April 2

Written by Bill Grandi on April 2nd, 2019

My title for this devotion is Pastor ambition: Godly vs personal.

It is no secret that pastors are pastors for different reasons. Some are noble, godly reasons; others are personal, less-than-godly reasons. Various times throughout my 45+ years as a pastor I have paused to ask myself the ultimate question: why am I a pastor? Is my motive godly? Is it because  my ambition is for the fame of His name or is it for the fame of my name? Is my reason noble or less than noble? Is my motive to promote Him or myself?

I won’t and can’t lie. I admit there have been times my motivation has been less than noble. Now…I would have been the first to cover that up and denied it. Skye Jethani says it well when he writes about the “power of godly ambition” and the “shadow side of pastor ambition, i.e. it can drive us to make great sacrifices in service to God and others, or it can be a veneer that hides far less noble motivations.” (p.16)**

What appears to be real devotion externally may actually be a ruse.

Real leadership is not filled with pride. It is not a ruse. It is not filled with “look at me.” It is not seeking accolades. It is not seeking advancement. Real leadership is humble, servant-oriented, even costly.

“Father, please help me to be honest with myself about my ambition. May my ambition be godly, holy, honest and seeking your fame. Fuel my ambition for godliness for You.”

**Quote is from Immeasurable by Skye Jethani

 

5 Comments so far ↓

  1. Glynn says:

    It’s always a discover to discover that pastors are people, too. 🙂

  2. Ryan S says:

    This doesn’t just apply to pastors…This really applies to anyone who calls themselves a child of God. Thanks for the gut check this morning!

    • Bill Grandi says:

      I agree Ryan but as I wrote this I was looking at my mirror and trying to be honest with myself. Thanks for the other perspective.

  3. floyd says:

    I appreciate the honesty here, Bill. None of are perfect and struggle within. Only seeking our Father can bring us to that place of humility in order to be used for the purpose that we were created…