Are You Building a Platform or Leaving a Legacy?

 

Leadership Lessons from the Tower of Babel – Genesis 11

“Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves…”
— Genesis 11:4

---

There’s something powerful about unity.
And something dangerous about pride.

At Babel, the people united—not to worship God—but to elevate themselves.
Their vision? “Let us make a name for ourselves.”

It looked like progress.
But it was self-promotion.
And God responded—not with applause, but with scattering.
The tower stopped. The name faded. The plans collapsed.

Because God never blesses what exalts man over Himself.

The Subtle Danger of Pride

Pride doesn’t always shout.
Sometimes it whispers in your goals, hides behind your titles, or masks itself as ambition.

At Babel, they weren’t building evil things. They were building without God.
That’s the problem.

The same danger shows up in our lives:

• When we lead to be seen, not to serve

• When success feels earned, not entrusted

• When our platform grows, but our surrender shrinks

Even the greatest kings fell when pride entered the picture:

Nebuchadnezzar boasted of his own greatness — and God humbled him (Daniel 4:30–33).
Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him?” — and his nation suffered (Exodus 5:2).
Modern leaders chase the highest title or salary, often forgetting: It was God who lifted them in the first place.

Pride builds monuments.
But they never last.
Because pride builds towers, not legacies.

Then Came Christ

In a world obsessed with status,
Jesus chose surrender.

“He made Himself nothing… He humbled Himself… even to death on a cross.”
— Philippians 2:7–8

While Babel reached upward, Christ stooped downward.
While Babel grasped for greatness, Christ emptied Himself.

And what did God do?

“Therefore God exalted Him… and gave Him the name that is above every name.”
— Philippians 2:9

Christ didn’t build a brand.
He glorified the Father.
And in doing so, He laid the only foundation that will never crumble.

When Unity Meets Humility — Heaven Moves

In Acts 2, we see a new kind of gathering.
The early Church came together—not to build a name, but to wait on God.

They were in one place.
With one heart.
And heaven responded with fire.

Where Babel scattered, the Spirit gathered.
Where pride confused, humility empowered.

That’s the secret:
Unity with humility brings the power of God.

Even today, God still blesses the kind of unity that isn’t about visibility—but surrender.

What Are You Building?

Ask yourself:

• Is your leadership drawing people to you, or to God?

• Are your plans about your platform, or His kingdom?

• Are you laying bricks to be remembered, or planting seeds that bear fruit?

Pride can be loud or quiet.
But it always leads to collapse.

And humility?
It may go unnoticed at first,
But in due time, God lifts it up.

If you’ve noticed even small roots of pride growing—confess them.
Ask God to re-center your vision.
Spend time with Jesus, who modeled the kind of leadership that bends low before it’s lifted high.

Reward of Humility

Humility invites the presence of God.
It protects us from self-deception.
And it plants seeds that echo in eternity.

God sees every hidden sacrifice.
Every quiet act of integrity.
Every moment you choose His glory over yours.

He exalts in His time—because He knows who can handle it.

A Prayer for Leaders

Lord,
Keep me from the pride that builds towers.
Let not my title, achievements, or platform replace my dependence on You.
Teach me to walk like Christ—
in humility, in obedience, in surrender.
Let every plan I lead, every word I speak, and every influence I carry
be rooted in You, built for You, and used by You.
Amen.

Key Takeaway

“Pride builds monuments.
Humility builds legacies.
Only one lasts.”