This is the second half of a chapter from a book on Divine Affirmation that we posted last week. If you missed that post, please read it first, Freed From the Ache of Ambition Allowing the God Is Good Enough for Me Life to Shape Our Service. The introduction to that post will explain what this is about.
Foolish Ambition
Pause for a moment and think about how much more time, energy, and peace you’d have if you rejected all selfish ambition. Imagine the freedom of not having to expend a single ounce of energy doing anything to make yourself look important, nice, impressive, polite, or anything else. Instead, your life focus is on the far more streamlined (and fulfilling) task of becoming rich toward God.
Jesus taught this:
When he [Jesus] noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Jesus explains that even trying to be exalted on this earth is the sure way to be humbled in God’s eyes and in eternity. Intentionally taking the last place is the sure path to getting to the highest place.
His teaching is clear: replace the need to feel important, noticed, and exalted by others with God’s acceptance and affirmation. If you know you are good enough for God, you don’t need to know if you are good enough for others. If you know God is good enough for you, you don’t need others’ approval and acclaim. Let it go! Intentionally choose a place of service or even invisibility. Caring what someone thinks about you when you are honestly pursuing God and seeking to please Him in all things is like trying to impress a class of kindergartners. It’s beyond irrelevant.
Continue reading the blog on Substack HERE.
Leave a Reply