Trumped Tower
Theme of the Week: Who's Number One?
Stuart Briscoe
Saturday, March 6, 2004
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Q. In recent decades humans have made so many great technological advances. Some argue that we no longer need God. Clearly those who ignore God have gone too far, but shouldn't we be proud of these accomplishments?
A. Consider the Genesis account of the Tower of Babel. As humans multiplied, they began to have big ideas. They drew attention to their own greatness by building a breathtaking edifice—a temple to worship themselves.
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with ambition. God delights to see his creatures using the powers of imagination and ingenuity He gave them. But within limits.
When man becomes so enraptured with his own greatness that he overlooks the incontrovertible truth that he's an infinitesimal fragment of a vast creation, utterly dependent upon God's grace for survival and salvation, then he needs to be stopped. Otherwise, he'll not so much build edifices declaring his greatness as he'll erect monuments displaying his folly.
How, then, does God keep us honest?
God decided to keep the human race off balance, so he gave us a multitude of languages (Genesis 11:7). The result has been both infuriating and illuminating.
The downside of language confusion is misunderstanding, which causes friction and division. The upside is that that misunderstanding constantly reminds us that we're not as smart as we think we are! There should be no confusion about that!
Stuart Briscoe is minister-at-large for Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Adapted from The One Year Book of Devotions for Men (Tyndale, 2000) by permission.
Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
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Lord, help me to remember your ultimate example of humility. May this example allow me to put others' considerations ahead of my own.
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