Selfish Ambition

Selfish Ambition

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."
Philippians 2:3

Being a person with selfish ambition is a serious matter, and one that should be taken seriously. When we look at the Israelites, their selfish ambition prevented them from entering the Promised Land. Often times, we do not see our selfish ambition as our enemy, as we think that looking out for ourselves is just a natural reaction. However, true as that may be, when we only focus all our energies to serving ourselves and our own wants and desires, this is when we cross the line. The Bible gives us a very simple answer to addressing a selfish ambition when Jesus gave us his most important commandment, to love God first, then to love others as we love ourselves. When we begin to think of others as we do ourselves, we allow a spirit of humbleness to come upon us, as we are putting God's humbleness to practice in our lives. God humbled himself by sending Jesus, who was born in a manger. He humbled himself by letting Jesus die on the cross for our sins. Practice humbleness in your marriage, by placing your spouse above yourself, and not fighting or arguing with them. You should not want to live only for yourself, but should be willing and sacrifice for your family. Practice this with others around you, in your workplaces, your schools, your neighborhoods, and with all others you meet in your daily life. Search your hearts today, to see if there are any areas of your life where your own selfish ambitions are hindering your walk with God. Think about others first.