Building on the wrong foundation can have catastrophic results as we journey through life, especially during difficult times. When a building or person is under stress, the quality of the foundation soon becomes evident. The more I have matured in the faith, the words of Jesus have taken on greater meaning. Matthew 7:24Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash. [1] Maybe you have built a life building on sand, but the good news is we can repent of our sins and turn to Jesus! This is the good news of the Gospel!
The Tower of Babel was Built on the Wrong Foundation
After the flood of Noah and before the time of Abraham, the people of the earth spoke the same language. Genesis 11:2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. 3 They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region, bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) [2]
Constructing a tower made from brick hardened by fire was the leading technology of the day and represents human potential and creativity. But why were they building the tower? Was the goal of creating the tower to please God? No, the goal of this structure was to make them famous so they would not be dispersed across the earth. Gen.11: 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.[3]
In many ways, we can do the same thing. We can build the foundations of our lives on faulty beliefs, leaving God out. When everyone else does the same thing, pursuing selfish goals and desires seems normal. Human ambition can accomplish much, but building a foundation apart from God will eventually crumble.
Aligning Our Purpose with God
It often takes the crumbling of our foundation to awaken us to God. As we cry out to Him, He molds and shapes us on the potter’s wheel to be valuable vessels in His Kingdom. Without the work of the Holy Spirit redirecting us, we are just like those building the tower of Babel. That is a humbling thought!
When God transforms us, we come into proper spiritual alignment. Paul describes this transformation as a new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! [4] Are you building on the wrong foundation? Turn to Jesus and let Him give you the strong foundation of Himself!
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/human-ambition-humbled
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.