The Seduction of Ambition

That's normal with the kingdoms of the world, people compete with each other to achieve power, but in the kingdom of God true greatness comes from humble and willing service. This was what the Zebedee boys didn't understand.

James and John got it all wrong when they came to Jesus requesting for top positions in the Kingdom (see Mark 10:37). They wanted to be ahead of others. They were seized by ambition. They were driven by the desire to best the others.

The seduction of ambition is that we easily interpret it as a holy desire to build the kingdom of God or the pursuit of God's 'purpose' for our lives. In doing this, we attempt to add significance to our lives, even at the expense of others.

We begin to define who we are by our accomplishments. We find ourselves not just in pursuit of our destiny, but in pursuit of the accolades of men. We crave fame and fanfare. We lust after the crowd. It is blinding ambition that rationalizes an "end justifies the means" approach to life.

What we fail to realize is that beneath that craving, is deep-seated insecurity that makes us feel a desperate need for the recognition of others.

When we reckon that we are not sufficient in ourselves (2 Cor. 3:5), we won't dare make any personal claims to what God is doing through us in the Kingdom. We would regard ourselves as servants to the assignment, and only vessels through whom God is showing forth His glory.

Then, our palate for prominence will wear away.
We would simply see ourselves as nothing but captives in Christ's triumphal procession, being used to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere (2 Cor. 2:14).