Ants

ants 1
Originally uploaded by Poagao

The ants are a people not strong but they prepare their meat in summer
Proverbs 30:25

The message of the ant is 'prepare yourself!' He prepares for winter while he is still in summer. That's because:

(1) His eyes are on the future. You can't undo the past but if you let it, it
can undo you. The summer of your opportunities is passing quickly. Winter will
come whether you're ready or not. Remember Christ's parable about the five
foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps and were excluded from the
wedding? If you're not ready when your time comes, you'll miss out.

(2) He has the ability to delay gratification. If you don't have the patience to wait, you'll miss or mess up what God has in mind for you. The ant takes the resources he has in summer and moves it towards his winter. Will somebody else
show up and do this for him? No. Are there predators looking for a chance to
steal what he's got? Yes. But he's so focused on where he's going, he doesn't
have time to worry about where he is.

(3) He has a cause bigger than himself. Ever watch an ant work? He sinks his
teeth into a piece of bread three times bigger than himself and drags it to
where he's trying to go. Are you saying, 'This is too big for me, I can't carry
it by myself?' You don't have to. Read this: 'Glory be to God who by his mighty
power at work within us is able to do far more than we could ever dare to ask or
even dream of' (Ephesians 3:20 TLB).

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.