive and determination from self to servant.

• Paul tells us something of how this new ambition works…Our new ambition to serve others for God is internally formed by our new life and love in Christ.

• Our ambition to serve each other can and should flow from…

• Finding new life in Christ which you share in common

• Knowing the comfort of Christ’s love

• Sharing in the fellowship of the same Holy Spirit at work in you through Christ

• Already knowing something of tenderness and compassion

• Because you ALREADY HAVE THESE SOURCES WITHIN YOU…have same love and purpose… won’t agree with everything… but same ultimate goal unites us in heart and will.

• False humility… that flows from quenched ambitions = fear of failure / shame that doubts we are as deserving… = apathy.

• Golden rule: “Do unto others as you …” Great Commandments… “love your neighbor as yourself.” Implies the ability to value oneself without being centered in oneself.

• Through prayer and developing habits through the repeated reading and eventual understanding of His Word, we learn to live with selfless ambition, which also serves us well.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:11 ”11 Therefore comfort each other and edify(complete one another, just as you also are doing.” Other versions say “build each other up!”

• "5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant(a slave), and coming in the likeness of men 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Selfless ambition, wouldn't you say?

• Our new ambition to serve others for God involves sacrifice

• A leader will use his privileges to help others and build the organization; a lesser man will use privileges to promote himself.” Jesus used His heavenly privileges for the sake of others—for our sake.

• Our new ambition to serve others for God will glorify God and be glorified by

Him. “9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,”

• God says all who humble themselves will be exalted. Rewards await all.