It’s been a number of years since my husband, Ken, taught high school history and it’s pretty special that so many of his former students keep in touch with him. There’s one particular young man named Tommy that even I remember. Even when Tommy was a sophomore, he was running for class office, trying out for sports, joining after school clubs.
Once when Tommy and several of his fellow students came to our home for a barbecue, I asked this young man what made him so ambitious? He didn’t bat an eye; all these activities and interests (not to mention his good grades), he knew all these things would help him with an application to the school of his dreams – he wanted to go to Harvard to study Economics. After that, he planned to land a job in the financial district and make his fortune.
It’s been many years since Tommy graduated from high school and, yes, he finished Harvard with honors and, yes, he has a very prominent position in a securities company in New York. For Tommy, his ambition has paid off… literally, but not spiritually.
This young man had his heart – he had his ambition, his aim – on things other than the kingdom of Christ. But Ken and I still pray for Tommy. Because when we think of him, 2 Corinthians 5:9 comes to mind where it says, “We are ambitious to be well-pleasing to Him.”
Oh, that’s what I want to be. And I know that’s what you want to be. Oh, to be as much of a go-getter as Tommy is… to be that ambitious for the things of Christ. More specifically, to make it our ambition to be well-pleasing to the Lord! And the neat thing is, you don’t have to have a lot of brains like that young man had in high school or at Harvard… you don’t have to have a lot of smarts or even a Bible college degree. You don’t even have to be in full-time Christian service. You can be quite typical, quite normal, thank you… very average, if you will… and yet far exceed anything Tommy can ever hope to achieve…
You can excel in patience and in holding your tongue. You can aim to think the best of others and not be quick to judge. You can determine to lay aside worries. You can make it your focus, your goal, to love those that others pass by or ignore. You can aspire to turn away wrath with a soft answer. Hey, it doesn’t take a lot of smarts to do that. Not a lot of brains to know how to be instant in forgiving those who offend you – goodness, even Christians with Bible college degrees struggle with that. The point is, anybody – everyone – can make it their ambition to be well-pleasing to the Savior, simply by trusting and obeying. Following and believing. Depending and honoring God. Make that your ambition, your aim, and you’ll always be well-pleasing to Jesus.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends