Genesis 11:4- And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach into heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
This is the story of the Tower of Babel. History indicates the king at the time was wanting to build a tower so high as to defy God, if God ever chose to destroy the world by flood again. We’ll see how that worked out.
As you read the text, you see the focus was all on the people building a name for themselves. Nothing in the text indicates any consideration for God or his will. God’s response? As great as the tower was, God came down from heaven to see it! The people’s greatest accomplishment, God came down to see. Then he promptly confused their language and scattered them abroad. Why? Did God not want people to have success? No, that wasn’t the point at all. They just were going about their plans the wrong way; making it all about their wishes and desires with no consideration for God’s plan.
Let’s talk about us now and see how we may fit into this story. We all want to be successful. We want the highest paying jobs, nicest house, fancy clothes and cars. We want our kids to be just wonderful and have everything they want. Oh, our kids, they are going to be professional athletes, actors/actresses, the world’s next who’s who? Hmmmm, noticing a trend?
In our own way, we are building our own Tower of Babel. We make it about our success. What we’ve accomplished. How much money we have. How great our kids are doing. But in all our efforts do we ignore what God may want for us?
But we serve at church. We greet people and serve on all kinds of committees. We lead worship or serve as a teacher to students. We just do so fantastic. You should see how great we are!
II Corinthians 3:5- Paul says, “not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.”
Maybe we are building our on Tower of Babel, never pausing long enough to allow God’s plan to work in us. Maybe we are pushing ourselves and our kids to be successful according to world’s standard while failing according to God’s!
Saw this on internet and it brings us into focus: “you kid has only a 0.0296% chance of becoming a professional athlete, yet there is a 100% chance they will stand before God one day.” We need to quit focusing so hard on the temporal at the expense of the eternal! When our time comes, the money, fame, career success, nothing matters. All that counts is the live we have lived for God and what we have done for God! Career success won’t save me. Finances, big houses, nice cars though nothing wrong with those, they won’t save me! It’s time to ask ourselves if what we are chasing includes and matters to God?
I’m begging you, please don’t just read and forget this devotion. Let it get deep inside of you and may you remember it every day. It will save us a lot of pain and confusion. We are not alone. God has a plan for each of us. May we focus on finding that plan!