Jump Start # 2217

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

Ambition—that word often gets a negative taste in our mouths. We envision the greedy corporate newcomer who wants to climb the executive ladder in his career. He has drive. He has a goal. He wants to be on top. He works long hours to achieve what he is after. The image of a young athlete who wants to become a professional or make it to the Olympics also comes to our mind. He trains and trains and practices and practices until he’s one of the best. He has ambition.

However, we don’t think of this spiritually. We’ve heard sermons about greed. We listened to the preacher talk about contentment. We’ve seen Jesus as the humble servant. Put others first, we are told. So, personal ambition seems to go out the window for most Christians. We even struggle with the passage about elders, where it begins, “if any man aspires (or desires) the office of a bishop”. He needs to want it, but not too much. Too much desire and it’s wrong. Too little and it’s not enough. And, so our little spiritual boat just floats along with the tide. About the only spiritual desire or goal that seems acceptable is Heaven. You are supposed to want Heaven, but other spiritual ambitions are a “no-no.”

Then we come to our verse today. Home or absent, the apostle says our ambition is to please the Lord. Home, in this context, meant being out of our body or death. Absent meant absent from the Lord’s presence and here on planet earth. The context is desiring to leave this earthly tent and go home to God. In either way and in either place, the goal is to please God. Our ambition is to please God.

From that, here’s a few thoughts:

First, to accomplish any goal, that goal must be clear and before our eyes. Generic, vague goals are easy to lay aside and easy to miss. What drives that young athlete, what drives that business executive, is knowing exactly what they must do to reach the next level. It’s all before them.

Our ambition is to please the Lord. What does that mean? For some, just go to worship on Sunday. That’s it. God wants me in church and so I will do that. But what about the other days of the week? It doesn’t do much good to make God happy one day of the week and then ignore Him or, worse, anger Him, the rest of the week.

Walking by faith, found within the context of our passage is one way we do this. Faith drives us. Faith is what will please God. Faith in others is what made Jesus marvel. So, it’s thinking spiritually. It’s making choices that are based upon God. It’s thinking before we act, speak or do things. What would God want me to do?

Second, because of the word ambition, there is a drive and a determination with this. Here is a person who is living with a purpose. You won’t find that athlete who wants to be in the Olympics sitting around in a donut shop eating donuts until he is stuffed. He’s on a specific diet. He rows out of bed while it is still dark and runs. When it’s cold out and he really doesn’t want to run, he pushes himself. He has a drive. When is body aches and he feels like stopping, he keeps going. He knows if he stops, his goal will be unfinished. He will fail. His friends want to go out at night but he must tell them “No.” He has to get up in the morning and train. His ambition and his goal has shaped his life and made his choices for him. He knows that everyone back home watching the Olympics on TV would love to be in his shoes, but very few would want to go through what he has to be there. Every Sunday afternoon football junkie would love to be the quarterback on TV, but most lack the talent, and most would never want to pay what it took to get there.

Now, is it any different spiritually. Certainly everyone wants to go to Heaven. Sit through just about any funeral and you get the impression that anyone can go. You don’t have to love God at all and the way some preach funerals, you’ll still make it to Heaven. You can be as wicked and godless as you want, and you’ll still make it. Never been to church, no problem. Never cracked open a Bible, no problem. Heaven is easy. You don’t do anything. That’s the impression we get from the way some preach funerals. But we know better. We must make it our ambition to please God.

So, there will be times when you must say “No,” to a world that wants to say “Yes.” Movies that glorify sin, mock God, and are laced with profanity is no place for a child of God. Just as the future Olympian says no to donuts, we must say no to immorality, no matter what form it comes in. We must say “No,” to staying up late on Saturday nights. Why? Because Sunday is coming. We want to please God. Remember, our ambition? So, a good nights sleep on Saturday so we are more than just awake, we are passionate, in tune and ready to honor God. We must say “No,” to immodesty. It sends the wrong message and it doesn’t please God.

Likewise, we must say “Yes,” when the world says “No.” Yes to Bible classes. Do you have to go to Bible class to go to Heaven? Should we be asking that question? Someone who is driven to please God will be where God’s word is studied, taught and explained. Does the ballplayer who wants to make it to the majors have to run? If he wants to make it to the majors, he does. We must say “yes,” to worship. We must say “yes,” to connecting with God’s people. Filling our lives with living examples who will encourage us, show us and help us, is something that we must say “Yes” to. Should we be busy doing things for others? Jesus did. The apostles taught that. Having a spiritual ambition to please God will open my eyes to all kinds of good things that can be done.

Third, this ambition is not about being the best song leader, the best preacher, the best elder, but rather pleasing God. This ambition is not directed nor pointed towards us, but towards God. We want to please God. We want to do what God wants. Inherit in all of this is knowing what pleases God. When someone snaps at me, what would please God? For me to unload and chew someone out, or to do what Jesus did? When someone comes and apologies, what would please God? You know. Hug them. Forgive them. Never mention the subject again. When gossip flies through the church, what would please God? You stop it. You not participate in it. You notice someone seems discouraged. What would please God? You go out of your way to spend some time with that person. You invite them out to eat. You help them. You sing enthusiastically, why? Because that pleases God. You engage in worship, rather than sit there like you are bored to death. Why? Because that pleases God. At work, you let your light shine. Why? Because that pleases God. In the neighborhood, you set the example of being a true neighbor. Why? Because that pleases God. You are always thinking of ways to make things better. Why? Because that pleases God. You volunteer to help out at church. Why? That pleases God. You are involved in the spiritual direction of your family. Why? That pleases God.

God first. God always. It’s what we want more than anything else. It’s much more than simply wanting to go to Heaven when we die, it’s every day trying to please God. It’s resisting Satan and drawing near to God as James said. It’s praying without ceasing as the Thessalonians learned. It’s not being conformed to the world, but being transformed as the Romans were told.

A group of children were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. One wanted to be a ball player. One wanted to be a nurse. One wanted to be a mommy. One child said, “When I grow up, I just want to be myself.” For us, when I grow up, I want to please God.

Have you noticed the expression of someone who is pleased? A smile comes on their face. I can be in a room full of people and when one of my sweet grandchildren spots me, a big smile comes on their face and they race towards me. That certainly fills the heart. What Paul is talking about is putting a smile on God’s face. To the five talent man, the master said, “Well done.”

Think about that. Your choices today can put a smile on the face of God. That’s what we are after!

Roger

Jump Start # 343

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

  This is a great passage! It’s packed full of great expressions, “ambition,” “home or absent,” “pleasing to Him.” If we could but live by this passage, life would be easier for us. This passage sets before us what is important and what God desires.

  Paul begins by talking about ambition. Ambition is the fuel in our tank. It is what drives us. It’s what keeps a college student going. It’s what gets many of us out of bed on Monday morning. Behind ambition is the idea of wanting to be better. A better education…a better job…a better career. Ambition can be selfish. It can also be worldly. And more than that, it can get us in trouble. Ambition is the “aim” in life. It’s not the target. Ambition is what you point to. Now if my aim is to be rich and to spend, spend, spend, then I have the wrong target. That’s not what life is all about.  In this passage, Paul was aiming at God. His ambition was to please God. That is what kept him going after being persecuted and beaten. He had a goal, he had a drive and that was to please God. Without ambition, we tend to just drift with the current. We tend to get lazy.

  Home or absent. Paul is not talking about being on vacation. The “home or absent” concept began in the chapter before. Paul is talking about in our bodies or after death being home with God. What he is saying is, whether here (which is now) or in Heaven (which is then or later) we want to please God. We want to please God all the time, everywhere. It’s not the thought that I want to live like a sinner and die like a saint—that doesn’t happen. It’s not that for now I want to do what I want to do, but when I die I’ll do what God wants. That doesn’t fly, either. Paul wanted to please God—now, while he was alive. Paul wants to please God after he is home in Heaven. He wants to please God.

  Finally, “pleasing God.” A person does that by doing what God wants. We often think that God likes what we like. Wrong. Husbands and wives understand that doesn’t work. God is so much bigger and his thoughts so much higher than our thoughts that without God telling us what He wants, we’d come up with the wrong idea every time. God reveals what pleases Him. He wants us to obey Him and follow His will. Doing things contrary to God’s will is not going to please Him. In worship, we must worship the way God has defined. In everyday living, we must see what God wants for His people. This is what pleases God. It’s not thinking up some new and novel way of things. Parents understand this. When you ask you child to do something and they go out of the way to do it, you are pleased. Now if they were to do something else instead, even though it may be nice, but they didn’t do what you asked, it doesn’t make you happy. They  should have done what you asked. That’s why you said it in the first place. Is it any different with God?

  Our ambition, whether at home or absent, is to please God. Pleasing God, that’s our life’s statement and mission. When we please God, everything else will be ok. You may not have the million dollars, but if you please God, you have God and Heaven will be your home. The opposite is you’ll have a million dollars and God won’t be happy with you and you won’t have God nor Heaven.

  Ambition brings the idea of thought, planning and targeting. Some of us live by the “to do list.” Each day we make a list of what we need to get done. That keeps us organized, focused and helps us accomplish what needs to be done. Pleasing God should be on the list. It should be at the top of that list. Start the day with the idea that I want to please God. Please Him in my attitude…please Him in my behavior…please Him by telling others about Him…please Him by the choices I make today…please Him by talking with Him…Please Him.

  We ask younger children, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Paul reminds us adults, “Our ambition is to please God.” Sometimes we forget. We need to be reminded.

  Roger