Declarations of Independence

You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. . . . I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

–Isaiah 14:13–14

History is filled with examples of men and women who, through dogged determination, achieved great success. I’m reminded of two young brothers who accidentally poured gasoline instead of kerosene into the stove at their country schoolhouse. The resulting explosion killed the older brother and critically injured the younger brother, burning his legs so severely that the doctors considered amputating both legs. The boy kept his legs, but he was told he might never walk normally again. Nevertheless, the boy was determined. Through perseverance, he began to walk and then to run. The boy, whose name was Glenn Cunningham, eventually set a world record time for running a mile.

We love stories about people who persevere to reach their goals. But there is also a dark side to ambition: our thirst for success can lead us away from God. Consider the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Verses 12–13 say, “The younger [son] said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ . . . Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.” A desire for money and a thirst for pleasure led the prodigal son to the far country. But there was a third factor at work, and that was a drive for success. The prodigal son decided that if he was going to make his mark on the world, he needed to get out from underneath his father’s authority. This was an act of outright rebellion.

Remember that the first sin committed in the universe was also an act of outright rebellion. Isaiah 14 tells us that Lucifer was not content with his position as a high-ranking angel. He wanted to sit in the big chair. There was nothing wrong with Lucifer wanting to be the best he could be in the position God had created for him. Lucifer’s sin was that he wanted control over his own destiny and freedom from God’s authority. Lucifer didn’t want to obey God; he wanted to be God. Because of Lucifer’s rebellion, God cast him out of heaven, and he became our adversary, Satan.

When you and I sin, we’re choosing our way over God’s way. Just like Lucifer, we’re saying, “God, I want to control my destiny. I want to be free from Your authority.” Ambition can lead us away from our heavenly Father.

***

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Declarations of Independence” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2009.

Mark D. Hersey, “Cunningham Calls It a Career,” The University of Kansas, https://union.ku.edu/glenn-cunningham.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.