Rescuing ambition

A sunny beach, a beer, and a book make a great way to spend an afternoon. Got through most of this book in such a fashion last week. All said, I recommend both the beach/book/beer combo and this particular book.

When we become too humble to aspire, we've stopped being humble.

Humility should never be an excuse for inactivity. Our humility should harness our ambition, not hinder it. Taking about your dreams for God isn't proud - it's essential. If you're too humble to dream, maybe you have an incorrect understanding of humility. The servant who is faithful with little still has an eye on the much. John Stott has it right:

Ambitions for self may be quite modest... Ambitions for God, however, if they are to be worthy, can never be modest. There is something inherently inappropriate about cherishing small ambitions for God. How can we ever be content that he should acquire just a little more honour in the world? No. Once we are clear that God is King, then we long to see him crowned with glory and honour, and accorded his true place, which is the supreme place. We become ambitious for the spread of his kingdom and righteousness everywhere.

Are you getting the picture? The stoking of godly ambition is far from inconsequential. Without it, exploration fails, research stops, kids spoil, industry stalls, causes fail, civilizations crumble, the gospel stands still. We can't let all of that happen in the name of humility. If our ambitions are to be worthy of God's glory, they can never be modest.

To allow such passivity is to cut out the very heart of humility, leaving it devoid of the power and grace God promises to the humble. The "old" humility, true and biblical humility, has a name big enough for the largest of godly ambitions. We must be ambitious for this kind of humility

- Dave Harvey, Rescuing Ambition, p. 117