Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Consider:
Ambition is double-edged sword. We are supposed to be ambitious enough to motivate us to get out of the house in the morning and go get a job. If a child is talented or shows academic gifts, their ambition is “supposed” to make us want to climb the corporate ladder, becoming the youngest CEO in the history of our 300 year old company. And it’s opposite, “that kid lacks ambition” is used to demean or degrade someone, as if the only gift someone can offer is their desire to achieve.
This is a very individualistic view of our abilities - the idea being the only way to use those blessings is to personally succeed.
But what if we looked at sharing our God-given gifts and talents from a different point of view - as stewarding those gifts for the blessing of our community? What if we understood God didn’t give us those talents for our own glorification, but for the betterment of our community? To be truly ambitious is to recognize one's talents not as personal possessions, but as resources held in trust for the benefit of the community; when we view our growth as stewardship, our success becomes a shared victory.
Jesus is able to resist all those temptations in this particular passage not just because he has superhuman strength and moral clarity - it’s because he understood his responsibility not as an individual one, but a community one. He could have taken advantage of any one of the offers laid before him - I’m guessing after days in the desert he was pretty hungry - without compromising his status as “Son of God”. But that exact identity is what enabled him to say no.
Jesus knew his gifts weren’t to be used simply for his own glory, but for the benefit of his entire community. He understood his personal growth - and achievement - only held meaning if it is done with and for his community.
Ambition isn’t a dirty word if it’s put in its proper place - whatever blessing comes from our personal success is more fulfilling and meaningful if it’s a shared celebration.
Respond:
It’s easy to focus on the what (the title, the salary, the degree) of an accomplishment, but this devotion challenges us to dig into the impact of those goals and achievements. Take a minute to consider a current personal goal or a personal achievement from the past.
With this goal or achievement in mind, consider if (when) you achieved this, who is the first person (outside of yourself) who benefits? How?
What is one specific skill or resource you will gain (or did) through this ambition that you didn’t have before to offer others?
Pray:
Gifting God,
May my personal fire light a shared path. Grant me the strength to climb, not for the height, but for the view it offers to help others. Let my success be a harvest for the hungry and my growth a shelter for the weary. May I lead with love and gratitude. Amen.
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