Not an extended blog for today, but I picked up the local newspaper this afternoon, now when I say local newspaper, I mean local newspapers. Little Hulton rocks in terms of being equally as close to Bolton as it is to Manchester and so although being counted as part of Greater Manchester we get the Bolton News as well as the Manchester Evening News.
Anyway I’ve moved to the area at a rather intriguing time as the local football team (hah! Who do I mean? Man Utd? Man City? No of course I mean Bolton Wanderers) has sacked their manager and are on the verge of appointing a new one. The one they’ve been after is the current flavour of the month in managerial terms Owen Coyle. Coyle has done a remarkable job in turning a team of rather nondescript nature into a team that’s more than holding its own in the Premier League. It is no surprise that he has attracted the attention of a club like Bolton because of the style of football that his team has played. What has been of interest is his desire to move from Burnley to Bolton because of what he perceives as more opportunity to get the players he desires.
The back of the Bolton News had a report that the Burnley chairman wasn’t too pleased at his manager being targeted in such a way. I was amused to read the article in the like of the fact that it’s inevitable that managers like players, fans and clubs are ambitious to make progress. Even if it does appear to be a sideways move, for the man himself he obviously sees a chance to make progress and what can a club do if they’re considered not to be as ambitious as their local rivals.
Anyway, whilst being amused at the shenanigans, I was reflecting on what it means to be ambitious from a spiritual perspective. I recall that the concept of being ambitious is always linked with material gain or the acquisition of something bigger, better and greater especially where prestige, influence or power is concerned.
When I think about that I consider one of the most influential people in scripture especially after Jesus’ death the apostle Paul, who having been a part of a religious system where zeal and ambition equated to moving up the ladder to attain great power and influence in religious terms, gave it all up. His encouragement to the church in Philippians 3 highlights beautifully how spiritual ambition from a Christian perspective differs graphically from worldly ambition. Don’t let me stop you from reading it, meditating on it and perhaps considering it from where you’re at.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
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