Lessons From The Ants

Dear brothers and sister, what are the thoughts that comes to your mind when you think about the common ants. They are seen everywhere in the park, along the path, and in many homes. Even though they are so tiny, they can give a painful bite if you are bitten by one. Some people only think of them as pest and cannot wait to get rid of them from their home.

But King Solomon says that there are lessons people can learn from the ants. In Prov 6:6 – 8, King Solomon has a word for lazy people. He says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”

This morning, I ‘d like to share with you a few lessons which we can learn from the ants.

#1 - Ants are hardworking

Ants are hardworking and this is something so outstanding about them. Whenever we see the ants, they are always working.

In this age we are living in, there are many distractions from this world that will steal our time away. If we are not careful, we can make ourselves very busy for the wrong reasons. God wants us to be hardworking for the things related to the His Kingdom. Many people can be so busy doing many things, but the things they do, have no eternal significance.

Time is a gift from God, and no one knows how many days he/she have left on earth. We must constantly be aware that our clock is ticking away and the final day will come when we will run out of time. Hence let us live our lives purposefully and productively for the Lord.

Paul exhorts us to live carefully as people who are wise, making the best use of our time, because we are living in dark and evil days. (Ephesians 5:15–16). Hence, we must live wisely to maximize our fruitfulness for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

#2 Ants are wise to harvest whenever they can.

King Solomon says that the ants store up food during summer, and when the winter come, they will not lack food.

Likewise, Jesus says that we must work when it is day time, when night comes, no one can work (John 9:4). We must make use of every opportunity to evangelize and win souls and not let the opportunity slip by.

A few days ago, I heard a good report from one of my cell leaders, that his members have invited two friends to join the online church, and subsequently joined their cell group regularly. We can make use of this difficult season to reach out to our friends and family members to join the online church and cell meetings. Make every effort to reach out to the lost and be a witness for Christ.

#3 Ants value unity and teamwork

Ants has a great sense of unity and teamwork, it is easily observable when they have found a source of food or when they are in danger.

We must be united with the Vision that God has given to our church to be Light of Christ Everywhere. We can tap into the power of synergy when the people of God join hands and work together for a common goal, we can achieve a greater effectiveness to carry all the task at hand.

There is a famous quote, “If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together”. Together let us shine for Christ everywhere.

#4 Ants are not afraid of problem bigger than themselves

Many a times, we see on documentary shows that ants can lift a weight many times their own. They can bring down a bug or insect that is many times their individual size by working together. They are also not afraid to take on an opponent that is bigger in size.

We too can learn from the ants to have a “can do” attitude. Let believe that God can help us to overcome all obstacles and do exploits for him. We must not say that this or that cannot be done.

Here are some promises of God that we can believe God for doing great things through us:

a) Jesus says, “all things are possible to those who believe” (Mk 9:23).

b) “I can do all things through Christ that strengthen me” (Phil 4:19)

c) “Not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord.” (Zech 4:6).

When the Lord calls us to enter to possess the Promised Land. He already has a plan how to bring down the walls of Jericho and to give us the victory over all the giants who live within. The battle belongs to the Lord and we only need to obey and trust in Him.

This is my sharing today.