Being ambitious isn't optional. 

You were made for it.

You feel it, don't you? 

That desire to do something meaningful. 

To build. To create. To push forward.

But maybe you've been told ambition is dangerous. That it's selfish. That it leads to pride. Or perhaps you've chased success before and found it empty. 

The truth? 

Ambition isn't the problem. 

God created you to be ambitious, strive, build, and leave an impact. The real question is: Will your ambition be about your glory—or God's?

If your ambition is for yourself, it will leave you restless. Always striving, never satisfied. But if your ambition is for God, it becomes worship.

Ambition isn't about personal success. It's about a calling.

God calls you to be ambitious. But not for money, power, or fame. He calls you to be ambitious for His kingdom.

What Does "Ambitious" Mean?

Ambition is a strong drive to achieve something. 

To put it simply, ambition is desire plus an end goal.

Here are a few examples of ambition:

• A runner wakes up at 5 a.m. every morning to train. His desire is to test his physical and mental limits. His end goal is to win the race.
• A person who works late nights building their company. They desire to create something meaningful. Their end goal is financial success and influence.
• A college student studies for hours every day. He desires to prove himself. His end goal is to graduate with honors.
• A person leaves everything behind to take the gospel to an unreached people group. Their desire is to see Christ glorified, and their end goal is to make disciples.

In each case, ambition itself isn't the problem. It's neutral. What matters is what you're striving for (the end goal) and why you want it (the desire).

So, what does the Bible say about ambition?

Let's dig into that next. 

What Does the Bible Says About Ambition?

Ambition isn't something you have to figure out on your own. God's Word speaks directly to it. The Bible shows us that ambition can be used for selfish gain or God's glory—what matters is how you pursue it.

1. God Doesn't Need Your Ambition

Your ambition isn't about filling a gap in God's plan. 

He doesn't need anything.

God is self-sufficient, which means He relies on no one. In the New Testament Book of Acts 17:25, we read, "He is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he gives to all mankind life and breath and everything."

That might be hard to hear. But it's freeing.

If God needed you, the weight of success would be on your shoulders. Your achievements would determine whether His plans succeed or fail. That's a crushing burden.

Instead, God chooses to work through you—not because He has to, but because He wants to. He calls you to strive, build, and create as part of His greater story.

So if God doesn't need you, why does He call you? Because He made you for something greater than yourself. Your ambition isn't about what God lacks. It's about what He calls you to.

2. You Were Created to Be Ambitious

From the beginning, God gave you a purpose. 

You were made to work.

Adam wasn't placed in the garden to sit around. Genesis 2:15 says, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Work was part of the original design. It wasn't a curse. It was a calling.

And guess what? That calling hasn't changed.

Paul tells the Thessalonians to be ambitious in their work: "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands" (1 Thessalonians 4:11).

That drive inside you? It's not a mistake.

You were designed to strive, build, and pursue excellence. But something happened.

3. Ambition Corrupted

Ambition didn't stay pure. 

Sin twisted it.

When Adam and Eve rebelled, everything changed. Ambition turned inward. Instead of striving for God's glory, people started striving for their own. The drive to achieve, build, and create was no longer about God's kingdom. It became about personal gain, power, and control.

Philippians 2:3 warns against "selfish ambition and vain conceit." But that's precisely what happened. People stopped seeing ambition as a way to serve God and started using it to serve themselves. They built their names, platforms, and kingdoms—as if they were the story's center.

The world celebrates this kind of ambition. 

It tells you to climb higher, push harder, and win at any cost. But Scripture calls this vain glory. Proverbs 25:27 says, "For men to seek their glory is not glory."

And you see it everywhere, don't you? 

There is a hunger for more money, status, and recognition. People compete, compare, and crush others just to feel like they matter.

Ambition isn't meant to be about you. It's intended to be about Him. When God's will directs ambition, it leads to faithfulness. But when it's driven by pride, it leads to ruin.

And here's the good news—sin corrupted ambition, but it didn't destroy it.

If ambition is twisted by the fall, it can be redeemed. And in Christ, it is.

4. Ambition Redeemed 

The gospel doesn't destroy ambition. It redeems it.

Through Christ, your desires and your drive are purified. Your ambition is no longer about self-exaltation but about glorifying God.

If you are in Christ, you are forgiven. Your sinful pursuit of self-glory has been nailed to the cross.

If you are in Christ, you are accepted. You don't have to prove your worth through your achievements.

If you are in Christ, your ambition is redeemed. Now, your work, goals, and striving can be directed toward something eternal—God's glory and the good of others.

And here's the difference:

In Christ, ambition is no longer about climbing higher for your name but running hard for God's kingdom. You work not to prove yourself but to serve others. You build not to make a name for yourself but to bring glory to His name.

True ambition is found in fulfilling God's revealed will. 

It looks like:

• Pursuing holiness ("This is the will of God, your sanctification" - 1 Thessalonians 4:3)
• Working as for the Lord ("Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" - Colossians 3:23)
• Striving for His kingdom ("Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" - Matthew 6:33)

God redeems your ambition so you can participate in His greater mission.

Like Paul, your desire should be to see Christ proclaimed (Romans 15:20). Like Jesus, your end goal should be the redemption of His people.

This is the ambition God calls you to.

5. Called to Be Ambitious

God doesn't just allow ambition—He commands it.

He created you with a drive to strive, to build, to pursue. But that ambition was never meant to serve you but to glorify Him. Paul didn't just encourage believers to be ambitious—he lived it. He pressed forward, striving for the prize (Philippians 3:14). He refused to settle, coast, or waste his calling.

That's the kind of ambition God calls you to.

Paul writes, "Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called" (Ephesians 4:1). That's not a suggestion. That's a charge.

True ambition isn't about climbing higher for yourself. It's about striving to fulfill God's revealed will for His glory.

And what is God's will? It's not a mystery. God has already revealed what He calls you to desire and pursue:

• Pursue holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
• Work with excellence (Colossians 3:23)
• Seek God's kingdom first (Matthew 6:33)
• Love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30)
• Make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)
• Persevere in the faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Godly ambition is having a holy desire to fulfill God's will, with His glory as your ultimate goal.

And listen—faithful ambition isn't a one-time decision. It's a daily pursuit of obedience, faithfulness, and striving toward Christ.

So what's driving you?

Is your ambition for your own glory—or for God's?

This is the ambition God calls you to.

Practical Steps Toward Being Ambitious

Godly ambition doesn't happen by accident. It has to be cultivated, directed, and fueled by the Spirit. Left to itself, ambition drifts toward self-glory. But surrendering to God becomes a powerful force for His kingdom.

Here's how you can align your ambition with God's will and pursue lasting success.

1. Seek God First

You can't manufacture godly ambition. It has to be fueled by the Spirit.

Left to yourself, ambition bends toward self-glory. But the Spirit redirects your desires—not by sheer willpower, but through God's means of grace.

These means of grace are clear:

• Reading the Bible
• Prayer
• Participating in the sacraments (baptism and communion)
• Actively participate in a local church

If you aren't grounded in these, your ambition will run on empty and potentially go off course.

2. Focus on God's Glory

Whose name are you working for? 

Yours—or His?

The world says success is about making a name for yourself. But real success? It's about making much of Christ. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Before you chase a goal, ask yourself: Am I striving to honor Him—or just to be noticed?

3. Ambition Isn't a Feeling—It's a Choice

You don't have to wait until you feel motivated.

Too many people sit around, waiting for inspiration. But godly ambition doesn't wait—it moves. Obedience comes first. Feelings follow. "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only" (James 1:22).

4. Pursue Christ, Not Just Achievements

What if you reach the top—but realize you climbed the wrong mountain?

Paul had every reason to boast—status, power, recognition. But he threw it all away for something better: "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8).

If your ambition pulls you away from Christ, it's not ambition worth having.

5. Surround Yourself with the Right People

Ambition thrives—or dies—based on who you surround yourself with.

Paul never worked alone. Neither should you. Find people who push you toward God, not just toward success. "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)

A real friend will refine your ambition—not just hype you up.

6. Stay Humble

Pride kills godly ambition. It whispers, "Make this about you."

But Jesus—the One with every right to seek glory—chose humility instead. "He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8).

If Christ didn't chase status, why should you?

7. Be Hopeful—God Provides

God isn't calling you to run this race alone.

If He's placed a calling on your life, He will equip you. "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

You don't have to fear failure. You only need to be faithful.

Time to Act

You were made for more.

You were created to work hard, strive for excellence, and to build.

Sin twisted ambition. It made success an idol. It turned ambition inward.

But through Christ, your ambition is redeemed. Now, you can work for something greater than yourself. Now, you can pursue God's kingdom instead of your own.

You have two choices.

Chase temporary success. Or be ambitious for something eternal.

Live boldly. Strive for excellence. Make much of Christ.