"Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4).
THEME: PRIDE
Michelangelo once overheard some people talking about his sculpture PIETA and mistakenly saying that fellow sculptor Il Gobbo had created it. Deeply hurt, he returned after dark and carved his name on it for all generations.
We all want to make our mark, but the Babel ballyhoo was too much. The Babylonians wanted a great city and name, but they also wanted a tower. And not just another Sears Tower; it was probably a temple for another religion. Such arrogance and defiance invited God's wrath.
Isaiah told the story of the earliest instance of pride (Isa 14:12-14). Instead of a temple, Satan wanted to build a throne above the stars of God. Satan's scheme and the Babel bigheadedness were both godmaking games--an attempt to make the Creator in the creation's image.
The only cure for pride is to understand the Creator's motives; they are not the same as those of the throne-seekers and tower-builders. God wants all glory, but He deserves it because He always desires the best for us.
In sending His Son to walk among proud people, He knew some would not glorify Him. In giving up our life to Him, we find the true source of pride.
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JAN 22
GENESIS 11:1-9
"Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower . . . let us make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4).
A twenty-five-year-old acrobat gained widespread attention when he climbed the steel and glass surface of the world's tallest building. In seven and one-half hours he scaled Chicago's 1454-foot, 110-story Sears Tower. On the way up, he carried fifty pounds of climbing equipment and fought off forty-mile-an-hour winds. By the time he reached the top, he had made a name for himself--but he was also in trouble. Police greeted him and took him in handcuffs to the city jail, where he was charged with disorderly conduct, trespassing, and damage to property.
That incident reminded me of the people who built the historic skyscraper of Babel mentioned in Genesis 11:1-9. The tower represented an undertaking by a community of citizens determined to make a name for themselves. They meant it to be a magnificent structure symbolizing their unity and opposition to God. They said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; . . . lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." But God was waiting at the top. He stopped their attempt to achieve recognition by breaking down their communication system and thwarting their self-centered, God-defying objectives.
Even though we are Christians, sometimes we get caught up in making a name for ourselves by climbing business, religious, or social towers that deny God His rightful place. If we do, we will eventually be brought down because God is still at the top.
--M.R.D.II
If you would build high you must remain low.
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JAN 23
JAMES 4:1-12
For I say . . . to everyone . . . not to think of himself more highly than he ought (Romans 12:3).
A man who had just been elected to the British Parliament brought his family to London and was giving them a tour of the city. When they entered Westminster Abbey, his eight-year-old daughter seemed awestruck by the size and beauty of that magnificent structure. Her proud father, curious about what was going on in her mind, asked, "And what, my child, are you thinking about?" She replied, "Daddy, I was just thinking about how big you are in our house, but how small you look here!"
Pride can creep into our lives without our awareness. From time to time it's good for us to be "cut down to size." We need to be reminded not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. It's easy to become proud when we stay in our own circles of life. But when we are thrust into larger situations, with increased demands, pressures, and competition, we come to the shocking realization that "big fish in small ponds" shrink quickly in a large ocean.
One thing that stands out in the Word of God is that the Lord despises the haughty. Under inspiration the psalmist said, "One who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure" (Psalm 101:5). And James said, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (4:6).
If we ask the Holy Spirit to help us see ourselves as we really are, He will enable us to control our foolish pride.
--R.W.D.
Those who know God will be humble; those who know themselves cannot be proud.
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JAN 24
PROVERBS 16:16-22
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).
Theodore Roosevelt and a friend engaged in a nighttime ritual to keep themselves humble. Author Leslie B. Flynn tells about it: "After an evening of conversation they would go outside on a clear night and search the skies until one or the other found a faint speck of light-mist in a certain spot in the sky. Then he would recite, 'That is the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda. That speck is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It consists of a hundred billion suns, each larger than our sun.' Then he would conclude, 'Now that we have our perspective, let's call it a day!'"
Pride is the constant enemy of the Christian. From deep within come subtle reminders of "how important" we are, how "great" are our achievements, or how much "better" we are than others. We need to keep alert to the sin of pride so that we can immediately reject these suggestions. Through prayer, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and continual study of the Scriptures, we will gain heaven's perspective, which will help us maintain a realistic opinion of ourselves.
Believers who strive to walk in Christian maturity will avoid dwelling on thoughts of great accomplishments and spiritual superiority. Paul, a man who had more reason than any of us to be proud, reminded us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. Roosevelt's example is a good one to follow. The "Andromeda perspective" will help us win the battle against pride.
--D.C.E.
We see our true selves when we stand in the shadow of Christ.
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JAN 25
PROVERBS 25:14-16, 27-28
It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one's own glory is not glory (Proverbs 25:27).
Researchers at Montana State University have challenged the idea that a high-sugar snack generates quick energy. They tested long-distance runners on stationary exercise bicycles and found that athletes who had a sugar-free drink before the workout were able to pedal twenty-five percent longer than those who had a sugar-laden drink. The study concluded that "athletes may be well-advised to abstain from sugar snacks before exercise."
The Bible concurs that too many sweets can affect well-being. King Solomon used the illustration of eating too much honey to point up something more serious--the danger of overindulging in the sweet taste of self-glory. In Proverbs 25, the wise king gave two warnings about the danger of too much self-congratulations and boasting (vv. 14, 27). Looking for attention and bragging about our accomplishments might be sweet to the taste in the short run. But in the long run, bragging does to the personality what eating five pounds of chocolate-covered cherries does to the waistline.
Nothing makes us weaker than a constant diet of self-centeredness and pride. All our energy is used up on ourselves. How much better to deny ourselves the sweet taste of self-glory by exercising discipline and faith. That's how we can become strong enough to meet the challenges we face.
--M.R.D.II
Faith steps in when pride steps out.
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JAN 26
GALATIANS 6:1-5
For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself (Galatians 6:3).
Disaster always results when we try to build ourselves up by minimizing the worth of others. That's the message of a fable about a little frog who was startled when he looked up and saw an ox drinking out of the pond. He had never seen such a huge creature. Immediately he hopped away to tell his grandfather. Determined that no one should seem larger in the eyes of his grandson than he, the old bullfrog began to puff himself up as he asked, "Was he bigger than this?" "Oh, yes, Grandfather," answered the little frog, "much larger." Grandfather frog inflated himself more. "Bigger than this?" he queried. "Lots bigger!" replied the grandson. The old frog continued to puff until he exploded.
A good self-image is healthy, but there is a big difference between a sense of our God-given worth as His handiwork and an ego inflated by pride. That's why we must be quick to acknowledge that what we accomplish is done solely by God's grace. Only then can we see how foolish it is to promote our selfish interests. Furthermore, humility will enable us to show appreciation for the achievement and position of others.
The apostle Paul put it clearly, "For I say . . . to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith" (Ro 12:3). If we puff ourselves up, we always get blown out of proportion.
--P.R.V.
God wants people great enough to be small enough to be used.
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JAN 27
1 SAMUEL 2:3-5
Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility (Proverbs 18:12).
The poem "Invictus" says, in part, "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." This may make good poetry, but it is dangerous theology. If we try to control our own lives, they will end in disaster.
A boy who became a sailor while very young rose rapidly in the profession and was soon made captain of a ship. At the end of one voyage, he was approaching land when a passenger who was familiar with maritime procedures asked if he intended to anchor the ship and call for some help in entering the harbor. "Anchor? Not I! I expect to be in dock with the morning tide." The passenger persisted, urging him to signal for a pilot. "I am my own pilot," came the abrupt reply. Determined to reach port by morning, he took a narrow channel to shorten the distance. His crew of weathered seamen just shook their heads. Passengers said that they were in no hurry and hoped he would take the wider course. He laughed at all of them and repeated his prediction to be on land by daybreak. Indeed, he WAS on land before daybreak. But his vessel was wrecked, and his own life was lost because of his willful pride.
Our voyage through time and into eternity is too treacherous to attempt without God's help. Unless the Lord Jesus is our Captain, we will never make it safely to the heavenly shore.
--P.R.V.
Those who guide themselves have a fool for a follower.
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JAN 28
PHILIPPIANS 2:1-8
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit (Philippians 2:3).
The aquatic creature called the blowfish has no particular value to the one who catches it--except that it may help to develop the angler's patience because it often seizes bait intended for better fish. The blowfish is unattractive; it has a large mouth and a wrinkled body that looks like worn-out leather. When you turn it over and tickle it, the flabby fish puffs up until it is swollen like a globe.
People can be like that. A little flattery, a little tickling of their vanity and they swell up, giving the semblance of greatness. Pride inflates them, and they puff up like the blowfish. But there's nothing substantial about them; they are all air.
This condition takes other forms with more serious consequences. For example, the Christians to whom Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5 were tolerating immorality. Instead of being grieved over sin in their midst, they were actually "puffed up" (1 Co 5:2). Here was a sure sign of carnality and immaturity--they were proud when they should have been mourning. God desires that we be "built up" in Christ--never "puffed up" with pride.
The continual attitude of God's children should be the one Paul recommended to the Philippians. He said, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself" (Php 2:3). If we take this seriously, we won't have the characteristics of the puffed-up blowfish.
--P.R.V.
The smaller we become, the more room God has to work.
