Ambition (Part 3)
The difference between an athlete and a winner is ambition.
The difference isn't talent level, particularly the higher the level of competition (i.e. professional sports). At the pro level there's not much difference between athletes in terms of physical skill and talent. The difference is simply a matter of "who wants it more." The thing that sets one apart from another is ambition.
What sets Michael Jordan apart? Ambition. What sets Tom Brady apart? Ambition. What sets Bobby Boucher apart? Ambition.
Ambition is passion. It's obsession. It's doing whatever it takes to be the best, to be #1, to beat your opponent. Ambition is that thing inside a competitor that compels them to sacrifice in order to accomplish their goal. Ambition is what leads an athlete to put in the time in the weightroom in the off-season. It's what motivates them to be the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. It's what drives them to watch their diet and watch the game film. Ambition is the difference between simply being an athlete and actually being a winner. That's the difference that ambition makes!
All of us have a great capacity for great ambition (see previous blogpost - Ambition Part 2). That's not in question. What is in question is this: what do we direct our ambition toward? The answer to that question is simple: GLORY. Each and every single one of us directs our ambition toward glory.
"Glory" means weighty or heavy. It means valuable. It refers to that which is worthy of honor. It's that which we consider to be priceless. It's that which is worthy of our obsession, passion, and sacrifice.
We all point our great ambition toward that which we believe to be glorious. If we don't believe something to be glorious, we won't direct our passion and obsession toward it. Only if we deem something worthy of sacrifice will we point our great capacity for ambition toward it.
We're all obsessed with glory. We're fascinated by. We love it. We have an insatiable appetite for it. We're drawn toward it like bugs to a light. We're enamored by it. And we celebrate it. In other words, we worship glory. When we direct our ambition toward something we are in fact worshiping it. When we become obsessed and passionate toward something we are worshiping it. We are glorifying it.
But here's our problem: our tendency is to direct our ambition at the wrong glory. This is our human legacy: we are quick to settle for what is inferior when we have access to what is superior. We settle for the glory that's only skin deep so we worship supermodels. We settle for the glory of technology so we worship the latest and greatest Apple product. We settle for the glory of wealth so we worship Bentleys. But we don't have to settle for less when we can have so much more. We don't have to settle for the things of the world when we have access to the things of heaven. We don't have to settle for created things when we have access to the Creator.
So here are the questions we all need to answer:
Psalm 115:1-8 teaches us that we don't have to settle for inferior glory. Verse 1 states emphatically that all glory belongs to God because He is a loving and faithful God. He is gracious and merciful. He is steadfast and unwavering. God is GOOD and we have access to Him. God hasn't hidden Himself from us. Rather, He has revealed Himself to us, namely through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Because of Jesus we don't have to settle. God doesn't want us to settle. Through Jesus we have access to the glory of God.
Verse 8 provides a stern warning: "Those who make them will become like them." "Them" refers to false gods. Thus, pursuing false gods, seeking after the false glory of earthly things results in becoming like those things. In other words, we become like the thing we worship. For example, glorifying physical appearance, simply results in vanity, lust, or perverse self-image. Worship of material possessions, results in becoming materialistic and shallow.
Philippians 3:13-14 says, "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
The difference isn't talent level, particularly the higher the level of competition (i.e. professional sports). At the pro level there's not much difference between athletes in terms of physical skill and talent. The difference is simply a matter of "who wants it more." The thing that sets one apart from another is ambition.
What sets Michael Jordan apart? Ambition. What sets Tom Brady apart? Ambition. What sets Bobby Boucher apart? Ambition.
Ambition is passion. It's obsession. It's doing whatever it takes to be the best, to be #1, to beat your opponent. Ambition is that thing inside a competitor that compels them to sacrifice in order to accomplish their goal. Ambition is what leads an athlete to put in the time in the weightroom in the off-season. It's what motivates them to be the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. It's what drives them to watch their diet and watch the game film. Ambition is the difference between simply being an athlete and actually being a winner. That's the difference that ambition makes!
All of us have a great capacity for great ambition (see previous blogpost - Ambition Part 2). That's not in question. What is in question is this: what do we direct our ambition toward? The answer to that question is simple: GLORY. Each and every single one of us directs our ambition toward glory.
"Glory" means weighty or heavy. It means valuable. It refers to that which is worthy of honor. It's that which we consider to be priceless. It's that which is worthy of our obsession, passion, and sacrifice.
We all point our great ambition toward that which we believe to be glorious. If we don't believe something to be glorious, we won't direct our passion and obsession toward it. Only if we deem something worthy of sacrifice will we point our great capacity for ambition toward it.
We're all obsessed with glory. We're fascinated by. We love it. We have an insatiable appetite for it. We're drawn toward it like bugs to a light. We're enamored by it. And we celebrate it. In other words, we worship glory. When we direct our ambition toward something we are in fact worshiping it. When we become obsessed and passionate toward something we are worshiping it. We are glorifying it.
But here's our problem: our tendency is to direct our ambition at the wrong glory. This is our human legacy: we are quick to settle for what is inferior when we have access to what is superior. We settle for the glory that's only skin deep so we worship supermodels. We settle for the glory of technology so we worship the latest and greatest Apple product. We settle for the glory of wealth so we worship Bentleys. But we don't have to settle for less when we can have so much more. We don't have to settle for the things of the world when we have access to the things of heaven. We don't have to settle for created things when we have access to the Creator.
So here are the questions we all need to answer:
- What is my ambition pointed toward?
- What is it that I am passionate about?
- What is it that I'm willing to sacrifice for?
- What is it that I am worshiping and glorifying?
Psalm 115:1-8 teaches us that we don't have to settle for inferior glory. Verse 1 states emphatically that all glory belongs to God because He is a loving and faithful God. He is gracious and merciful. He is steadfast and unwavering. God is GOOD and we have access to Him. God hasn't hidden Himself from us. Rather, He has revealed Himself to us, namely through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Because of Jesus we don't have to settle. God doesn't want us to settle. Through Jesus we have access to the glory of God.
Verse 8 provides a stern warning: "Those who make them will become like them." "Them" refers to false gods. Thus, pursuing false gods, seeking after the false glory of earthly things results in becoming like those things. In other words, we become like the thing we worship. For example, glorifying physical appearance, simply results in vanity, lust, or perverse self-image. Worship of material possessions, results in becoming materialistic and shallow.
Philippians 3:13-14 says, "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
In awe of Jesus,
Pastor Rick
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