Year 6, Day 42: Isaiah 58

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Ambition

• Ambition: We all need a goal to which we can strive.  When our ambition comes from God, we find fulfillment in our obedience into that for which we have been equipped because our Out is in proper focus.  But when our ambition comes from ourselves, we find ourselves chasing after our own dreams and trying to find fulfillment in accomplishments of our own making.

When I read Isaiah 58, I hear the war of human ambition within us.  Are we striving for our own desires or are we seeking the heart of the Lord?  Are we concerned about getting ourselves on top or are we concerned about caring for the world around us?

This truly is the crux of this chapter as we start to bring the book of Isaiah to a close.  The opening verses challenge us against our selfishness.  We need to cry out against the ego-centrism of human nature and bear witness to the glory of God.  We need to stop putting on a show of godliness and start being godly to the core.  We need to stop fighting and quarrelling over who is the best and start focusing on the joy of being loved and being able to be in relationship with God and each other.  It is time we cast off our narcissism and embrace the divine.

If we turn from our sin, God will build us up.  If we are ambitious towards caring for the orphan and the widow God will be with us and restore us.  If our ambition is upon the holiness of the work of the Lord, we will delight in the Lord.  If our ambition is to make the glory of God shine like the sun, He will be with us and bless us.

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