Devotions
Have the right amount of ambition
Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach...- 1Timothy 3:1-2
Is
ambition a bad character trait? Sometimes the word has a negative connotation
attached to it; especially when people say so and so are ambitious persons, it
means they will do anything to get to the top. However, some ambition is good,
even necessary. Without ambition, you would not set and achieve any goal or get
far in life. The right drive, the right motivation and ambition are all
necessary for success. The Bible commends ambition. Yes, the right amount of
ambition. Is not the woman of
Proverbs 31 (verses 15 to 19) a woman of ambition? The Bible says she works
hard to achieve her goals, and she is given as an example to inspire others.
The
term overseer in the above verse refers to an individual who has a leadership
position in the church and must keep watch over the flock. In other words, it
means someone who has a leadership influence on others. From the biblical
perspective, it is good to aspire to a leadership position in the church to influence
others. Note that the verse doesn’t say if God wants someone to be an overseer
or if God has destined someone to be an overseer. It’s rather an individual
aspiration. If I could extend the meaning outside the church context, I think
God commends our ambition to be in a position where we influence others in the
right way. There is nothing wrong with the desire to be an opinion or a
positional leader. There is nothing wrong with working hard to achieve that
position if what you do is not immoral and is not condemned by any godly
principle. However, there is a condition, a severe “but.” The one desiring to
be in a position of leadership should be “above reproach” (1Tim 3:2).
The
more one gains in influence as a leader, the more it’s required of him in terms
of character. A recent experience made me realize that it is essential for a
leader to have above reproach behaviour. The other day the train I take to
work was stuck at a station in Ottawa. It disrupted so many people and most of
my colleagues arrived late at work. As I stood at the station trying to figure
out how to get to work on time, I realized that the situation mirrors precisely
what happens in life. When a commuter bus becomes dysfunctional, they toss it
aside, and they bring another one to replace it. When a train is dysfunctional,
it causes significant disruptions in the city, new measures and readjustments
are needed. But when a plane becomes dysfunctional, hundreds of lives perish.
The more people you influence, the more following you have in your track, the
more is required of you to be found above reproach, because your
dysfunctionality may mean the death of many, that can be spiritual or physical
death.
The
dysfunctionalities don’t need to be major flaws to be deadly. Even some of the
things that we think are negligible or minor may become fatal if not addressed.
I sometimes read about people with big names who have built good careers and
have gained a lot of influence who see their empires crumble before them
because they did not address their flaws. Some of the issues that cause their
downfall include driving under the influence, tax evasion, sexual scandal,
domestic violence, and others. They can be pushed aside, be replaced by others,
and life goes on. But if you are leading nations, the catastrophic consequences
are unimaginable. That is why we had the genocide of Jews; that is why we had
the genocide of Tutsi in Rwanda because those who were supposed to lead the
people were horribly dysfunctional. Work hard to achieve your ambition, work
hard to climb the ladder in whatever sphere of influence you are operating in,
but as you work hard, also allow God to fix the dysfunctionalities in you, to
fine-tune your character. That is when you can climb to the top and stay there
and enjoy life to the fullest.
Posted : Feb 23, 2026