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...]( 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. I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( You May Also Like: [5 Indicators of an Evil Heart]( Leslie Vernick I think one of the reasons we don’t “see” evil is because we find it so difficult to believe that evil individuals actually exist. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [How to Get Out of a Spiritual Slump]( Hope Bolinger If God seems far away and being a Christian feels abstract and a bit purposeless, you may be in a spiritual slump where as much as we try to pursue God, it feels like we're getting nowhere. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Crosswalk.com Logo]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Unsubscribe From This Email]( [Email Preference Center]( | [View in Browser]( © 2020 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](