Today I took Solomon's advice and considered the Ant. While on a walk in the woods I came upon a large fire ant mound, a mound that was probably at least 2 feet in diameter. Noticing a flurry of movement on the surface of the mound, I stooped (at a safe distance) to take a closer look. Ants were everywhere, going in differant directions in what seemed like mass confusion. But, on closer examination it was evident that I was not beholding a scene of disorder but instead a scene of orderly construction.
As I continued to observe (still hoping that they were not ranging out far enough to give me a first hand experience of how they got their name) I saw the common aim in all this activity. They were leaving the mound and gathering cedar needles and other small pieces of plant material that had fallen on the surrounding ground. They then proceeded to carry these pieces back to the mound, to some specific place such as a small hole or low spot and they then placed it in this depression so as to fill it in.
In this process I noticed the ants bumping into each other and on occasion they would momentarily block one anothers progress by crashing into each others load.
Yet, in all this, they didn't drop their load to fight or argue with the other ant that had hindered them, instead they tenaciously held on to their piece of needle and marched toward the desired goal.
I noted that sometimes if a piece was too large for one ant that two would labor together at the task to move it into place in this massive building project.
I saw no envy when one ant passed another which was carrying a bigger piece of needle. I saw no disdain for one ant by another if the other was carrying a smaller piece.
I simply saw this, a multitude of ants working toward the same goal, which was, building and strengthening the mound.
I was reminded of some things as I stooped in God's classroom of nature. First, I thought of the differances between ants and humanity. We have a great work that has been given us by God and yet our self-centered ways take the preeminate place in our lives. We lose sight of the real reason that we are here.
Second, I began to recall some verses of scripture that speak to the fact that God truly does have a time for all things and part of that time is a time for doing His work.
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"(Eccl.3:1)
"Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing then in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:" (Mat. 28:19)
"I am a debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise and to the unwise." (Rom 1:14)
What if Christians were like ants in this great work of the Lord?
Do we know what time it is?
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