Passage Read: 1 Timothy 3-4
Meditation Verse: 3:1
Thought
It is not wrong to desire to be an elder/overseer or even a deacon. These are good and noble ambitions, if they drive a man to prepare himself according to the standards Paul lays out. If it is just a position and power that a man seeks, with no desire to conform his life to these requirements, then it's just selfish ambition, and that man is not worthy of these positions. The elder and deacon are servants of Christ for the good of the people they serve. Their first priority is to make sure they are walking in obedience to Christ and setting the example of a godly life. And Paul gives some very specific requirements and standards to which every believer should be able to attain. These are not impossible, but require submission to the Spirit of God and the Word of truth. So if desiring to lead a fellowship drives a man to purify his life and attain to this level of maturity, then it is a very good thing that he desires to serve a church in one of these offices.
Application
Not all ambition is bad. If it leads to greater self-discipline and purity and holiness, it is an incredibly good thing. If it's just a pursuit of power and authority without any real growth in spiritual maturity, then it is evil. That man must not be rewarded with position, no matter how desperate a church may be for leadership. God recorded these standards for the sake of His people; we cannot lay them aside for the sake of convenience. People should aspire to greatness in God's Kingdom, but those who do should understand that these requirements are attainable, and they should work at them. And the churches who seek such leaders should hold every candidate to these standards. If there are no qualified candidates, should that church continue to exist, or would it do better to join another fellowship where there are qualified leaders? If they cannot bring in men who meet these requirements, I believe they would do better to join a fellowship that has such leaders, until such time as there are sufficient numbers of qualified men to fill these roles and lead that church. I need to have such an ambition, and I need to encourage others to have such an ambition. And that means I need to work at being qualified, and encourage others to take the qualifications seriously and cleanse their lives so that they also meet the qualifications.