The whole world had the same language and the same words. When they were migrating from the east, they came to the valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.” They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.” They then said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth.”

Genesis 11:1-4

Genesis tells us that Noah had a son Ham, who had a son Cush, who had a son Nimrod. The descendants of Nimrod settle in the land of Shinar, which will later be called Babel. They discover a new technology of bricks. With this new technology, they plan to build a tower into the sky and make a name for themselves. In making a name for themselves, they are saying they want to build a kingdom better than God’s kingdom. They are setting themselves up in direct opposition to God.

Like the people of Babel, we can get sucked into thinking that life is about making ourselves great. We can get sucked into self-promotion and building our kingdom instead of partnering with God to build his kingdom. We can focus our lives on building our careers, our business, and our reputation instead of loving God and loving others.

Pray today for the grace to make your life about loving God and others rather than making your name great.