Episode 3 – Success, Ambition and the Christian tension

Let’s talk about success, ambition, and the internal tension many Christians experience when they try to balance wanting to do well and make an impact while still being faithful to what Christ taught. This tension is common, especially for people who take both their faith and their worldly responsibilities seriously.

You work hard. You care about excellence. You want to see results. You want what you to do matter.

Is this ego? Maybe. Or maybe these feelings come from a sense of calling and responsibility.

At the same time, you want to be respected and even admired. You want a certain amount of material comforts. You want to drive a nice car, live in a nice house, have nice things. You want your kids to go to good schools. You want to be able to make financial contributions to your church and missions you support.

You have a desire for stability, for providing for your family, for giving generously, for taking advantage of opportunities. When does this desire change from calling and responsibility to excess?

And that’s where, for many Christians, a tension develops.

You’ve got questions that often don’t have clear answers.

Success as the world defines it includes achieving a certain rank or status along with having and enjoying material things. Where is the line between that and being faithful to the Gospel?

How much is “enough”? And how do you pursue more than enough without losing your spiritual grounding?

As Christians, we get a lot of mixed messages about ambition and success.

We’re told to be grateful for what we have, to be humble.

In First Thessalonians, Paul wrote:

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

The Apostle Peter wrote:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:6, NIV)

But throughout the Bible, God has used wealthy people to do his work.

There was Abraham, whose resources enabled him to lead and bless others.

And Job, who retained his faith through loss and restoration.

And Joseph, who managed Egypt’s resources during famine.

And David, who funded preparations for the temple.

There’s the “prominent woman of Shunem” in Second Kings. She provided hospitality to the prophet Elisha and used her resources to build a furnished room for him in her home. Her wealth and influence became infrastructure for God’s work.

And, of course, Solomon, whose wealth and wisdom shaped a nation and who continues to guide business leaders today.

All of these and more were materially successful and still deeply involved in God’s purposes.

And God hasn’t stopped using wealthy people. Consider the good works of

John D. Rockefeller, who was influenced by a Baptist preacher who told him to make as much money as he could and then give away as much as he could. He donated to churches, to education, to medical research, and so much more.

How about Andrew Carnegie, who built libraries, supported education and worked for world peace, and called on the rich to use their wealth to improve society.

There was Madame C. J. Walker, one of the first self-made female millionaires in the United States. She used her success to expand opportunity for others by contributing to civil rights and community initiatives, funding scholarships, and investing in education and housing.

Then there was Henry Ford, whose policies on wages and working hours along with his philanthropy reshaped the middle class.

George Peabody, who was born into a poor family but became a wealthy financier and philanthropist, is considered the father of modern philanthropy.

And George Cadbury did more than make delicious chocolates, he invested in worker welfare, education, and housing.

These men and women weren’t perfect, but I absolutely believe they were God’s tools.

Wanting to grow, to be a leader, to achieve career and material success is not inherently unchristian. In fact, our intellect, our talents, and our abilities are all gifts from God, and he wants us to use them. Stewardship applies not only to what we have, but what we do and what we have the potential to do.

I love the quote by Leo Buscaglia. He said, “Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”

To take what God has given you and use it in a way that glorifies him usually requires ambition. It requires initiative, effort, learning, and persistence.

Faith doesn’t eliminate ambition, it directs it. Being a Christian doesn’t mean we need to shrink our goals, it means we should examine our reasons for them.

The question isn’t whether we want success, but WHY we want it and HOW we pursue it.

A desire to be successful does not mean you’re selfish. A desire for influence doesn’t have to mean you’re corrupt. Those desires can be expressions of responsibility and benevolence rather than ego.

Consider that successful businesses create jobs and opportunities. They provide goods and services people want and need. And they need to be led by skilled, ambitious people.

Successful doctors provide essential medical care. Life-changing medical advances require ambitious researchers and practitioners.

Successful educators shape future generations and open doors of opportunity, but it takes ambition to reach the level of skill and knowledge required to do that.

We can be grateful and humble, and still want success. It comes down to our motivation. Gratitude keeps success from becoming entitlement. Humility keeps ambition from becoming domination.

If your drive for success comes from a desire to glorify God and live his plan for your life, there’s no conflict between what you’re doing and your faith. But if it comes from a desire for status and power, you may need to do some self-examination and make some changes to achieve the clarity and peace you want.

That kind of reflection isn’t about guilt or selfishness, it’s about alignment.

When we come back, we’ll talk about some practical ways to keep ambition aligned with faith.