The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

“And the LORD answered me: ‘Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. ‘Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:2-4 ESV)

In this passage Habakkuk is complaining because the wicked seem to be ruling over the righteous. Assyria was ruling Israel and God had promised that Chaldea (Babylon) would soon punish them. Habakkuk is confused both at how God can use the wicked to judge His cause, and at why it is taking so long to be accomplished. This passage is God’s answer.

Habakkuk is essentially told to be patient and trust in the LORD. What has been said will come to pass in its appointed time. We later see that the vision God provided Habakkuk is accomplished when Babylon conquers, and is later conquered themselves (God also said that since they were also a wicked nation they would be punished later). But God sees things on a bigger scale than we can, so these things didn’t come to pass in the time Habakkuk had expected. He did however trust in God and remain faithful to spreading the vision, as instructed by God. It is this faithfulness that allows us to see God’s glory in these events today.

Has God shown you a vision? Perhaps one that you set out to accomplish eagerly at first, and then it began to fade as obstacle after obstacle got in the way of it? Do not give up, remain faithful. If God gave you the vision, He did so for a reason, and will see it through to completion. Stay encouraged and continue to spread your vision, make known what God has shown you, and in time the fruits will become apparent.

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

May God bless you

Hope in the LORD

“Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD; and my cause is disregarded by my God’? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  (Isaiah 40: 27-31 NIV)

This is an all too familiar event for Israel in the Old Testament times. God’s people are gain crying out for help, claiming that God has abandoned them, and has chosen to ignore His people. However this is not the case at all, as is typical the apparent abandonment of God was simply that the people of Israel had again ceased to trust in Him, hence the rest of this passage. Isaiah is telling Israel to remember all that God has done. He is reminding them that God is always there, He does not forget, and He will not abandon them. All Israel needs to do is lean on the LORD, instead of their own might, and He will provide what they need.

We are not so far different. The heart of man is prideful, arrogant, and forgetful; that last part being why God had His people set up so many places and days of remembrance. We are just as forgetful today. We seem to forget that God really did all of these great signs we read about. We forget all the times we were struggling and cried out to Him only to receive an answer, and usually one that surpassed what we asked for. We try to do everything in our own strength, only calling on Him when we realize we don’t have what it takes. And yet, the second things look up again, instead of being thankful and remembering what God has done, we take the credit ourselves, and grow in pride. This is perhaps the most dangerous part of our sinful nature.  Our minds are clouded by our own selfishness, and our desires.

This is why we must daily, actually, upon every breath, look to Christ as our example, and live our lives in remembrance of what was done for us. Constantly seeking the will of God as revealed through the Spirit. We must be ready and willing to cast off all of our former selves, and never again turn back to it.

“Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:61 ESV)

Our decision to follow after Christ is supposed to be life changing, completely and totally, the old self dies, and is replaced by the new self, living a life in the Spirit. Paul’s teaching clarify this a bit better than my words ever could:

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that lal of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought o nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6: 1-6 ESV)

We must let go of ourselves, our dead selves, and lean on Christ, and the power of our Heavenly Father. He will give us the strength we need each day. He will not grow weary or abandon us. Allow the Spirit to transform your minds, and ultimately your life. We are dead to sin, and free to live our lives for Christ! Hope in the LORD, and let Him be your strength.

True Fasting

Why do you fast?

No really, think about that a second and come up with an answer, don’t worry, the rest of the blog isn’t going anywhere. Do you even fast? What have you been told, or read about when to fast or why?

Today we are going to look at examples of fasting in the Bible, as well as the only place I can find any sort of explanation as to a reason.

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? ‘Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.” (Isaiah 58: 1-12 ESV)

I want to start with this text because this is the only description of fasting I can find. It starts with what the people are doing wrong. What is interesting is that what they are doing wrong is the very reason so many use to fast these days. When I posted a poll a while back on my facebook asking people why they fast I mostly heard back answers such as “to draw closer to God,” or variations of that phrase. There were some who listed other reasons but that was the biggest. Yet look back at verse 2. God mentions the people delighting to draw near to Him, yet this is not mentioned in a positive light. In fact, this is part of the problem. Even the people “humbling themselves” isn’t what is pleasing God in fasting. This threw me off a bit. I had always heard that fasting was a means of learning to give up ourselves (or become humble) in order to become closer with God. Now there is truth in that, but the problem is that it isn’t the whole truth. As we continue in this section you see that what God sees as a fast pleasing to Him results in people being helped. The hungry are fed, the homeless sheltered, etc. God wants our fast not just to be a sacrifice of ourselves, but a sacrifice to do His will on this earth. We need to use it as a way to accomplish some good for others.

Here are examples of fasting:

Esther 4:16, Daniel 9:3-19, 1 Samuel 7:5-6, Nehamiah 1:4

In all of these cases those fasting are doing so for the benefit of the entire nation of Israel, that God should see the plight they are in and offer a solution. Selfless acts of fasting designed to accomplish a goal with the benefit of others in mind.

Some more examples:

Acts 13:2, 14:23

In both of these examples the fasting is being done in order to find God’s will in selecting those to do His work. The people selected will be either directly responsible for spreading the Gospel or a major part in growing the faith of those where the Church is already established. Again, we see the primary reason for the fast lies outside of oneself.

Now for the best example of all which can be found in Matthew 4:1-11. In this instance Christ is preparing for his ministry, the ministry that would ultimately lead to the greatest act of selflessness ever, the crucifixion of Christ for our sins. The result of which is the extension of grace to all.

Ultimately we do fast to grow closer to God, to seek His guidance. Not merely for the pleasure of feeling close to our creator, but to find His heart and will for our lives, and to spread His love to everyone we encounter.

Marks of a True Christian

I am always floored with how powerfully the word of God can cut into the heart of a matter. And in every sermon or message I've watched, heard, or read, the scriptures stand out the most, and have the most impact. In this post I will be adding very little of my own thoughts, this will be mostly selected verses talking about what it means to be a Christian. Let them sink in, ponder them, and most of all, pray that God will have His Spirit reveal new truths through the words that He left for us.

I want to dive right in today, so I will start in the book of Romans.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:9-21 (ESV)

Wow. Do we do this? Do most even try? Our faith isn’t supposed to be a show, about how good we are. Let love be genuine. Everything listed here is derived from love. If we wish to know the heart of God we must learn to love those around us, even when they don’t return that love. This was what Paul taught on how to represent Christ and be a Christian, but I know a few who would rather see this from Christ himself. These teachings can be found in Matthew, what most know as the sermon on the mount, and His teaching is more expansive than Paul’s short and sweet version in Romans.

   “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of god. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

    You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before me, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. 

    Do not think that i have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

    You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca.' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, youw ill not get out until you have paid the last penny.

    You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 

    It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

    Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago. 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is god's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

   You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

    You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are no even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
   Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 'So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 
  'And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 'This, then, is how you should pray:
     'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
   For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 
   'When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
   'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 'The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then teh light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 'No one can serve two masters. Either youw ill hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. you cannot serve both God and money.
   'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are  you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They don ot labor or spin. yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you -- you of little faith?So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
   'do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
   'Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 'Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
   'Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the read that leads to life, and only a few find it.
   'Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
   'Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ' I never knew you. away from me, you evildoers!'
   'Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.'
   When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." (Matthew 5-7 NIV)

Now I realize that is a LOT to digest in one go, but read through it again and again if you need to. Christ is teaching His people how we are to live our lives, and what it takes to follow Him. We should daily pray and seek after the Spirit. Ask, Seek, Knock. For we are promised that there will be a response. We will get what we ask for, find what we seek, and the doors we knock on will be opened. He has promised us. So for now, Ask the Spirit for the Wisdom to understand the mysteries of Christ. Seek to follow the will of God. And knock at the doors you are directed to, you will be amazed at what you find behind them.


So let your love be genuine as you go about your lives today, and God Bless you all

Go to the Ant

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” Proverbs 6: 6-11 ESV

I want to start off with saying I have come to love what is to be found in proverbs. Many joke about wishing there was an instruction manual to life, and yet I believe that is exactly what this book is intended to be. The words found here, “the words of the wise and their riddles” (Proverbs 1: 6 ESV), cover every aspect of life I have yet encountered or been able to imagine. Now I am only really beginning to really dive into these riddles of the wise, and to allow the Spirit to show me the truth within, but I am daily astounded at what I find. I also want to start off with something else that caught my eye, something that shows beyond a doubt in my mind that these words are those inspired by the Spirit of God.

                Now, I love nature. God’s creation has been inspiring me my entire life, and for many years I wanted nothing more than to study it. Insects and reptiles caught my interest the most, and near the top of that list were ants. So when I read about considering her ways, and how she prepares her bread in summer, the use of the feminine descriptive term caught my eye immediately. So I looked at the Hebrew. This is the word used:  də·rā·ḵe·hā. Now don’t ask me how to pronounce that, I have no idea. However I was able to research the meaning, to see if it was a word that specified the feminine use, or if that was a byproduct of our translation to English, as some texts use gender neutral terms. This word is used a few times in scriptures. It means “her ways”. And is definitely purposefully using the feminine structure. This blew my mind. This is a truth in the scriptures once again showing that this knowledge comes from a source greater than man. You see, this is accurate. Most of an ant colony, in fact, all those that we usually see, with the exception of a few of the winged ones, are indeed sterile females. However, these “drones” weren’t proven to be female until we could look at them with genetics. Which we all know is not a possibility at the time the proverbs were written. So already, even before diving into the meaning of the scriptures, God is astounding me and preparing my heart to receive the instruction of one much wiser than any man. Showing me that even though the author of these sayings is considered the wisest man ever, the wisdom comes not from himself, but from God.

    

            I want to take going to the ant very seriously in this review of text, because we are indeed told to “Go to the ant”. God has provided His creation for our enjoyment, benefit, and even to teach us. We all know that ant colonies have queens. But these are not leaders like we find in human society. They are simply breeding females which allow the colony to sustain and grow in population. The queen is only important in the fact that there are few within the colony, as a function they are simply one cog like any other. If you remove any of the worker “caste” types in the colony, the entire colony will crumble. So here ant structure is showing that all are of equal importance to the health of the structure as a whole. And every single ant does its function without receiving any order or command to do so. They in fact act as one unit, almost like a single living entity, each a part of the larger body, unable to survive or function alone. Does this sound familiar? Let us look at 1 Corinthians 12:12-31:

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members to it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way” (ESV)

The Church follows a similar structure to that of the ants. Showing again that what God teaches in the Old Testament scriptures was always meant simply to prepare the way for Christ. Simply by looking at the social structure of the ant we can see how the Church should behave. No single ant values its own life as higher than that of any other. In fact at any point any ant of any caste willingly sacrifices their own life for the good of the colony as a whole; altruism at its finest. As the body of Christ we need to be this willing to sacrifice everything. Any one of us should be willing to die a physical death for the greater good of the body, which is to say, for Christ. We are called to be a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1 ESV). And Christ tells us “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:39 ESV) So, this willingness to sacrifice extends not just to protecting the other members of the body as they currently exist, but also to furthering its goals. Christ has asked us to show love even to our enemies:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:43-45 ESV)

                Christ has called us to be sacrificial to the point of death even for those who do not accept Him. He himself did this very same thing, allowing those who did not believe in Him to crucify him. This level of altruism confounds most of us as it is completely contrary to human nature. Defending ourselves and our friends is part of basic human instinct, and feels like the right thing to do. And you may be saying that even the ants violently defend themselves, so it should be ok for us too yes? Quite the contrary, the ants fight with violence as part of a fallen world, and because that is the means by which the colonies goals are furthered. The goals of Christ are not furthered by violence, our body does not risk failing to reach its goals in death, in fact, Christians have nothing to lose in death. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 ESV). Our willingness to die so that those who are causing us to suffer may yet find life is one of the most powerful ways to spread the Love of Christ to those who have not found it. 

                Now don’t get me wrong, I am not telling you all to go out and find ways to die for Christ. Because “to live is Christ” comes as the first part of that sentence. I am simply using what is usually viewed as the most extreme to show that if we are willing to suffer that, then how much more should we be willing to suffer verbal abuse, estrangement, loneliness, and anger for Christ? We should not retaliate in like manner for any of these offenses. In fact I want to return to Romans 12 to further flesh out this model:

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise ion your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:9-21 ESV)

                Altruism, the way of the ant, the way of Christ. When we are willing to sacrifice our fleshly nature the Spirit will empower us to live in this manner. But we must let go of our past, trust in God. Now all of this that I have gone over so far just stems from the first two verses in the original text we were studying. Now I want to go farther, to see what else God is teaching us through the ant.

“she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:8-11 ESV)

This next bit has to deal with our natural desire to be lazy, and unproductive. This can both be physically and spiritually. On one hand we may be lazy in terms of work. Maybe we are not happy with our job, or perhaps your employer is rude, or ungrateful. Maybe you have a great employer, but the work you do is not exactly glorious. Maybe you just don’t feel as though you are doing much good where you are, or that you can’t. And thus you fall into the mindset of not really caring, or not giving it your all because there is no point. If you are not recognized for your efforts, or even a lack of effort, what is the point of even trying? This mindset traps us in mediocrity. Did Joseph lament being thrown into slavery? Or into prison? Did he bemoan his bad luck and just give up, and labor to the status quo? Certainly not! Joseph trusted in God, and labored his hardest for the sake of God wherever he was, and he was pulled from what seemed to be an impossible situation to one of the most powerful. He saved his entire people. (for a more complete review of Joseph’s life see Genesis ch 37-50) Now I don’t bring this up to say that God is going to rip you from mediocrity to become president and the one that solves the world’s problems, although that is always a possibility. But By serving God with our whole heart where we are, we allow him to use us in big ways right where we are. The example you set in how you live your life can change the lives of those that surround you:

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:5-8 ESV)

The word slaves in some manuscripts reads as bondservants, and can just as easily mean workers in the world systems of today. We are called to serve in any position we take up as though we are serving Christ, and with a sincere heart. This takes work, hard work, not slothfulness. The ants are not seeking to please any master, simply to serve the body as a whole. Insomuch we should work hard, not to serve our employer, but to serve the body, that is, Christ. There is a promise here too.  “knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord,” This promise tells us that God will look out for us, no matter how bleak or mediocre our circumstances may seem. As further evidence I want to show more from the book of Matthew:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if god so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ For the gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:25-33 ESV)

                God will provide what we need to live. We just need to seek after the kingdom, forgo our laziness and work with all we have for His sake, and the furthering of the kingdom. Now there is one last part to this passage that I want to go over, and that is spiritual slothfulness.  

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”  (Romans 13: 11-14 ESV)

                This passage even opens with something similar to what we find in Proverbs six. We are told to wake from our sleep. And labor to cast off our worldliness and fleshly desires. We want to seek Christ, with everything we have. I love the part telling us to make no provision for the flesh. No compromise! We can’t even indulge the flesh a little bit, because even that small foothold gives it strength. Our God is greater, and what He provides is so much better, it is just hard to understand until it is experienced. The sinful and fleshly desires of the heart cloud the truth, and make it difficult to understand the freedom gained from what seems to be the denial of pleasure. We are not truly denying pleasure at all! In fact I have found more freedom and joy in my life every time I have found more of the flesh to leave behind. Every day the joy of the Lord becomes clearer. I still have so far to go but I’ve received a taste of what is currently beyond the capacity of my mind to understand, and all I can say is I want more, and I am willing to wake from my nap and work for it. So please, look to the ant.

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” Proverbs 6: 6-11 ESV