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Manfred
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Joined: 2005/4/4
Posts: 342
Continental Europe

 Dying to Ambition

Dying to Ambition

by T. Austin-Sparks

What do we expect when we go on with God, when we come right out for God? What have we in view?

Well, the answer to that question will decide whether, in relation to God, we have ambitions for something on the earth. Do you get the point? You see, it is so possible to swing over your natural ambitions to spiritual aims. It is the same thing still at work, and the only difference is the direction or sphere. You can be as ambitious in the work of God as you can be in the world, and it is the same natural ambition. It is the ambitiousness of nature.

You desire - what do you desire? To see something, to have something, to be in something? Ambition for success... yes, once it was in the world - now the same ambition transferred to other things.

You see, it is very often to the children - the kindergarten - the elementary stages of faith, where there is not the capacity to take very much strain, that God has to give quick results and manifest signs. The marks of maturity are equally the withdrawing of outward manifestations and signs - the demand to walk with God alone for God's own sake. It is a mark of graduation in the school of God that He can withdraw outward things. It shows that we have passed the test as to whether we are ambitious in this life.

It is a mark of going on when we can come to the place where it is true before God that we have let go all the prosperity and success even of Christian work and Christian ministry (as men would count). It is a sure sign of growth to be able to let go the great opportunities and the great advantages that may be had amongst Christian people... and the prizes that can be grasped... and to say: "It is all right, the Lord knows; it is for Him to give or withhold. I am not going to make a line for those prizes. I am not going to allow those things to influence my walk with God. Ambition is not going to dictate my course."

It may not seem here on earth to mean very big things - wide open doors and all that, but somehow you may take it that there is Life there - spiritual influence there - something that is counting there. In the end it will have counted. But this does sometimes first of all necessitate that conflict with ambition where all those suggestions and influences have to be laid low and we come to the place where we see that the way of Life is to go on with God though it costs us everything. The law of the Spirit of Life works in that way.

The way of Life demands that we shall get before the Lord and say, "Lord, though all my earthly prospects fade, though all my ambitions are disappointed, it is You I want. You are my ambition - my goal. If I have You, these other things will count for much less."

I believe that as we can get there... and not many of us have gotten a long way on that road... but as we can get there, we find the secret of Life, of joy, of release. I am not so sure that we shall not find that God is able to give back the prizes here. He withdraws them that we may turn from them to Himself. And when He has us for Himself, He may give something here; He may give blessing here on this earth.

But let us remember that His desire is to have us for Himself for His own sake; and as we fall into line, Life is found there. It is the way of Life. The law of Life demands that everything should be for the Lord... without any other influence or consideration... the Lord Himself.

 2005/4/29 2:47Profile
moreofHim
Member



Joined: 2003/10/15
Posts: 1632


 Re: Dying to Ambition

Praise God for this! Thank you for posting all of these wonderful articles by Sparks :)

Surrendered to Him, Chanin


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Chanin

 2005/4/29 10:29Profile
5nva
Member



Joined: 2003/8/15
Posts: 179


 Re: Dying to Ambition

Manfred:

Thanks for this post. I had thought about sharing what the Lord had put on my heart recently and when I saw this it was along the same lines.

I was sharing with my wife and daughter the other night that Jesus Christ must be are consuming ambition.

I have been meditating on 2 Cor. 5:9 lately.

2 Cor. 5:9 - Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

This means we should be all consumed and have as our ambition, our strong desire to be fully agreeable with and to Jesus and be completely pleasing to Him with our lives.

If He is our sole ambition then we will not be disappointed when other things and expectations don't go or turn out the way we want or expected them to.

I so want to live this and not just know it in word. I pray that the Lord would do a work in my heart and all of us here, that He would strip away every other ambition that is not just Him. Jesus, please make You as our ambition that we may know You and please you in every respect.

Amen,
Mike


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Mike

 2005/4/29 12:33Profile
Manfred
Member



Joined: 2005/4/4
Posts: 342
Continental Europe

 Re: Dying to Ambition

Quote:
Jesus Christ must be are consuming ambition.



Thank you Chanin and Mike for your thoughts, it is encouraging.

Yes! The Lord Jesus Christ must be our consuming ambition. This means that we should avoid and even counter all compromise, first in ourselves; and then in all things that touch us.

As Paul said: "For He must reign."

 2005/4/29 14:20Profile





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