Kingdoms

Genesis 11:1-9, Matthew 6:33, Luke 22:42-44, James 4:13-16.

I personally have heard the tower of babel preached dozens of times, but in prayer this morning I began thinking about one phrase from Scripture that stuck out to me most. That phrase is: let us make us a name. That phrase is in Genesis chapter eleven verse four. This phrase tends to resonate with me. While living on finances I was working for weekly I found myself making plans. My wife and I was buying a house, and we were looking at new cars for her. We were still giving, but it seemed to be that statement sticking it’s neck out in our lives. We may not have been trying to make a name for ourselves, but we were certainly trying to make a life for ourself. Recently God has drastically changed the way we look at finances, and the way we trusted him. I will deal in this devotion on the scriptures listed above. I hope to issue a call to each person reading to simply trust in God. No longer building up kingdoms for ourselves.

Babel was a time in history following the flood. The people decided to build a tower reaching the heavens. I’ve heard this passage taken many ways. One will say,” God stopped it because he knew they’d build the wall too tall, not being able to breath after a certain altitude.” This argument could very well be true, but why not think about it in a different manner. Scripture says in verse six:

And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

What if what the Bible says is exactly what happened? What if these people were building a tower to build a name for themselves, and because of that God came down and confused their language? The people were building what historians have titled, “ Ziggurats.” These towers were built for very specific reasons historically speaking. More often than not these ziggurats were erected to be some sort of temple, or religious purposes. If this purpose was the reason these people built a temple, that means they were literally trying to build a name for themselves. They were building up a kingdom, or shrine for themselves. Let the same not be said of us!

The bible says a lot about this issue because it is human nature to build kingdoms here on earth. We as humans try building up retirement funds, college funds, housing funds, and other different accumulations of wealth. I don’t think this is a wrong thing. I now try to live by this quote,”Live today like its your last, but save like theres no ending.” I don’t think saving funds is wrong. Matter of fact scripture says that we are to be good stewards. A question I ask myself often is am I giving money, or am I serving it? It’s a good measure of where we are with finances in pertinence to our spirituality.

Kingdoms have kings, scripture notes the order in which your life should be patterned in Matthew chapter six verse thirty-three:

Seek ye first the kingdom of God,

In James chapter four verses thirteen through sixteen marks how we should be dealing with our future. It says that life is but a vapor, and before we make the plans we must say if the Lord wills I will go and sell. I personally forget this principle laid out in scripture for us to follow. We get so caught up in what’s going on around us that we forget to even think abut God at times. Even in our church announcements we say,” This day we will do this”, but we forget that we aren’t promised tomorrow, so then how can we build our own kingdoms? The Lord’s Prayer, Luke twenty-two verse forty-two says:

Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Challenge: Today take the time to step away from your kingdom and everything you have built up here on earth. Remember we are God’s possessions therefore we must be after his kingdom. Carpe diem or seize the day, but for him and his kingdom.