A while back I had left my prayer room to get something and return shortly. On returning to the room I noticed a dead housefly lying just few centimetres away from my prayer bell right at the centre of the room.
This was rather surprising to me because I had not noticed any fly in the room before leaving and the door was closed. I decided to go get a broom and a packer to rid the room of the “unclean thing” but I felt the Spirit restrain me from doing so, constraining me the rather to get on with my prayer and ignore the dead fly.
I soon realised the Spirit of the Lord was staging a podium from which He will teach wisdom to me and to all those who will happen upon this message.
No sooner had I started praying than I noticed a troupe of ants filing their way across the room, their destination being the dead housefly. Then the Spirit spoke to my spirit moving me to leave what I was doing to study the mission of the advancing ants.
And as I looked down on these tiny creatures, it dawned on me that so also tiny I and every other human being must appear before Him who sits upon the circle of the earth, and that this unfolding scenario is a proverb to mankind (40:22).
The following were the things I learnt by the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord:
ALERTNESS/PREPAREDNESS: that the ants are creatures that live every moment prepared and at alert is very much evident in how fast they usually show up at the site of every mission.
And this glory the ants attain not by sight (because they are usually stationed down in a hole and out of sight) but by observation and understanding.
Like the children of Issachar who were men that had understanding of the times knowing what they ought to do at all moments, the ants are trained to sense, from the wave signals of each passing air, where their next job/meal lies (1 Chronicles 12:32).
And for them to be so accurate in this lifestyle of observation, the ants are silent (ants, not matter how many, do not make a noise), sober and vigilant – very much like soldiers.
Does not the Bible call us soldiers of Christ (2 Timothy 2:3-4)? And than the ants who only labour to build an earthly perishable colony, should not we who labour for an eternal kingdom of glory and imperishable riches live more soberly and be far more vigilant in this disgustingly defiled world which will soon perish? Think my brethren.
COOPERATION: is key to the existence of the ants. The way they troop out with one mind and one focus on very mission is remarkable.
Without arguments, without murmurings, and without contradictions, the ants tirelessly accept every assignment. They come, they see and they always conquer because of the unity-power of cooperation.
The import of one Yoruba proverb may be spelt out in English as: with the cooperation of the five fingers of the palm a man beats his chest to boast of exploit and prowess.
Cooperation is essential for success in every institution of man; be it marriage, family, church, government, school or business – all will collapse if cooperation is missing.
But what is cooperation? I will not give here so much a definition of cooperation as it is a description.
In other words, if you are wondering whether or not you provide cooperation in whatever institution, movement or organisation you belong to, then look out for the following three features which describe true cooperation:
1. Aptness of Ears – points to a flawless ability to listen. But the ear signifies more than just listening in spiritual terms; it signifies a lifestyle of obedience.
Ability to amiably take instructions or counsel and run with them wherever possible. So my brethren, in the institution or organisation or partnership you belong, do you have a listening ear? And do you take positive actions towards information and instruction pertaining to that organisation?
2. Wise Tongue – the tongue is a function of our thought process. To have a wise tongue therefore is to be thorough and thoughtful before voicing your opinions and before taking any actions, especially where the lives of other individuals are concerned.
If what you feel like saying will not add value to the organisation to which you belong, then keep it to yourself. If what you will enjoy doing will hurt the cause of the institution or movement you belong, then let it go and rather sacrifice your happiness on the altar of the common cause.
So then, a wise tongue is a sacrificial life. My brethren, in the marriage or church or firm or government you belong, do you sacrifice? Do you consider others or do you just live for yourself alone?
3. Mercifulness – in this regard, mercifulness refers to the ability to be at the receiving end of an offence or provocation without harbouring bitterness.
Being merciful does not mean you will never be annoyed. Rather, it implies that you react to provocation moderately and when necessary.
A merciful person does not hold grudges but forgives rather easily; you do not go about nursing or looking for revenge. In any case, an institution or organisation crawling with vengeful minds will inevitably collapse, never to rise again.
But it takes the riches of understanding to be merciful (Proverbs 14:29; 16:32). A wise and knowledgeable fellow finds a way to forgive, but the short-sighted fellow is fast to have his revenge. So my brethren, are you wise enough to be understanding? Are you merciful? Think my brethren.
OPPORTUNITY APPRECIATION: the ants are certainly creatures which are fast to identify and literally grab opportunities. The implication-price of this is that ants are necessarily hard-working.
As long as there is an opportunity, the ants are ready to go for it. Our Lord Jesus Christ commands us in the scriptures to labour for the kingdom till he comes.
I am convinced that no lazy Christian will make heaven. The path to the kingdom of heaven is a tedious one and which can only accommodate those who are determined to do all and remain standing having done all.
My brethren are we fervent in the fields God has called us to? Are we faithful, truthful and clean in our services to God and humanity? Think my brethren.
SCARCITY: ants make themselves scarce when there is no task to accomplish. They have mastered the art of withdrawing from frivolities and trivialities. Every Christian must understand that the calling of God requires them to live sacredly and never appear common.
Sacred connotes the sense of secrecy and privacy. In this age of social media and show off culture, a Christian must be cautious to hide himself from unedifying social functions. A Christian cannot afford to be all over the place, so to speak, not even in the name of ministry.
The sacred calling of the Christian demands often solitude with God alone. God does not dwell in the common but in the sacred. A Christian who is not in the sacred cannot hear God. And a Christian that cannot hear God is not worth very much, if anything at all.
Do not allow yourself to be entangled with the noise and amusements of this present world. Entanglement is deadly for a soldier and you are a soldier of Christ. Think my brethren.
FAITH: though the ant is a rather tiny creature, it possesses a giant faith. Ants are never fazed by any task. They are ever courageous trusting in the unseen strength the Creator-God has put in them. And in that faith they march on surmounting mountains.
They pull around insects and other food-missions as large as twice their own size.
This ought to inspire faith with great joy in you my brethren because, if God can impart such great strength and courage in such minute creature, then there is no measuring the vastness of the potentials and the sea of riches he has put in the believer to whom He has given the hope of an eternal kingdom through Christ Jesus.
Brethren have faith. We exist and prevail by faith in the goodness of God – there is no other way. Please, be admonished my brethren – think!
OPEN HEAVEN: finally my brethren, it is interesting to know that the ants are beneficiaries of open heaven. They do not create their food, they just receive it. Their food practically drops for them to grab, much like manna.
God, seeing their dutifulness that they will not be lazy to come out and carry whatever he provides for them, does not slack to send blessings their way.
One lesson a Christian should grab from this is that grace does not preclude hard-work. God does not waste resources and so, He is not interested in sending opportunities to fellows who would squander them by nonchalance or sluggishness.
Another lesson from this is that God is the true provider and we all are gleaners (Psalm 65:9). To understand this is to rest from self-wisdom and self-crafted ambitions to solely rely on the faithfulness of God.
However, this reliance on God is to be done with an earnest heart ready to act in the obedience of faith. My brethren trust God. There is no disappointment for those who look for Him. Amen.
