“Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he maybe delivered from the power of evil!” (Habakkuk 2:9).
TEXT — Habakkuk 2:5-12
Message
There is a thin line separating the desirable from destructive ambitions. It is not just that ambition can lead someone to become sluggish or downright stupid, but it can result in a person becoming soulless, blinded to his best interest, disregarding the criticisms of other people. No wonder the Greek legend, Endymion, warned that “there is a space of life… in which the soul is in a ferment, the character undecided, the way of life uncertain, the ambition thick-sighted.” This is the worst possible state for anyone to find himself.
That was Babylon’s condition. That great empire was drunk on its success. It saw its power as impregnable, its wealth as insurmountable, its very existence as unquestionable. It enlarged its desire to conquer other lands, and would not be satisfied until it reigned over all nations and all people. Self-confident and self-consumed, it would not see the enemy that was close by, nor take to heart the taunting parables of adversaries. With time, it would suffer the same fate it inflicted on other nations. It would discover too late that its insatiable and covetous acquisitions that gave it a false sense of security and success would end in shame. It would eventually realise that nothing built with innocent blood or established by iniquity could last.
We must shun every tendency to be proud, for that leads to vaulting ambition, and it is sinful before God. This brings suffering, pain and eventually, swift destruction. We must not acquire worldly goods at the expense of other people. Cheating or fraudulently making money would only result in the victims crying out to God for vengeance. And be certain that God will answer their cries. We should neither desire nor measure success with the standards of the world. Instead, we should focus on what pleases God and blesses men.
Thought for the day
Those who are desperate for wordly gold, lose their desire for the heavenly God.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
