“My ambition has always been to preach the Good News
where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where
a church has already been started by someone else.”
- Romans 15:20
For almost 30 years, I have a daily morning discipline of running, which I developed after graduating from college. Since I run early in the morning, I rarely have the blessing of running with someone.
This changed several months ago when my oldest daughter graduated from college. You’re probably thinking that I started running with my daughter. Almost! She rescued a dog from the local animal shelter, and her new active dog, Huxley, became my running partner. As a cattle dog, he is born to run, and I think he enjoys the morning discipline more than me.
The run includes a long trail through the woods where Huxley stays alert looking for moving creatures to pursue. At times, I think the leash will break because he’s pulling so hard. Lots of things get his interest (dogs, rabbits, foxes), but his passion is squirrels. At the beginning of the run, I am usually pulling him because there are no squirrels during that part of the trail. At the very end of our run, there is an area that always has a couple of squirrels waiting. Huxley goes from me pulling him – to him pulling me! Energy and drive arise when his passion lies ahead.
Huxley’s ambition for squirrels has made me realize how focused, committed and determined he is on his one desire. One morning I was laughing at how he was practically dragging me to pursue a squirrel, when I heard a small whisper from the Holy Spirit, ‘What’s your squirrel?” The laughing turned into conviction as I thought about my sole ambition. What am I sold out for?
Shortly after the “knock upside the head” whisper from the Holy Spirit, a friend texted me Romans 15:20. Paul wrote that his ambition has always been to preach the Gospel where no one has heard. He was sold out to plowing new ground and getting the Gospel to the unreached people of the world. Paul’s example fires me up when I think about the FCA vision “to see the world impacted for Jesus Christ” – not where a church has already been started by someone else!
Based off Joshua Project findings, there are 16,584 people groups in the world, and 6,733 are unreached. This represents 42.3% of the world’s population. Two thousand years later, Paul’s words are just as challenging and convicting. Our ambition should be, needs to be, must be, for the unreached.
Every morning, Huxley’s ambition is squirrels. Every morning, Paul’s ambition was the unreached. What’s your ambition?
"Father, may my heart be burden for the unreached. Give me a passion for those that have never heard the name of Jesus. May my ambition always be for the nations. In Jesus’ name, amen.”