Ambition

(see also Pride)

Image-Consciousness

When other people look at you, what do they see? What image do you project to coworkers, customers, friends, and neighbors? As Paul traveled through the cities of the Roman Empire, he always gave thought to how he would be perceived, but his biggest concern was whether observers would see Jesus in him.

To illustrate this principle, Paul recalled a phenomenon that occurred during the period in which Moses received the Law (2 Cor. 3:7, 13). As Israel wandered through the wilderness, God revealed Himself to the people through what looked like a consuming fire (Ex. 24:17). But to Moses He spoke face to face (33:11). This encounter with the Living God had such an effect on Moses that his face would shine with an afterglow whenever he returned to the people. To dispel their fear, he put a veil over his face to hide the glory that resulted from his proximity to God.

Paul argues that we as believers have an even closer proximity to God than Moses did, for God Himself lives inside us (2 Cor. 3:8). Thus, when we meet others, they ought to see the glory of God shining out of us (3:9–11, 18). In other words, they ought to see Jesus.

Is that who people see when they look at us? Do they see Jesus' love, integrity, and power? Or do we “veil” the Light of the World (Matt. 5:14–16) under a mask of selfish ambition and worldly concerns?

Pride Goes Before a Fall

Arrogance is an occupational hazard for those in authority. Sitting in positions of power, prestige, and privilege can easily seduce people into thinking that they got there solely by their own abilities and assets. Furthermore, they can begin to assume that rules that apply to others don't apply to them.

King Uzziah of Judah fell into that pitfall of pride (2 Chr. 26:16). He was young when he came to the throne, but he succeeded because he honored God and listened to the wise advice of the prophet Zechariah (26:1–5). But in his later years, after he had achieved many military victories, he made the mistake of presuming to perform temple rites reserved only for the priests, which led to his downfall (26:16–21).

Scripture offers many examples of people whose pride and ambition blinded and eventually destroyed them:

• Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, resisted the Lord's command to let the Israelites go. This brought down plagues on his people and eventually led to the destruction of the firstborn of his nation as well as his military forces (Ex. 6:1; 8:15; 15:1–18).
• Solomon, David's successor, allowed his idolatrous wives to turn his heart away from the Lord. God promised to divide his kingdom and raised up adversaries against him (1 Kin. 11; compare Eccl. 2).
• Lucifer, God's chief angel, was cast out of heaven and committed to eternal destruction after he made it his ambition to exalt himself above the Lord (Is. 14:12–17).

Modern-day Bible readers do well to consider their outcomes and take them as a warning against thinking more of ourselves than we ought to think (Rom. 12:3; 1 Cor. 10:6, 11–13).