Rescuing Ambition [Paperback]

Have you ever been described as "ambitious"? If so, was it intended as a compliment or a criticism? Is ambition a trait that Christians ought to desire?

Ambition is certainly a topic not often addressed by Christian authors and pastors (Dave Harvey is both). As the book reminds us, this is a word that frequently has a negative connotation for Christians... but should it be that way? The author thinks not.

The problem, Harvey says, is that we have failed to separate "ambition" from "selfish ambition". Ambition, like many other things that drive us (money, sex, etc), is not inherently bad, but it is very prone to being twisted toward selfish, sinful uses. Ambition, simply defined, is merely "a quest for glory". As this book contends, then, we were created for ambition, because we were created to be glory-seekers! The problem is not that we seek glory, but that we so often seek our own glory, rather than seeking God's glory.

The goal of Rescuing Ambition is to do just that: to rescue this God-given drive to pursue His glory from our own vain attempts to glorify ourselves. The world certainly does not make this easy, as our entire culture is geared toward glorifying -- being ambitious for -- things other than God. Unfortunately, Christians tend to react in one of two ways: We either conform to this worldy culture of selfish ambition, or we seek to crush ambition itself. This results in either pride or passivity.

So Harvey takes readers on a journey through Scripture, and through the personal experiences of many ambitious and godly Christians, to give a holistic concept of godly ambition that is attainable (and in fact commanded) for every Christian. The book moves from the conceptual to the specific, showing us exactly why God created ambition, how it was corrupted, and what we must do to rescue it -- both for ourselves and for others.

The path toward ambition's rescue is not an easy one. It requires the courage to take risks, and will inevitably result in some spectacular failures. When we are ambitious for God's glory, our ambition will lead us out of our comfort zones and into the muck and mire of a broken world, building relationships with broken people. However, this ambition, rightly understood, brings with it the promise of several rewards, both earthly and eternal. In fact, "Godly ambition has reward in mind at all times."

The secret to rescuing ambition lies in it's paradoxical path. To become great, we must become small. To live, we must die. To be first, we must be last. This is the opposite of what the world thinks ambition should look like, but it is what the Bible tells us is the key to our eternal joy. When we surrender our pursuit of our own desires, and instead devote ourselves to exalting Christ, we place our futures safely in the hands of the One whose desire is not only perfect, but is for our own well-being!

The result of this kind of ambition is a supernatural contentment in every circumstance. Sometimes we will receive earthly blessings, other times we will face earthly hardships. Take a look, for instance, at this passage from Hebrews 11, the "Hall of Faith":

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated-- of whom the world was not worthy--wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. ~ Hebrews 11:32-38

The passage goes on to say that NONE of these -- neither the ones who "became mighty" nor the ones who were "destitute and afflicted" -- received their promised reward in this life, but ALL received the inheritance of "something better", which God made available through Jesus Christ. Like these faithful saints of old, and like the apostle Paul, we must learn contentment in every situation. Whether God brings us low, or brings us abundance, we must rely on God's strength to keep our contentment (and our ambition) rooted in the eternal promises of God, rather than on the things this world offers us (Philippians 4:11-13).

Lastly, Harvey's book shows us that our ambition must be directed toward and expressed through the Church. We are not only to seek God's glory on our own, but to work together with Christ's body to magnify the Lord corporately and cooperatively. God has ordained that we are to pursue Him as part of a community of believers. We must be as committed to Christians as we are to Christ himself, serving and worshiping together within a local church body. We must also perpetuate this godly ambition in the Church by "paying it forward". Our ambition for God's glory must extend beyond our own lives as we grab hold of the Church's mandate to disciple and train leaders, raising up future generations to follow and pursue God.

Rescuing Ambition is a much-needed book for Christians today, and for myself specifically. It has been one of the most personally helpful and edifying books I've read in a long time, and I commend it to you wholeheartedly!

"And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel" ~ Paul, in Romans 15:20

Ambition is rarely considered a virtue for Christians. Historically, it's carried with it connotations of seeking after personal glory and fame; of desiring for my own greatness, rather than God's. But Dave Harvey wants to change our understanding of ambition and show us that being ambitious doesn't necessarily mean being selfish. That's why he wrote Rescuing Ambition.

Ambition Defined
In this book, Harvey walks readers through a biblical understanding of ambition, beginning with our creation. "We love glory," he writes (p. 21). "We were created to look for it and to love it when we find it." It's why we love rock stars, actors, authors, athletes. It's why we want to be those things. There's glory there, even if it's fleeting.

And God doesn't condemn seeking after glory--in fact, says Harvey, he commends it. But the glory we're to seek after is His. It's Christ. Christ is "the radiance of the glory of God" (Heb. 1:3), and therefore the object of godly pursuit. To seek after glory is to seek after Christ and the things he pursues.

This is to be our ambition.

Ambition Distorted
As Harvey continues, he shows us how our ambitions have been corrupted by sin as we've "exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things" (Rom. 1:23). Thus, naturally our ambitions turn in on ourselves, where we seek to make ourselves great. However, Harvey says, the opposite occurs. We actually make ourselves smaller by trying to make ourselves great. Worse, we place ourselves under God's wrath. He writes:

"Deeply embedded in my sinful flesh is a desire to install myself as lord over all. I want my name worshiped, my glory exalted, and my fame talked about long after I'm dead. But by pursuing selfish ambition, we fall short, tragically short of the greatness and glory of God. . . . The bad news . . . is this: my quest for my own greatness leads me to a dangerous place. In our hyped-up pursuit of self-glory we place ourselves in the path of the wrath of God. So we're in desperate need of rescue. We need to be freed from wrath against imperfection--and we need to be rescued from ourselves." (pp. 46-47)

Ambition Redirected
Fortunately, God has made a way for our ambition to not only be rescued, but redirected through faith in Jesus Christ. What I appreciate in this book is that Harvey doesn't try to be overly clever or sneaky in his presentation of the problem and its solution. The problem is we've sinned against God, pursuing our own glory instead of His. The solution is Christ's atoning death on the cross.

It's the gospel.

When God saves sinners, He does it for His glory; and imperfect sinners are given Christ's perfect righteousness. And He saves us, not so that we can go about doing whatever we want, but to pursue the good works we were created for, "which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). Harvey writes,

"Walking in good works begins with aspiring to good works, being ambitious for them. Dreaming and doing things for God is the evidence, the effect, and the expectation of genuine faith. We already have all the approval we need. . . . [L]et us never leave this solid footing: God's approval comes from the perfect obedience of the Perfect Man." (p. 62)

And so God redirects our ambitions--He redirects them to glorify Him and delight us. This is probably the most challenging thing about our ambitions: Who or what lies at their end? Harvey asks, "Are your goals built around that job you've got to have, the weight you've got to lose, that position in the church with your name on it? Or are your dreams increasingly built around God and his life-shaping activity in you?" (p. 79)

These are challenging questions that force me to look at what I pursue. Do I write because I want people to praise my ability? Do I preach because I want people to be impressed with how well I speak?

Or do I do these things because I enjoy God and find my delight in Him? Does that drive me to pursue godly ambition?

Ambition Redeemed
As God rescues and redirects our ambitions, we have to understand that there's a cost. We might fail. We might never see our ambitions fulfilled. But our ambitions are to have one goal in mind: serving our Savior. This is where we're to find our contentment: not in the accomplishment, but in Him who has redeemed us and created us for these works.

In other words, godly ambitions are humble ambitions. To pursue godly ambitions means that we can forsake our comfort and well-being because Christ is sufficient. So it doesn't matter if we fail. It doesn't matter if we don't' see our plans play out. Jesus is enough.

The last several chapters of Rescuing Ambition hit this point over and over again, and I am grateful for it. It's too easy for me to get caught up in seeing things through to the very end.

To take "finishing well" as completing the task at hand.

But Harvey reminds us that "finishing well" actually means preparing the next generation to finish the work we begin. In sharing his own story of stepping down as the senior pastor of his church, to follow the leading of a younger man, Harvey models this for us. This is what our ambitions should be about. "True success means we will turn things over to the younger generation in such a way that enables them to run stronger and faster, with us cheering them all the way." (p. 210)

That, to me, seems like godly ambition. It's the kind that I want to pursue.

How about you?

Read this book and see how God might use it to rescue your ambitions.

-----

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review purposes by the publisher

Rescuing Ambition is a great title, it captures in two words the job that needs to be done to help Christians get back to work.

My experience has been to hear that there is a dilemma that all Christians must conquer- to have a strong faithful marriage and family life OR succeed in the work world. It's a false dilemma.

Dave Harvey starts with simple things like where our approval needs to come from, what do we place value in- God not man.

The book lays out clearly that contentment must precede success because if/when you fail you need to still trust God and his care for you. Contentment is a piece of cake when things are great, but the successful person understands that contentment needs to follow failure as well- so you can get up and keep going, keep fighting, keep looking ahead.

And a prideful self will always be failure. Dave Harvey points the way to Godly success.

"I've heard the roar of my own selfish ambition demanding to be fed.But God is bigger than my sin and he's committed to pointing me in the right direction. It's his power that energized us to serve the ambition of Christ- his church... Our ambition should be highter than crossing the finish line alone."