HBS: Selfish Ambition

[bcbsr]

Selfish Ambition

Gal 5:19-21 "... selfish ambition ... those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

While we all have degrees of selfish ambition, those who align their lifestyle in accordance with their selfish ambitions are hell bound. What is the basis of the decisions you make concerning your lifestyle, your purpose in life? Do you defer to your selfish ambitions when making such decisions?

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Php 2:3,4

With selfish ambition comes disorder and confusion both in one's self and in relationship with others. And along with those, every kind of evil practice.

Those with self ambitions often meddle where they shouldn't. So concerning ambitions Paul advises, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." 1Th 4:11,12 Do your ambitions involve bothering and burdening other people unnecessarily? Have you geared your life to be dependent upon others, or have you geared it to be dependable to others?

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Your interpretation is a bit different, (when you describe it from the meddling aspects, that seems more like Gossip and related stuff to that).

In terms of the Bible, Church history etc. it is usually interpreted as people seeking ( officially or unofficially) leadership positions in the Church to gratify their ego, and maybe even to make money etc. The Pharisees who were hostile to Jesus and Diotrephes who bothered Paul would be prime examples, also the rich people of Jerusalem that saint James warned in his epistle, and the apostles themselves arguing who is or should be the greatest among them, even Anais and Saphira with their deceptive gift in church.