The ant object lesson

“Go to the ant.” (Prov. 6:6).

Among other lessons from the ants, their size speaks to us.

Not all ants are created equal. Some are bigger than others where we live. In Africa and South America some are gigantic like the 1 inch long, Dinoponera australis. But, others are eensy weensy.

They all have a mind of their own. They don’t think exactly like we do, but they are individuals and God has given them life.

But, no matter how much bigger one ant is compared to another, we tower over them. We could step on them and squash any one of them. We don’t want to do that just because we are bigger, but we could.

One ant can’t boast if he is twice or ten times the size of another ant. All it has to do is look up and see the larger world, the bigger picture. Likewise, I might be stronger than you, you might be richer than the next person, he might be smarter than me, but none of us can gloat because there is a world that makes this eensy weensy world compare to nothing, even less than nothing.

Yet, all heaven went into emergency mode to deliver us from destruction. Even the greatest of all, the Father, the Almighty, the Ancient of days, He who Michael the Prince said, “is greater than I” (John 14:28), who “liveth for ever and ever” (Rev. 5:14), died to ensure we could be legally and experientially saved.

“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” (Rom. 3:27).

Without knowing what God has done to have us  safely in His home again, we naturally look around on our level and compare/contrast ourselves to others. We boast and we sink in dejection; yet either way we are being destroyed. But when the Spirit of God can put aside all our petty earthy mindedness and we let Him open our eyes to bigger and better things than this little world speaks of, faith will never let us gloat about how great we are, or worship another human and praise him for how great he is. “With every truly converted soul the relation to God and to eternal things will be the great topic of life.” Great Controversy, p. 463.

What does it profit a man if he gains the highest place in the human pecking order, and lose his place in eternity.

“As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” (1Cor. 2:9).

“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside Thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him.” (Isa. 64:4).