Selfish ambition and jealousy over another's success or prosperity are things that we must never allow in our lives as we follow Christ. Following Christ Jesus requires that we learn to let go of our own desires and ambitions, stop looking at others and comparing ourselves to them, and fixing our eyes on Him who saved and is shepherding us.
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?'" (Matthew 16:24-26 MEV)
Gaining The Whole World
Many Christians, sadly, even though they know that our ultimate pursuit in our life in God is Christ Himself, still choose to pursue the world. They envy the wicked who are richer and more materially prosperous than they are; they feel jealous over a Christian brother or sister's happy and blessed life; and they feel like they need to get ahead of other Christians because they think that being blessed materially is a "sign of being loved (or more favoured) by God."
Sadly, this is just plain wrong.
The Lord Jesus Himself said those who gain the whole world yet lose their own soul profit nothing. There's nothing more precious and important in our life of God than Him who loved us, died for us, raised us with Him in His resurrection, and has made us co-heirs and co-workers with Him as we do the will of the Father who loves us so much.
You Don't Want These
To encourage you to let go of jealousy, striving, and selfish ambition, here are some things that will be yours if you don't let these go, according to James 3:14-16:
1. Pretensions And A Fake Life
"But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, do not boast and do not lie against the truth."
I was surprised when I realised this. But the truth is that our selfishness would empower us to sin with our mouths and live a fake life full of masks and pretensions. The Christian should live free, not in bondage to ambition.
2. Thinking That Is Demonic
"This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, and devilish."
Whoa. Those who try to present themselves as somebody they're not don't only live a lie – they also do what the devil wants them to do. Pretensions and worldly "wisdom" is not of God, and will not yield the results that only God can.
3. Confusion And Sinfulness
"For where there is envying and strife, there is confusion and every evil work."
Lastly, where there's envying and striving to get ahead of each other, there will always be some chaos, confusion, and a lot of wrongdoing.
Desire God
James 4:2-3 sums up what I want to say against jealousy, envy, covetousness, and selfishness:
"You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." (NLT)
Let's want what God wants for us. Let's desire Him.
