Jump Start # 4108
2 Corinthians 5:11 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”
Ambition—fire in the gut, get up and go, drive, motivation, achievement, however you word it, it’s one of the keys to making a difference in the world. The opposite of this word brings images of laziness, slowness, clueless and procrastination. Ambition in business makes sales and brings in the cash. Ambition in sports leads to victories. Ambition in education leads to advanced degrees and scholarships. But, somewhere along the line, we’ve seemed to drop the ball when it comes to spiritual ambition. Some are content to coast. Some have settled for mediocracy. Some like being average, whatever that is.
Our verse today, one of many, that paints the picture of a Christian who cannot be stopped. He is driven. He has goals. First and foremost, he wants to please his Lord. Here, there, anywhere, his heart is shaped around the Lord. At work, he’s God focused. At home, God is on his mind. On the golf course, in the movie theatre, on a road trip, his heart is pleasant because his mind is determined to please the Lord. He doesn’t define his life by what he owns or where he has been. Those things are nice, but that’s not what life is.
Lazy Christians stuck on autopilot don’t add much to a congregation. They won’t be evangelistic. They make poor deacons and terrible shepherds. Kicking the can down the road is the mindset of those who lack ambition. Jump in there and tackle the big project. Roll up your sleeves and get busy for the Lord.
Sixteen years ago, as we began this little venture of writing these daily blogs, I chose the title, “Jump Starts.” Just as a car battery might need a jump to get things going, so do we spiritually. That was the intent and idea behind this project. Start the morning with a passage and a few sentences from me and let that motivate you to do great things in the kingdom. Jump Start. Sometimes the car battery can’t be jumped. The battery is dead. Nothing more can be done expect replace it. Spiritually there are times when some may need a jolt to wake up and use their talents for the Lord. A serious talk about the direction of their life, or some opportunities to get involved may be the very thing that some need. Pew potatoes is not what our Lord needs.
So, let me share with you one aspect of getting the drive back in your spiritual life. This isn’t the only thing, but this is a big thing. It requires effort, time and risk. But, what a wonderful difference it will make in your life.
First, everyone needs a mentor to learn from. Someone who spiritually you admire. Someone who is spiritually farther down the road than you are. More knowledgeable, more mature, more active, more influential than you and you recognize that. You admire that. You want to be like that.
Reach out to that person. Have lunch with that person. Talk seriously about how they got where they are. Ask for tips. Ask if you can tag along as they do things. Ask if you can study with them. You are learning. Your ambition needle is moving in the right direction. You hope to become like them someday. You know it isn’t by luck or chance, but by the spiritual choices that they have made. Find out what those choices were. The person doesn’t have to be older than you are. In fact, they may be younger than you.
Do you have a spiritual mentor in your life? I’ve been preaching nearly 50 years and I do. In fact, I have several. My they have helped me in the area of attitude, patience, Biblical understanding and faith. Love my mentors. Can’t imagine what life would be without them.
Second, everyone needs a friend to encourage. Be the fresh air upon someone’s soul. Help someone in the congregation. The closer you are to such a person, the more you will share life with each other. You have laughed together. You have worked on projects together. You have prayed together. You have cried together. You’ve shared concerns about family and church. You have shot straight with this person, even saying the hard stuff with them. But through the years the encouragement bouncing back and forth between you and your spiritual friend has been incredible. What a joy this person is to you soul.
Many do not have such relationships in the congregation. They assemble weekly with the same people, know them superficially and casually but wouldn’t consider them deep spiritual friends. Gotta work on that. Go out of your way and build those relationsips. You need it. They need it. They may be waiting for you to take the first step.
Third, you need a protégé to teach. You need to become the mentor for someone else. Let them ask you the questions that you’d ask your mentor. Let them probe into your heart and soul to learn to be a true disciple of Jesus. Be there for them. Give time for them. They look up to you and they admire you and they want to be like you.
And, right there, we have established ambition. Someone ahead of me to learn from. Someone beside me to encourage. Someone behind me to teach. When you have all three going in your life, you are busy. You heart is full. And, you’ll notice a spiritual drive that hasn’t been there for a long, long time.
Mentoring, encouraging, and teaching—you can do that. Give it a try.
Roger