One of the interesting things that I’ve noticed about this season of life is that my ambitions constantly shift. If you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up when I was a teenager, I would have boldly told you that I was the next Tiger Woods. That’s all I wanted. I thought it was my call…my destiny…the thing that would make me supremely happy. As cool as playing golf inside the ropes sounds, I have different ambitions now and they are still a work in progress.

For example, one of the things that I want now that I never used to care about is being healthy. Not just physically healthy but spiritually, emotionally and mentally as well. On top of that, I want total internal freedom. I desire it deeply. I’m also ambitious about giving. I want our family to be known more for what we gave than what we got. I want to be the best husband and dad in the world. The list goes on and on. Proverbs 10:28 says…

The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.

What we want and hope for has a lot to do with the quality of life that we’ll live. Even more important than what we want is why we want it. You see, it wasn’t that I absolutely loved golf when I was growing up. I liked it a lot but golf was more than a game to me. It represented things like acceptance, value and significance. I don’t think I ever would have been happy pursuing golf as a dream because golf couldn’t deliver on what I wanted from it. That’s why it was important that my ambitions shifted.

This proverb is saying that we need to be clear about our expectations in this life and we need to be mindful of what we set our sights on. “…The expectations of the wicked come to nothing.” Why do they come to nothing? Perhaps because they set their sights on things that are not in line with God’s design for them. This doesn’t just refer to outlaws and those who are living blatantly immoral lifestyles. It all depends on how you define wickedness. If you look up the word in the original Hebrew, wickedness is simply referring to living a life of sin. What is sin? Some of you may know that the New Testament was written in Greek. The general Greek word for sin is hamartia and it means to miss the mark. This is a helpful way to think of wickedness. So the ambitions of the wicked ultimately come to nothing because they are seeking things that are contrary to their Creator’s design for their life.

“The hopes of the godly result in happiness…” Why? Because their desires and ambitions are increasingly reflective of their Creator’s desire for their life. They can therefore expect his help and assistance in carrying out their plans. In case you didn’t guess it, this makes all the difference in the world. So what about you? What are your deepest ambitions and dreams for this life? Have you ever stopped to consider whether or not those ambitions line up with God’s will for you? That would definitely be a worthwhile conversation to have.