-The Trouble with the Towers

“Come, let us build ourselves a city and tower…; let us make a name for ourselves” – Genesis 11:4

A daring acrobat gained attention when he scaled the steel and the glass surface of Chicago’s 1,454-foot Sears Tower. He carried 50 pounds of climbing equipments and fought off 40-mile-an-hour winds. By the time he reached the top, he had made a name for himself, but the police took him to the city jail, where was charged with disorderly conduct, trespassing, and damage to property.

That incident reminded me of the people who built the skyscraper of Babel mentioned in Genesis 11. Those rebellious souls were determined to make name for themselves. The tower symbolized 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” (v.4). But God stopped them by breaking down their communication system and thwarting their self-centered, God-defying objectives.

Even tough we are Christians, sometimes we are 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.

If you would build high you must remain low.  

-Cut down to size

“For I say… to everyone… not to think of himself more highly than he ought” –Romans 12:3

A man who had been elected to the British parliament brought his family to London and was giving them a tour of the city. When they entered Westminster Abby, his 8 year-old daughter seemed awestruck by the size and the beauty of that magnificent structure. Her proud father asked, “And what, my child, are you thinking about?” She replied, Daddy, I was thinking about how big you are in our house, but how small you look here!”

Pride can creep into our lives without our awareness. We must not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think (Rom. 12:3).

It’s easy to become proud when we stay in our own circles. But when we are thrust into larger situations, with increased demands, pressures, and competition, we come to the realization that “big fish in small ponds” shrinks 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 and I will not endure” (Ps 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 are, He will enable us to control our pride.

Those who know God will be humble; those who know themselves cannot be proud.

-Sweeter Than Honey

“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 the stationary exercise bicycles and found that athletes who had a sugar-free drink before the workout were able to pedal 25 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.”

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 self-congratulation and boasting (vv.14,27). Looking for attention might be sweet to the taste in the short run. But in the long run, bragging does to the personality what eating of chocolates-covered cherries does to the waistline.

Nothing makes us weaker than a constant diet of self-centeredness and pride. 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.

Faith steps in when Pride steps out.  

-Self-Inflation

“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 the fable about a little frog who was startled when he looked up and saw an ox drinking out in the pond. He hopped away to tell his grandfather. Determined that no one should seem larger in the eyes of 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. “Lot 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.

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 be soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Rom 12:3). If we puff ourselves up, we always get blown out of proportion.

God want people great enough to be small enough to be used.

-Who’s Your Pilot?

“Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honour is humility.” –Proverbs 18:12

The poem “Invictus” says, in a part, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” This may make a good poetry, but it is dangerous theology. If we try to control our own lives, they will end in disaster.

A boy who became 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 and call for some help in entering the harbor. “Not I!” said the captain. “I am my own pilot. I expect to be in dock with the morning tide.”

Determined to reach the port by morning, he took a narrow channel to shorten the distance. His crew of weathered seamen just shook their heads. Passengers hoped he could 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 Jesus is our captain, we will never make it safely to the heavenly shore.

Those who guide themselves have a fool for a follower.

-The Blowfish Syndrome

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition of conceit.” –Philippians 2:3

The blowfish has no particular value to the fisherman who catches one. 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 right up. Pride inflates them, and the 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 Christian to whom Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 5 were tolerating immorality. Instead of being grieved over sin in their midst, they actually “puffed up” (1Cor 5:2). Here was a sure sign of carnality and immaturity – they were proud when they should be 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 of conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3). If we take this seriously, we won’t have the characteristics of the puffed-up blowfish.

The smaller we become, the more room God has to work.  

                                                           THE END

                                                                    By: Robert Kortey Apla-kweku