Spiritual Ambition

Acts 19:21 KJV After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.

I. INTRODUCTION—AMBITION

A. General Quotes

T. D. English—Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds.

Donald G. Mitchell—Ambition is the spur that makes men struggle with destiny. It is heaven’s own incentive to make purpose great and achievement greater.

Young—Too low they build who build below the skies.

Tyron Edwards—High aims form high characters, and great objects bring out great minds.

Carlyle—Have a purpose in life, and having it, throw into your work such strength of mind and muscle as God has given you.

Bulwer—The man who seeks one, and but one, thing in life may hope to achieve it; but he who seeks all things, wherever he goes, only reaps, from the hopes which he sows, a harvest of barren regrets.

Chesterfield—Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable; however, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it, than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.

Jonathon Edwards—Resolved to live with all my might while I do live, and as I shall wish I had done ten thousand ages hence.

J. Hawes—Aim at the sun, and you may not reach it; but your arrow will fly far higher than if aimed at an object on a level with yourself.

Bulwer—Dream manfully and nobly, and thy dreams shall be prophets.

T. T. Munger—Providence has nothing good or high in store for one who does not resolutely aim at something high or good. A purpose, an ambition, is the eternal condition to success.

Thomas Manton—Desires are the pulses of the soul; as physicians judge by the appetite, so may you by desires.

John Neal—Kites rise against, not with the wind. No man ever worked his passage anywhere but in a dead calm.

B. Biblical Quotes

Psalms 37:4-6 KJV Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. [5] Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. [6] And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Psalms 63:8 KJV My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

Philippians 3:12-14 KJV Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. [13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, [14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 KJV Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. [25] And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. [26] I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: [27] But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Hebrews 12:1-2 KJV Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, [2] Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

II. PAUL’S AMBITION

-If ever there were a man who had ambition beating in his soul it was the Apostle Paul. He was a man who was not going to be put off by obstacles and difficulties that came into his path. After his experience on the Damascus Road, the whole course and scope of his life totally changed.

-If there is to be a godly ambition in any man, it has to start with a conversion. The New Birth has to take place in his life. A man has to repent of his past sins, go down in a watery grave of baptism in the Name of Jesus, and then he has to receive the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with tongues.

-The single act of conversion should be enough of a motivation for us to long to want to do something profitable for the Kingdom of God.