Good Morning Friends,
The question is: whose glory are you seeking?
Whose name do you want to see remembered?
“As men moved eastward, they found a plain in
Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and
bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 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.’” (Genesis 11:2-4)
The people of Babel were not interested in
bringing glory to God, they wanted glory for themselves. They were not
interested in serving God or in helping other people. Their goal in life was
their own glory. They wanted to be remembered. They wanted to make their mark
in history so they would not be forgotten.
Ambition is not inherently evil, but selfish
ambition is. Paul was ambitious. His ambition was to preach the gospel in
places where it had never been preached before. He wanted to spread the gospel
to the furthest corners of the world, even setting Europe as his goal. He had
ambitious plans. But his ambition was not for himself. With all of his energy
and resources he sought to bring glory to God and spread the name of God. When
people wanted to make a big deal out of him, it offended him and he put a stop
to it.
Not so in Babel. Their goal was their own
glory and their ambition was selfish. And God punished the people of Babel. The
very thing they sought to avoid, being scattered over the world, is the
punishment God put upon them. They did make a name for themselves, Babel, which
means confused. They left a legacy that would be laughed at and pitied for
generations to come.
When we seek our own glory, the pursuit ends
in ruin and confusion. When we seek God’s glory, that’s when we’re on the right
path!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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