Do you have a Devoted ambition for your country? Ambition is a strong desire to do something or achieve something.
Most anyone that I have talked to about being in the military, they have a strong desire to serve our country. They are thankful for the freedoms that we have in the right to free speech, bear arms, religion, and many others. When those freedoms are threatened, then our soldiers are called to do their job for our country and do it well. Sometimes – that even means giving their lives.
Devoted Ambition Meaning
So what does devoted ambition mean? Those who have devoted ambition are loyal, faithful, and steadfast to someone or something. Their desire is to serve that person or something to the end.
This is the opposite of selfish ambition where a person is in it for themselves. In this post, I spoke about my job and how I was more about being promoted than focusing on our customers and my team. I have been loyal to my company for almost 22 years but my ambition not devoted.
Having a selfless ambition means looking out for the interest of others and humbly valuing them above yourself.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4 ESV
Do you have a selfless ambition when it comes to work? What about your faith? Both of these are hard to do when you think about it. Being willing to go the extra mile for others is a sacrifice and can involve commitment and sometimes pain.
Devoted Ambition in the Bible
There are many people in the Bible who were devoted to loyal service to others. Here is a couple that stands out to me.
Uriah – a Soldier
Uriah was a soldier in David’s army. When David had sinned and slept with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, he found out that Bathsheba was pregnant. David had Uriah come home from the war and he tried to get Uriah to go home to sleep with his wife.
However, Uriah was faithful to King David and the Commander, Joab. He slept in front of the palace and refused to go home to his wife. Uriah said that while the army was sleeping in the open field in tents, he could not go home to eat, drink, and sleep with his wife in comfort (2 Samuel 11:11 ESV).
Unfortunately, his devotion was not rewarded as he died in battle. This was due to David asking Joab to put Uriah in the front of the battleline where he was sure to be killed.
Apostle Paul
Paul was devoted to spreading the gospel. He was so devoted that he endured many hardships and trials. He was beaten three times with a rod and lashed five times – just one lash short of dying. And he was shipwrecked three times and hounded by people wanting to kill him. He went without food, water, and sleep many times (2 Corinthians 11:23-30 ESV).
This man kept on serving no matter what! There are so many wonderful epistles written by this man who endured so much for wanting others to know about Jesus.
How many people do you know get thrown into jail for talking about Jesus and then break out in song? We don’t hear about this often but think about it. If you are having a bad day, do you start singing hymns or gospel songs?
On a bad day, I don’t sing spontaneously. And even though I complain about how awful it was, I will think about something positive that I am thankful for anyway.
Memorial Day: Examples of Loyal Service
On Memorial Day, we spend time with family or friends. There is meat on the grill, a couple of salads, corn on the cob, and watermelon are all ready to eat. But in the midst of this time of relaxing, we take time to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country.
Both my husband and I have had family members who served in the military. These men all served our country but thankfully, none of them lost their lives while on the battlefield.
Washington, D.C.
There are some soldiers who have died for our country but their names are unknown. These men are remembered at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We don’t know their names, but they are known to God. That is part of the inscription on this monument.
Even those who guard the tomb and walk back and forth in front of the tomb have such devotion for the task that they complete. These men and women who have served in this capacity live a strict life. They walk the mat in front of the tomb for 24-hour shifts. They perform the changing of the guard ceremony every 30 minutes to an hour when the park is open. During their 24 hours off, they spend most of that time getting ready for their next shift.
It is a special honor to do this duty. And the tomb has been guarded continuously since July 2nd, 1937.
Memorial Day Thanks
On this Memorial Day, take a moment of remembrance for those who gave their lives for this great country. In your prayers, thank God for the devoted ambition of these men and women who fought for the freedoms that we enjoy today.
And I am thankful for the believers. like Paul and the disciples, who were devoted and gave their lives for others to know about Jesus. I pray that I can be more like them and having love and devotion for those around me to know about Jesus.
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Resource Library
We all need rest from striving after trying to get to the next level at work. Or working the long hours that seem like they will never end. The next reading plan about Rest is available in the resource library. There are other resources for you to download for learning Bible verses and storing them in your heart.
