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July 18 Daily Devotional

Twilight: Babel or Pentecost

the Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven

Monthly Theme:

By God’s Word and Spirit the world was made, and he uses the same tools to rebuild the creaking cosmos. God does not save some souls from the wreckage of the planet; instead, the whole groaning creation must be delivered from bondage by the love and power of God.

Bible Reading:

Genesis 11:1–9

Bible Text:

"Visitors from Rome ... Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" (Acts 2:10–11).

Devotional:

If we are divided, all of us suffer and most of us fall. But united we stand. This rule, as old as humanity, must be rediscovered in every age. Every household, church, and nation must learn it. Today's family of nations, especially, must learn the importance of interdependence. We need a United Nations. It may never work quite right, but we should make the best of it.

That sense of unity was the one truth in the tower building at Babel. Not all of this classic example of unity and self-government was wicked. Babel's wickedness and arrogance was its declaration of independence from God. At Babel humanity attempted to de-throne the Divine.

From this point on, Scripture uses the names "Babel" and "Babylon" to symbolize the city that opposes God's rule. In the time of the apostles, believers called Rome "Babylon" because the Roman emperor imagined he was divine.

The government of this world belongs not to human rulers but to our God. He created the planet, he formed us, and he determined our destiny. True freedom starts with a declaration of dependence upon God. After we've made this declaration, our residence is not in Babel, which rises to heaven, but in Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven.

In the kingdom of Christ we find our unity. Since Pentecost, people of all nations have heard and believed the gospel. The worldwide church of Christ has one Lord, one faith, and one hope.


Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.

 

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