2500 In One Mound!

For the few that might be reading this that are not from or have never spent any length of time in the South I need to do some explaining. Fire Ants are all over the place here in the South, especially South Carolina. They are more numerous than Baptist Churches! Fire Ants can be quite dangerous and in a recent case, deadly. Besides leaving unsightly mounds all throughout your yard, they make it next to impossible to walk anywhere barefoot. Those who have ever been bitten by a Fire Ant I'm sure are nodding their heads right now.

I've always been fascinated by these little ants. I'm fascinated by how much pain they can inflict upon me. Yes, I admit I'm skinnier than most, however, I am at least 100,000 times bigger than one of them, and believe me, they can inflict some pain. With what appears no effort, they can leave a grown man crying, when it might take several strong punches, or a swift kick by a human to create the same amount of tears.

However, I'm not here to talk about the strength they posess. Though that in itself could be a great lesson on no matter how small we are, through faith, we can do great things.
~ "Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
- 1 Timothy 4:12
~ "He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can
say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
- Matthew 17:20

What I'm here to talk about is my main fascination with these little creatures...they are constantly building! I was cutting my mom's grass the other day and when I went over one of the mounds (which houses an average of 2500 ants), the ants immediately started to build. All of them working together as a team. You could not find any of them resting. All were in a hurried panic to rebuild the mound.

The book of Nehemiah is a great one. We can learn a lot about the type of leader God calls us to be. Nehemiah has concern for his flock and goes into Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. He saw a need, organizes, and carries out his mission. Throughout the rebuilding, enemies threaten Nehemiah and his group. Half end up building while the other half stand guard. Every builder even kept a sword strapped to his side. The enemy calls out to Nehemiah and he responds in chapter 6 verse 3 by saying, "I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?"

Just like the ants, Nehemiah doesn't panic. He doesn't scream, yell, and panic first, then rebuild. He continues to work. Just like the ants who never stop building, or Nehemiah who continued to work/lead/build and did not come down from the wall, we too are called to continue with our calling and our task. We are called to specific tasks, careers, ministries, and areas of service; however there is a larger calling which is placed upon us; and that is to build the Kingdom of God. That is the "mound" we are called to continually build no matter what set backs we encounter or who tries to destroy us by placing those little pellets or powder over our "mound".

Jesus tells us in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) to "Go and make disciples". "Go" serves as an imperative action verb. We are to do it immediately. What do you do when the light turns green...and say you're running late? You floor it! You don't wait around you immediately take off to reach your destination. As a youth responded today while I was leading this devotion, "I get mad at those that sit and wait". Many of us are not go-ing. Are we mad at ourselves for this? Are we working to "build the mound" no matter what happens? Or are we doing the opposite of the Fire Ants and waiting around for someone else to do it? I encourage all of us this day to "build the mound", to continually work like those little ants, to constantly build, even when someone seeks to destroy, to "Go and make disciples".

~July 2, 2006
Sunday School
1st Sunday of the Month Trip to Bojangles (edited)