Judges 9:56–57: “Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers. And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.”

April 23rd, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

There are 2 lessons to be learned from the life of the son of Gideon, Abimelech. The first is the danger of ambition, and the second is the principle of reaping and sowing. Gideon’s son was a wickedly ambitious man who seized the kingdom through treachery and murder. He sowed seeds of death in his life when he killed all 70 of his stepbrothers on a single stone. It is ironic that later his own head would be struck with a single stone, killing him. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Abimelech’s ungodly ambition became the driving force in his life, blinding him from being able to see his life in the light of eternity.

Ambition can be a good motive when it’s submitted to God. Jesus was ambitious to do the will of His Father with excellence. Ambition, excellence, and success are all neutral ideas with great potential for good or evil depending on the underlying motive. Selfish ambition uses position and power to achieve success by using people and power for its own ends. We need to constantly ask ourselves, “Am I ambitious for the Kingdom of God, or am I building my own kingdom?” Missionary Jim Elliot wisely said, “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he can never lose.”

“Lord, may our ambition be to become what You want us to be and that alone.”