In talking about humility and ambition, think spiritual crime scene. Ambition starts out as a business partner with humility, but doesn’t want to share control. An argument ensues. Ambition gets carried away, whacks humility and the next thing you know humility is a chalk line on the sidewalk. Ambition becomes a partner of one.

But here’s a plot twist. Is there ever a time when ambition is the victim of humility? I think there is, and I think it requires some serious investigation.

In Philippians 2, Christ’s humility is displayed in his action. “He made himself nothing,” “He took the form of a servant,” “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient.” To “have this mind among yourselves” is to follow an example of action, intention and initiative. Christ’s humility did not restrain his enterprise, it defined it.

G.K. Chesterton saw the rise of ambition-less humility among Christians in the social and economic world of eighteenth century Great Britain. He called it “humility in the wrong place.” Chesterton appealed for a return to the “old humility” saying, “The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a nail in his boot that prevented him from going on. For the old humility made a man doubtful about his efforts, which might make him work harder. But the new humility makes a man doubtful about his aims, which will make him stop working altogether.”

When we become too modest to aspire, we’ve ceased being humble. Humility should never be an excuse for inactivity. It should harness, but never hinder, zealous, godly ambitions. Humility provides the guardrails for our aspirations, ensuring they remain on God’s road and moving in the direction of His glory. Talking about our dreams for how we want to spend our life for God isn’t proud, it’s essential. If we’re too humble to dream, then we may have unknowingly settled into Chesterton’s fruitless “new humility.”

John Stott has it right,

Ambitions for self may be quite modest … Ambitions for God, however, if they are to be worthy, can never be modest. There is something inherently inappropriate about cherishing small ambitions for God. How can we ever be content that he should acquire just a little more honour in the world? No. Once we are clear that God is King, then we long to see him crowned with glory and honour, and accorded his true place, which is the supreme place. We become ambitious for the spread of his kingdom and righteousness everywhere.

Are you getting the picture? The stoking of godly ambition is far from inconsequential. Without it, exploration dies, research stops, kids spoil, industry stalls, causes fail, civilizations crumble, the gospel stands still. We can’t let all of that happen in the name of humility. If our ambitions are worthy of God’s glory, they can never be modest. The servant who is faithful with little is faithful precisely because he has an eye on much.

What do you have an eye on? What are you reaching out to grab? What are you trying to climb over? Set your sights on that which pleases God and don’t let anything, even misplaced humility, undermine the ambition it takes to get there.

Salmon Chase is a name that likely means little to you unless you’re an avid Civil War reader, which pretty much eliminates me. He served as the Treasury Secretary in President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet. Salmon Chase had a nasty job. He had to find money for a nearly bankrupt government in an economic crisis to finance a war nobody really wanted to fight. Chase was smart, strategic and thrived on tackling problems, which was good because with a name like Salmon you better bring some game. Hand-picked by President Lincoln, Chase was aggressively recruited for his role. And he performed brilliantly.

But there were problems. Though exceptionally gifted, Chase didn’t play well with others. He had to be top dog. In fact, Salmon Chase performed best as a team of one. A colleague once described him as possessing “inordinate ambition, intense selfishness for official distinction … and considerable vanity.” Consider this little vanity project: as Treasury Secretary, Chase was responsible for printing money. So guess who’s picture graced the corner of every one dollar bill? As one historian commented, “[Chase] had deliberately chosen to place his picture on the ubiquitous one-dollar bill rather than a bill of a higher denomination, knowing that his image would thus reach the greatest number of people.”

When Salmon Chase is discussed in retrospect, it’s often in reference to his ravenous passion for his own name. The very drive that positioned him to make a difference betrayed him, leaving a legacy no man desires. Salmon Chase had a world class combination of talent and ambition. What he lacked was a track to keep the engine of ambition churning forward. The track for ambition is humility.

What do I mean when I say “humility?” In his book Humility, my friend C.J. Mahaney offers a very simple but helpful definition, “Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.” C.J. goes on to create an inseparable connection between humility and the cross.

What I like about this definition is that the focus is Godward, not me-ward. Yes I’ve got to look at myself, but only in comparison to the Holy God who became man and suffered as our substitute. Ponder that and it’ll make you humble! But notice something else. There’s nothing about humility that means we don’t dream, aspire and plan for great things. In fact, humility, biblically understood, should stoke great ambitions for new ways to bring God glory.

If only Salmon Chase had applied the simple advice of James: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10). He never imagined the glory that matters most could only be achieved through humility.

Opportunities for godly ambition are everywhere—let’s not make the same mistake.

Humility is the supreme virtue according to Calvin, not only in attitude but in all of life. The Christian's humility should shine forth into the pompous darkness of this world. It is neither our eloquence nor our brilliance that directs men to God; rather, it is God who directs men to Himself through the seeming foolishness of preaching. Consequently, humility should conquer our minds and transform our hearts, arising from our study of God's majesty in His majestic Word.

Praying that God's expositors, as well as those of us in the pews (or chairs), would be appropriately humbled this week as His Word goes forth.

Parenting exposes the progress of our sanctification. Before we ever teach our children the truth of who God is for us in Christ, we will be declaring our faith as we live it out before them. Our children are watching us, noticing our hypocrisies, lies, abuses, speech and conduct. Parenting is so hard and humbling because our family observes us when we respond to the difficulties of life, when we have conflict with our spouse and when we have conflict with one another. It is at home where living in light of the gospel counts the most, but for too many this is where it matters the least. Let us make it a priority to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ so that we may live holy lives before our family. May we as parents provide a picture of the gospel at home.

Parenting helps us better understand and apply the gospel. Unfortunately, much parenting has behavior modification as its ultimate goal. If this is the case with our parenting, we will necessarily be instilling in our children a works-righteousness mentality - “do this, and/or you’ll get this.” I do not mean to imply that we should not hold our children to a biblical standard or that we should not discipline our children when they transgress God’s standard. My point is simply that keeping commandments is not the ultimate goal of parenting. The ultimate aim of parenting is that our children would “set their hope in God” (Psalm 78:7) or as Paul says, that our children would become “wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 3:15).

A biblical understanding of the gospel takes into account human inability to justify ourselves before a holy God; therefore, we set God’s standard before our children to show them what God requires and to expose their rebellion. Sinfulness and rebellion against God’s standard receives God’s judgment, so when our children transgress against God’s Word, we discipline them accordingly with the purpose that they would understand God’s justice. Throughout our parenting we should continually be displaying God’s unconditional, steadfast, covenant love, grace, mercy and forgiveness so that they would see that while their rebellion deserves punishment, God forgives repentant sinners through the person and work of His own Son, Jesus Christ.

As we parent we should continually point to the greatness of our God and His works. We should share with our children God’s continual faithfulness and present Christ as the one who satisfies all our longings. Oh, may our children have a BIG view of God because we as parents have a BIG view of God. May they see our passion for God’s glory through the exaltation of Christ so that one day they too may confess that Jesus is Lord and their all in all.

A humble man is willing to have his name and gifts eclipsed, so that God's glory may be increased. He is content to be outshone by others in gifts and esteem, so that the crown of Christ may shine the brighter. This is the humble man's motto: 'Let me decrease; let Christ increase.' It is his desire that Christ should be exalted, and if this is effected, whoever is the instrument, he rejoices. 'Some preach Christ of envy' (Phil. 1:15). They preached to take away some of Paul's hearers. 'Well,' says he, 'Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice' (v. 18). A humble Christian is content to be laid aside if God has any other tools to work with which may bring him more glory.

--From The Godly Man's Picture (first published in 1666)

A spirit of self-assurance is a gospel-denying, self-deceiving, friendship-destroying mentality. It is natural to say to ourselves, "I'm doing my part. They should be grateful." It is supernatural to say to ourselves, "I place myself under the judgment of the Word of God. I humble myself. Even if the other person is wrong, that gives me no right to assert myself. No matter what the other person does, no matter how much I am misunderstood and misjudged, I will remain in the fear of the Lord, I will entrust myself to God." True friendship thrives when, before God, each one is more aware of his debts than his rights.

If God has given you reliable friends, and surely he has, hold them close to your heart. Each one is a rare treasure.