True Ambition
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him" (2 Cor. 5:9). Brookes translated it, "Wherefore we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing to him." Rotherham translates it, "Wherefore also, we are ambitious, whether at home or away from home, to be well-pleasing to him." The emphatic Diaglot renders it, "Therefore we are very ambitious, whether being at home or away from home, to be acceptable to him."
What did a man like Paul care for the opinions of other men about himself? He had one great longing, one consuming ambition, which was to be well-pleasing to Christ. If someone thought ill of him it made no difference, for if he had the smile of Christ he did not need to worry about the frowns of men. And, on the contrary, if he had the frown of Christ all the human smiles in the world could never compensate for the loss.
Of all the ambitions that men may have, this is the most important. The next verse shows that Paul was very conscious that all his life and work would be reviewed at the judgment seat of Christ, and his great longing was to be approved there. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that which he has done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10).
The Lord Jesus, after His resurrection, said to the disciples, "As my Father has sent me, so send I you" (John 20:21). It is a very intimate phrase, for the pronoun "my" is not found in the original. Literally it is, "As Father has sent me, so send I you." The most important word in the verse is so. "So send I you."
How did the Father send Christ? He sent Him as flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14). "He took on him the seed of Abraham; wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren" (Heb. 2:16, 17). If we are to be sent in the same way, it means that we must become like those whom we would win to Christ. The reason there are so many unsaved people in the slums is that too many people live in fine houses in the suburbs and simply go to visit the missions in the slums. How many people are willing to live in a house with cracked plaster and faulty plumbing in order to lead their neighbors to Christ? Now don't misunderstand me. If you are sure that God has called you to live on the Main Line, or the North Shore, or wherever the wealthy and fortunate live near your city, then do so, for you should be very ambitious to please Him in all things. But if He has called you to witness to men of low degree, then live among them. Let us stir up our thinking, appraise our situation, find out just what the will of God is for us, and then be sure that we are very ambitious to do that will.
1. In our society people care about what their peers think, that is the whole point of social media. How then do Christians come out with a biblical position like Paul takes?
2. Is it prideful to care about other peoples thoughts before your own? Why or why not?
