Is ambition a good thing? For some, ambition is to be avoided, a temptation to worldly endeavors. Others embrace it as the only path to finding purpose and flourishing. The Apostle Paul does not denigrate ambition but helps us separate worthy, Kingdom ambition from worldly, selfish ambition. With his one goal to draw himself and others closer to Christ, Paul was liberated from a life of chasing purpose, worth, and results. Everything he needed was present in Christ. In the freedom that comes with trusting him, even the hardest circumstances can offer a chance to receive and share the hope of the Gospel. Paul encourages us not to set our lives after what a broken, hyper-competitive world calls success, but instead to unite together in the the work Christ is doing in all the places the world doubts to see him. Witnessing God glorified in ways few expect and none can dismiss is an ambition worthy of our sacrifice, service, and surrender.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Philippians 1:12-30⁠⁠⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

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