Blue Tint Glasses

Genesis 11:4 – Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

Ever wanted a statue built to your own greatness?

I have.

Sometimes I catch myself thinking that I am so good , if only the rest of the world could see how I am that would be sweet.  Obviously, that is flawed thinking.  The people in this chapter built their tower as a monument to their own greatness so that they would not be scattered over the whole earth.

But that’s not what God wanted.

In fact, the Lord came to see the city and the tower the men were building and disliked it.  He thought “man, if they’re doing this now then nothing is going to stop them.”  So he confused their language so they couldn’t understand each other and then he scattered them all over the face of the earth.

These people wanted to maintain their own greatness and never be scattered.  They ended up scattered and unable to understand each other, speaking different languages.  A little more than an irony, I’d say.

I’ve built towers for myself.  I’ve thought before that if I could have a bigger house then I would be set.  Liz and I were looking at a house last year and I thought it would have been fantastic to get it.  Because it was B I G.  And we woulda been good to go.  Not that a bigger house is evil or bad.  But a bigger house became a monument that was for me rather than for God.

Sound silly?  It’s true.  And we do that all the time with things like expensive clothes, entertainment, cars, jobs, vacations, and on and on and on.  Yes, a new house would be nice.  But as I house hunt now it’s not because I need a bigger barn to show everyone else how important I am.  Because I don’t.  We would like to be able to utilize a house for ministry and that changes the focus of house hunting.  The ministry comes before the house.

I don’t hold a home as a monument now.  More importantly, I’ve realized our current home is as great a ministry tool as a new home would be.  I now have an honest appreciation for the home we have and if we never end up moving then that is a-okay.

When we use worldly things to give ourselves an identity and self-worth, they take God’s place in our lives.  We are free to develop in many areas, but we are not free to think we have replaced God.  What “towers” have you built in your life?