Micah 6:8 English Standard Version (ESV) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

What the Lord requires does not sound like much. Be just, be kind and be humble. That seems like a reasonable request.

Then we join a church and suddenly there is so much to be done. We are told that we need to find our calling, identify our gifts, and serve the Lord and each other. Those issues alone can be difficult to realize, practice and become useful kingdom citizens.

If we ask those who teach and pastor us we might be told that it is not too much to ask considering all the Lord has done for us.

Romans 12:1 King James Version (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Then we are told to make sacrifices. That sounds a little like the old Jewish temple traditions and we now live in the church age. Not to worry, there are plenty of good intentioned believers who will help us understand what that means. The one line I remember the most is: “Giving without measure.”

Then there is the issue of influence. We all want to make a difference.

2 Corinthians 10:15 English Standard Version (ESV)  We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged,

We won’t brag about what others do but don’t mind if our name gets mentioned for a good work.

It may be that we get caught up in our training and we want to prove it worked. What good are talents and gifts if we do not have some measure of success? That thought is not scriptural.

2 Corinthians 10:12 English Standard Version (ESV) Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

What do we understand and how do we understand it?

Philippians 1:17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.

James 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

The ESV uses the term selfish ambition four times in scripture. These four verses paint a picture of what selfish ambition looks like in a church.

It attacks leadership, humiliates others, is arrogant, and is disruptive. Breaking down selfish ambition to its component parts allows us to see that God is not allowed to work through those who act in that manner.

At one time in my Christian walk a wise elder once told me “Let go and let God.” I instinctively understood what he meant but the how escaped me. Over time I realized my selfish ambition was my own stumbling block in walking in God’s will.

That is a sad confession but true. I wanted attention. I didn’t care what others thought. I felt superior in the way I operated. I was not gracious. I was immature and what I was in the world, I brought to church. I had been a rebellious teenager.

Worldly attitudes may cause you to survive in the world but in the body of Christ those need to be killed. I had to let go and let God.

In order to walk in God’s will, we must let go of every aspect of selfish ambition. In order to do that we must examine our behavior and confess which aspect of selfish ambition exists in us.