The Danger Within
written by: Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Then 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; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’”
We humans continually try to make ourselves into gods. We do it every time we try to make decisions independently, failing to ask God for guidance and direction. We walk down a dangerous road every time we trust our skills and abilities instead of humbly focusing on God’s leadership.
I do wonder if this story is true. I can just see a group of religious people claiming all manner of wisdom and authority. They alone are good, faithful, and holy enough to climb into the heavens and see God face-to-face. We see the spiritually arrogant claiming special privileges all the time. Their hunger for privilege and a unique relationship with God drives them away from the divine One.
An extreme example is Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. The Peoples Temple in Indianapolis was a clear example of religious equality among different races of people: their deep concern and faithful actions for the poor humbled other churches in the community. But slowly, their minister, Jim Jones, started to believe he was unique and special in the eyes of God. His arrogance spun so out of control that hundreds of followers drank the cyanide-laced Cool Aid and died.
We must continually get on our knees and seek God’s humble spirit. The lure of arrogance is a temptation we must be forever mindful of. Our mind can allow us to believe our ideas and mindset are so correct that we do not need to involve God in our decision-making. The more we trust our decisions, the less we go to God for direction. Before long, we find ourselves building a tower in our own image. It destroyed Jim Jones and many others who stopped trusting God’s guidance. Ask God to keep your heart and mind close to the Spirit’s still small voice. Taking everything to God will keep us humble so we can remember that only God can bring us life.
