2 Corinthians 5:9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
The Amplified Bible says it like this: We are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to him.
What does it mean to be ambitious? Here are some dictionary definitions:
Having a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous.
Having a desire to achieve a particular goal
There was a time in my life when I was very ambitious in my career. I worked extra hours and took on new responsibilities. I took on hard projects and learned new things that made me more valuable to the company. I disregarded normal activities that I enjoyed because there wasn’t time for them if I was going to be devoted to work responsibilities. I would work until I was physically exhausted.
Many people have had this same experience in their work life. But how many of us have had this experience in our spiritual life?
Rarely have I pushed myself this hard in the things of God. It’s been more common for me to go to sleep then to stay up late and pray. To indulge my appetite rather than fast. To zoom through my Bible reading rather than digging in and studying to learn something new, to receive some new revelation of the glory of God.
Being ambitious has gotten a bad reputation because we often find ambition in connection with selfish and self-promoting things. But the word of God commends it when it’s directly rightly.
Beloved, let’s be ambitious in our pursuit of God and our desire to please Him in all things. Admittedly, it can sometimes be very difficult to deny ourselves the things our soul and flesh desire. But once we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good those other things will lose their savor and our ambitious pursuit of Him will be fueled by the expectation that we will taste and see even more.
He is my Delight 