The desire to make a name - Part 2
In yesterday's post we saw that Jesus abandoned self-preservation and the pursuit of power in His descent to the cross. We heard His call to lose our lives for His sake and the sake of the gospel. How, then, are Christians supposed to cope with ambition? The Bible acknowledges the dangers of ambition right from the beginning of its account of human existence. The narrative of Genesis contains a powerful contrast between the tower-builders of Babel, who wanted to make a name for themselves (11:4), and Abraham, who, while abandoning comfort and civilisation in obedience to God, receives God's promise to make his name great (12:2). The difference is that the builders were driven by a desire for self-protection and self-promotion ("otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth"), whereas God's intention in making Abraham's name great was to bring truth, hope and salvation to others through him ("I will make y...