HIDDEN MOTIVES MATTER
Scripture Reading: Genesis 11:1-9
And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us MAKE A NAME FOR OURSELVES, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” - Genesis 11:4
The favourite lesson from the story of the Tower of Babel is I undoubtedly the irresistible power of unity. The people were described as being one and having one language and one speech. However, there is also the motive or objective of the whole project. This was not just a developmental agenda: the people were obsessed with “making a name for themselves” and reaching the heavens in the process. This aspiration, heaven, was a challenge to God's authority. Have you ever asked yourself why people uniting around a seemingly honorable purpose would be of such great concern to God?
Most governments will not spend sleepless nights worrying if thousands of people planned to converge for a massive sanitation exercise. However, if the same group planned an anti-government demonstration, it should and would be taken seriously. Motives matter. We cannot focus only on the actions of people: their intent should also be of interest. The tower builders in Genesis 11 were driven by pride and inordinate ambition. When things are done to prove a point, feed our egos, reach the unreachable and “make a name for ourselves," they don't attract God's blessings.
Align your motives with God's word and His will for your life. When we do things to honour God, solve societal problems and make the world a better place, we get rewarded and attract God's approval and increase.
Prayer: Lord, strengthen me to overcome every obstacle and to keep moving until I reach my ultimate destination.
