Holy Ambition

You want to do something significant for God. Good.

That drive you feel? The one that keeps you up at night planning, dreaming, preparing? It's not a problem. It's a gift waiting to be aimed.

Young pastors and missionaries often feel guilty about their ambition. They wonder if wanting to build something, reach more people, or grow in influence is somehow worldly.

Here's what I've learned after five decades of ministry: ambition isn't the enemy. Misdirected ambition is.

The Apostle Paul was one of the most driven men in Scripture. He said it plainly:

Romans 15:20
> "Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation."

Paul strived. He pushed. He aimed high. But notice where his ambition pointed: toward Christ, not toward his own reputation.

The shift happens when your striving stops being about proving yourself and starts being about serving others.

Early in ministry, I worked hard because I needed to know I was enough. I needed the results to validate the call. That kind of ambition exhausts you. It makes every setback feel like a verdict on your worth.

But when you settle the love question: when you truly believe God's acceptance isn't earned by your performance: something changes. You still work hard. Maybe harder. But the pressure lifts.

> "The Christian life was never meant to be powered by fear, pressure, or performance. It was meant to be lived from being loved first."

That's holy ambition. Not less drive. Purified drive.

Here's the practical difference:

Your calling doesn't need defending. It needs directing.

If you're a young pastor or missionary reading this, hear me: don't kill your ambition. Submit it.

Let God purify what He gave you. Let your striving become your service.

The freedom you're looking for doesn't come from working less. It comes from resting in who you already are in Christ: then working from that place.

I wrote more about this shift from performance to peace in The Big Leap of Faith: Believing God Loves You Exactly as You Are. If you've been running hard but feeling empty, start there.

No. Ambition becomes wrong when it's rooted in self-promotion rather than service. Paul was deeply ambitious: but his ambition pointed toward Christ and the people he served, not toward building his own platform.

Ask yourself one question: Would I keep doing this if no one ever noticed? Holy ambition stays faithful when the results are slow because the goal was never personal validation. If setbacks crush you, your ambition may need purifying.

You don't lose drive: you redirect it. Settle the love question first. When you believe God accepts you apart from your performance, you're free to work hard without needing the work to save you. Rest comes first, then fruitful labor flows from it.