Do Not Love the World

1 John 2: 15-17

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to be the best at what you do. Colossians 3:23 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." One thing I take from that passage is that I need to be striving for excellence at work. However, there's a difference between striving for excellence because I'm working for the Lord and blind ambition. I'll be honest, sometimes I'm not sure where that line is in my own work. When is it ok to want to be the best at what I do? But one thing I'm sure about--there is a point at which striving to be the best crosses over into worldy ambition. A big part of the difference might be motivation--are you working for recognition from others, for prestige and pride? Again, this is something that, for me (and many others, I'm sure), is a struggle. As you work hard at your job, is there envy or selfishness? I've already blogged about how those are markers of worldly ambition. Are your plans and accomplishments in line with God's plan as far as you can tell? 1 John 2 illustrates just one of the reasons why worldly ambition is dangerous--this world and everything in it is temporary. If you are striving for the prestige of the world and for the accomplishments that the world honors, you are working for something that passes away all too quickly. So as you are working hard, ask yourself what the prize is. Why are you working so hard? And then ask, is that the right prize?

One of my favorite examples of Godly ambition is Joseph. Think about the responsibilities he had in Potiphar's house. Think about how hard he probably worked in prison. And then think about how his job duties in both positions probably paled in comparison to his tasks and second-in-command for all of Egypt. Yet as he worked, you never get the sense that he's blinded by selfishness or vanity. He gets promoted right and left, but through it all, he seems to work for God's glory.