Summary:
Using the Titanic and the Tower of Babel to illustrate the sin of pride, this 302-word devotional urges readers to rely on God´s strength instead of their own. Originally published in print in 1998, this version has been edited to address an audience of female pastors.

Details or Sample:
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2, NIV).

In the spring of 1912, a British luxury liner started on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. This ship was no ordinary ship. Its passengers included some of the world’s richest and most influential people. Its builders, bolstered by their past successes, declared it unsinkable. It was a monument to the achievements of mankind. Yet on its very first trip, this unsinkable ship, the Titanic, sank.

Genesis 11 records the story of another monument to the achievements of humankind. The Babylonians planned to build a city with a tower that reached the heavens. Like the builders of the Titanic, the architects of the Tower of Babel put too much confidence in their own abilities, and they failed.

Successes in our lives – a growing church, a community award, praise from parishioners – can easily lead us to be tempted by the sin of pride. We may not try to build an unsinkable ship or a tower that reaches heaven, but we can easily believe we can do things in our own strength instead of relying on God. That kind of thinking is only the first step toward the pride that leads to disgrace (Proverbs 11:2).

When you are tempted to begin thinking you can do things in your own strength, remind yourself what happened to the builders of the unsinkable ship and the tower to heaven. Then read the words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 3:1-10, particularly his final verdict on all his accomplishments: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things” (Philippians 3:7-8, NIV).

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Downloads: 0
Written by: Shannon Christman
Available File Types:Text
Words: 302