How ambitious should a Christian man be ?

I think a person should want to try and do their best in whatever they do. It is not dishonoring to God to do your best and to use your talents well. However if your ambitions are to do something that is contrary to God's will then you should be concerned.

How ambitious a person should be in their career is up to them, I think. Maybe you just want to work at something for enough hours to get money to live on, and then you go home and do what you really love. Or maybe your career is something you love, so you put a lot into that. Either choice is fine.

Ambition becomes "too much" when you start hurting other people to get what you want.

As a Christian, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all else shall be added on to you.” In that endeavor, you are asked to be ambitious. And that may include being guided to be a good provider for your family, for example, and thus be ambitious about your work. But the focus should always be on the Kingdom of God. That is the key.

A professor, who had been described by ‘someone’ as “a nice man” once asked me “What’s wrong with being ambitious?” I was an atheist at the time and had just referred to the ‘someone’ as being ambitious. I wasn’t referring to self-ambition or career progression, as the professor thought but to this someone’s demands and expectation for everyone to like him.
I didn’t answer the professor who went on to write a book. I will disguise the title so as not to identify him, it translates as “Abyss of Pleasure”, it’s about the popular use of street drugs.
The ‘someone’ had previously been described by someone else as “not living by any rules and couldn’t stand being disliked.”

“The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them” Prov 11:9 NLT

QuestionQuest74 said:

How ambitious should a man Christ be in his career and when is his ambitious too much ?

Click to expand...

First, I think going forward with a career in just about anything can be used for God's purposes. I'll tell you a story I told someone the other day.

There was a businessman who once went into Saudi Arabia all the time for his work.

Whenever he was in a meeting with the Muslims there, he would open his briefcase and along with the business paperwork he would take out of the case, he took out a Bible and set it upon the conference table as well.

That's all he did, not one other word because it's illegal to preach Christianity to Muslims there.

But with this one simple act, and due to it's occurrence, he was letting it be known, quietly, that he was a Christian.

Muslims then who wanted to know about Christ would arrange for private "business" meetings with him, and he ended up leading many people to Christ.

His career in international business was the inroad God used to bring a missionary into a closed society (a society where it's illegal to share Christ and illegal to become Christian) and reach the lost there.

You would normally think such a career was a worldly one full of greed, but God raised up a faithful man even there and used it for Kingdom purposes.

I think so long as we are putting God first in all we do, God will use our talents anywhere.

It only goes wrong when we aren't walking in the Spirit and putting Christ first. (Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul.)

Follow Christ, and He will put those talents God gave you to good use.

QuestionQuest74 said:

How ambitious should a man Christ be in his career and when is his ambitious too much ?

Click to expand...

I would say that a good moderate view is to be ambitious enough:

a) to financially secure yourself, also for the future, not just for now
b) to be able to take a good care of your close ones
c) to have something above that for various good work

If this all is done, then I see no real point in working more. Rather invest your time in spending it with your family, in a community, studying something, broadening your horizons, in nature, relaxing etc.

Above all, he should be himself, not be ashamed of his core values and principles, not hide them and, as far as possible, hold them. Not to impose, but to present, not to force, but to offer not to expect, and often if possible to give even more.

There are some truth issues to deal with this topic:
The ruler and promoter of this system, this world, is satan
Ephesians 2:2 (KJV)
[2] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
This alone gives us cause to be weary in our approach of ...

Colossians 3:1-3 (KJV)
[1] If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
[2] Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
[3] For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Proverbs 15:16 (KJV)
[16] Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
[17] Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

Christian or not, ambition always reminds me of the scene from ‘On the Waterfront’. The one where Marlon Brando says “You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody”.

Living as a Christian I am more like an itinerant spreading the word.

Make it your ambition to pray and do what Jesus guides you to do, "and you will find rest for your souls." (in Matthew 11:29)

Make sure you aren't pushing in a way that has you burning out and stressing out. But stay with Jesus iChristian's.

Of course a job can have pressure and chaos. It can help to stay prayerful and take little pit stops, even to be quiet for a few seconds.

And make sure you have time and energy for your family and sharing with other Christians.