v 28 As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain.
When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans he had ambitious plans to visit Rome and then go on to Spain. Did he actually get there? – we can’t really know that from any historical source at the moment. But what I like is the sheer size of his ambition! He was no ‘stay at home’ or ‘anything for a quiet life’ man. He had the vision of reaching out to other cultures and people, going to the difficult and distant places if necessary.
I sense it is important to ask ourselves – no, myself – about vision or ambition in our service for God. To be vision-less is to die under the weight of non-expectation. That means making sure we find time to talk with God about purpose in life.
Many folk today have little purpose beyond surviving with a good dose of pleasure thrown in. Some have an urge to be creative – art, music, photography; others strive for a few moments of fame on a football field or cycle track; while others are utterly content to ‘Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.’
Ambition however is powerful motivator, and when that ambition is to serve God in spreading the good news of Jesus, who knows what outcomes there might be. Are you a person with ambition?
As we round off this brief part of our series, with the focus on Mission, let’s see how we can incorporate it into the everyday life of ordinary people, and make some difference to those around us as they experience for themselves what walking through life with Jesus means.