Ambition - Crosswalk the Devotional - October 1

Truths observed at the intersection of faith and life by Crosswalk.com editors [Crosswalk.com Logo]( Crosswalk: The Devotional [Devotionals]( [Newsletters]( [e-Cards]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Crosswalk the Devotional]( Ambition by Shawn McEvoy Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands. [1 Thessalonians 4:11]( Quaint, right? Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity. What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony. Is that what this verse is getting at? Let's look deeper. The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things to be ambitious about. Another place the word appears is [Romans 15:20]( where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..." In [2 Corinthians 5:9]( we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him." Contrast these goals with the first defitinion under "ambition" on Dictionary.com: 1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( You May Also Like: [8 Great Ways to Serve the Elders in Your Community or Home]( Sarah Landrum Make no mistake about it: The seniors in your community have put family, church, community and country first in their work and prayers for decades. It’s not only a pleasure to extend fellowship, but a privilege. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [A Mother's Advice to Her Son amidst the Climate of Sexual Assault]( RJ Thesman My son has a tender heart. When he sees any type of suffering, he feels the pain. But he goes farther on the scale of empathy. He wants to do something to rectify the problem – something for permanent change. As we watched recent news reports of powerful men admitting to sexual assault, my son asked, “What can I do? How can these harmful behaviors stop?” [CONTINUE READING →]( [Crosswalk.com Logo]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Unsubscribe From This Email]( [Email Preference Center]( | [View in Browser]( © 2018 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk.com - The Devotional. [Link](