Want To Make A Name For Yourself? (Part 1)
Many Christians are familiar with a moment mentioned in Bible scripture and known as “The Tower of Babylon.” During this event, the people discovered a valley in the land of Shinar and decided to settle there, despite God wanting them to multiply and scatter throughout the Earth.
The people in this occurrence attempted to build a city and tower, and they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth,” Genesis 11:4.”
God thwarted their plans. We would be wise to take heed to a valuable lesson to be learned in this. The people wanted to make a name for themselves and that was a significant error. They wanted to achieve some level of glory.
As human beings, we were not created by God to bring glory to ourselves. We were created by God in his image, (Genesis 1:26-27) to bring and give him glory, (Isaiah 43:7).
Sadly, many are laboring today like the people we read about in Genesis 11:4, attempting to build a tower of achievement and make a name for themselves. This is so prevalent that it leaves people perplexed when someone intentionally does anything in anonymity.
An example would be a book I recently read in which the author has chosen to be anonymous. I discovered that great effort has been made to determine who the author is because what he or she has done is not normal. Most authors would never allow themselves to go without recognition.
Due to pride, there exists at least a little desire within us all to be known and praised so that we may receive a bit of glory. This is something we must fight with the utmost effort lest we become like our enemy Satan. His fall began with pride due to his desire for glory that only God should receive (Isaiah 14:12-14).
As human beings, we cannot handle the weight of glory. To us, glory is equivalent to poison. It leads us to ruin when we attempt to ingest it. History is filled with examples of uncountable characters who made the mistake of seeking and in some cases achieving glory. Examining their lives, we can see the detriment that enveloped them because of it.
God alone can bear the heaviness of glory and he alone deserves it. However, there are individuals that he has used and is using who have become well known, but they have become known so that God is glorified and not themselves.
Consider the 3 Hebrew boys mentioned in Daniel 3 as an example. They revered God to such a degree that they chose to be thrown in a fiery furnace rather than worship anyone or anything else but God. They miraculously survived the ordeal and have been remembered throughout history since, but to the glory of God and not themselves.
God may use you in a way that causes you to be known and remembered but it will be to his glory and not to your own. Refrain from attempting to make a name for yourself to gain some form of glory. Instead, magnify the name of God, (Psalm 34:3) and seek to live in a way that brings him glory.
