Ants Don't Ask
Today as I was reading the scriptures, a picture came to mind. We have an exterminating service because ants and other unwanted critters can make a nuisance of themselves in and around our home. But none-the-less, I'm always fascinated by ants. They appear so determined and clear on their given paths. No matter how many little troughs I dig or sticks I put in their ways, they find another way around these delays to get back on their route to the other side.
We like to eat out on our patio and often feed our dog table scraps, but being the messy eater she is, crumbs get left behind. The picture I had was of an ant picking up one of her many crumbs and starting out on its journey back to its home. And then another thought came to mind, the ant does not stop and ask…where did this morsel come from? who left it behind? is it gluten free? how many calories and fat grams does it contain? what store did it come from? who was the farmer? what type of soil did they grow it in? etc. etc…The ant simply picks it up and heads back to share it with its ant family.
This picture arose out of the simpleness of salvation. Romans 10:9-13 notes, "That is you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believed in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame…for 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"
The ant works to live, but more importantly, the ant simply believes that God will provide. If the ant's whole colony was wiped out by the "bug man" then God allowed it for a reason, it's not something the ant sits around and worries about because the ant has no control over such matters. These thoughts are likely not even in an ant's mind, as it's mind doesn't have the capacity to fathom such big ideas.
Last night I was reading about the Seattle, Washington fire of 1889 and how it was started by an unskilled laborer who had no business working with fire. Anyway, through a series on unbelievable mishaps this fire was fueled and unable to be put out. It cleared the entire town, but with no record of deaths. After members of the town met and tried to figure out what to do next, they came up with several new ideas about how to build a better town and soon it was rebuilt and ended up a thriving city with stronger structures and an updated way of fighting future fires. (Article about the Seattle fire~http://content.lib.washington.edu/extras/seattle-fire.html)
All this is to say, we are ants when it comes to the ways of the Lord. We can't possibly fathom the depths of His knowledge and wisdom. We should be more like the ant, believing God is who He says He is, working at God's work diligently trying to find ways around the detours, stumbling blocks, and disasters that come our way, trusting that He will provide a way of escape and make us even stronger and more resilient once we get to the other side.
I believe the other side of this life is heaven. To get there doesn't necessitate any "work" on your part, simply do as Romans 10 above says~confess your sins, believe in your heart that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and as such He died for your sins and rose again, and you will be saved from eternity in hell. It may take a fire that completely burns you out to get you to this place of belief, but once you are there, the Holy Spirit will let nothing get in His way of your renewal and rebirth into who He wants the "new you" to be for the glory of God and throughout eternity of the other side, heaven.
We like to eat out on our patio and often feed our dog table scraps, but being the messy eater she is, crumbs get left behind. The picture I had was of an ant picking up one of her many crumbs and starting out on its journey back to its home. And then another thought came to mind, the ant does not stop and ask…where did this morsel come from? who left it behind? is it gluten free? how many calories and fat grams does it contain? what store did it come from? who was the farmer? what type of soil did they grow it in? etc. etc…The ant simply picks it up and heads back to share it with its ant family.
This picture arose out of the simpleness of salvation. Romans 10:9-13 notes, "That is you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believed in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame…for 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"
The ant works to live, but more importantly, the ant simply believes that God will provide. If the ant's whole colony was wiped out by the "bug man" then God allowed it for a reason, it's not something the ant sits around and worries about because the ant has no control over such matters. These thoughts are likely not even in an ant's mind, as it's mind doesn't have the capacity to fathom such big ideas.
Last night I was reading about the Seattle, Washington fire of 1889 and how it was started by an unskilled laborer who had no business working with fire. Anyway, through a series on unbelievable mishaps this fire was fueled and unable to be put out. It cleared the entire town, but with no record of deaths. After members of the town met and tried to figure out what to do next, they came up with several new ideas about how to build a better town and soon it was rebuilt and ended up a thriving city with stronger structures and an updated way of fighting future fires. (Article about the Seattle fire~http://content.lib.washington.edu/extras/seattle-fire.html)
All this is to say, we are ants when it comes to the ways of the Lord. We can't possibly fathom the depths of His knowledge and wisdom. We should be more like the ant, believing God is who He says He is, working at God's work diligently trying to find ways around the detours, stumbling blocks, and disasters that come our way, trusting that He will provide a way of escape and make us even stronger and more resilient once we get to the other side.
I believe the other side of this life is heaven. To get there doesn't necessitate any "work" on your part, simply do as Romans 10 above says~confess your sins, believe in your heart that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and as such He died for your sins and rose again, and you will be saved from eternity in hell. It may take a fire that completely burns you out to get you to this place of belief, but once you are there, the Holy Spirit will let nothing get in His way of your renewal and rebirth into who He wants the "new you" to be for the glory of God and throughout eternity of the other side, heaven.
Wow! This is an amazing read.
ReplyDeleteAmen Sister.
ReplyDelete