THE ANT’S SHADOW

 

Dear Friends,

It is important that we not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, and thus be guilty of pride which can lead to a fall. It is also important that we not think too little of ourselves and thus fail to obey the Lord because of low self-esteem. The devil uses both of these problems to hinder our usefulness to the Lord. He tells us we are no good, and we suffer from a low self-esteem that paralyzes us. Then when the Lord does use us and we do something good, the devil changes his approach and says, “You know, I was wrong about you. You really are good. As a matter of fact, you are great.” His intention is to produce arrogance. The Lord, however, wants us to think soberly. It is possible to be confident and humble. The godly attitude is, “I can do nothing apart from Christ, but I can do all things through Christ.

Billy Long 

  THE ANT’S SHADOW


I was on the roof of a very large building and saw an ant walking across the surface. I noticed that this small ant was casting a very large shadow in comparison to the ant's actual size. The shadow was about 20 times larger than the ant. I took a photo and thought about what this ant might have said to his fellow-workers when he arrived back at the nest. Full of pride, holding his head up high and stretching to stand tall, he boasted, "Hey, guys, I just realized I am about 20 times bigger than I thought I was," 

He proceeded to tell them how great he was and how his shadow had shown him he was 20 times bigger that all the others. 
 However, the little fellow was pretty embarrassed the next day when he looked in the mirror and realized he was just a little guy...like all the others. 

Jesus rode on a donkey when He made the triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-40). Can you imagine that donkey coming home from work that day and telling his wife, "Sweetheart, I was wonderful today. I finally received all the recognition I deserve. All the people were so happy to see me as I entered town. They greeted me with joyful shouts. They threw palm branches on the ground in front of me. They shouted great adoration and praise." The foolish donkey had a self-inflated image of himself and should have recognized that the glory was meant for Jesus.

All of us enjoy doing well and receiving compliments, but we should remain humble. We should thank others when they compliment us or tell us how much our service and gifting blesses them, but when we get home, we should go into our prayer closet and present those "trophies" to Jesus. They belong to him. Jesus delights in using us; but It is the grace of God working in and through us that ministers to other people. Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me" (John 15: 4).

Like the ant, we don’t need to be “20 times bigger.” We just need to be ourselves and do what our Father calls us to do with the gifting and talents He gives us. And like the donkey, we don’t need man’s praise that is meant for the Lord. We should be honored that Jesus has chosen us to bring praise, honor, and glory to Him.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mrs Parker's Electric Paddle

We Knew It Was For Our Good When I was a kid there was discipline and order in the classroom. Teachers could actually teach, and kids could actually learn. We had a healthy fear of punishment, and we knew it would certainly come if we deserved it.   A ll of us kids instinctively knew it was not abuse, but a justified response to misbehavior and rebellion, or an attempt to prevent us from doing things that were dangerous or harmful. We knew our parents and teachers (generally speaking) loved us and were trying to educate us and train us to be mature and responsible. Mrs. Parker's Electric Paddle In my third year of elementary school, we moved from the old, white, wooden schoolhouse into a new brick facility.   When I stepped off the bus onto the new school grounds, the word was going around that our principal, Mrs. Parker, had an electric paddle installed in her new modern office. None of us wanted to face that mysterious and unknown instrument. Whe...
Read more

"That Way I Can Kill the Whole Bird With One Stone."

Just as truth can be stranger than fiction, reality can sometimes be funnier than jokes. Therefore, I try to keep track of unusual things I hear people say. Below is a list of word-abuses that I have heard over the last few years. These friends and acquaintances did not realize they were corrupting a word or using the wrong word. The following sentences were spoken in earnest. A fellow told me he did not want to sound self-defecating . A second cousin told me her sister had an infection in her influfial tubes . One man said he suffered from sick-as-hell-anemia . The hospital had to place a lady’s husband in contentious care . Another man was in there with a brain hemorrhoid . A fellow told me a family member had immaculate degeneration . One man said he had problems with his heart rhythm, but the doctors had decided not to install a space-maker . A friend told me, “While I am in town, I’ll go by and pay the fine and also return Joel’s guitar. That way I can kill the whole bird with one...
Read more

Some Thoughts on the Manifested Presence of God

John 15: 19. “A little longer, and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me...” Rev. 1: 10-17. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet…And I turned to see the voice that spoke to me…and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength…” 1 Cor. 15: 3-8. “…He rose again on the third day…and was seen…by Cephas…by the twelve…by over five hundred brethren at once…and after that He was seen by me also….” To see or not to see? The natural man comprehends God in the same way as a blind and deaf man would view a brilliant sunrise or listen to beautiful music. He would be oblivious to the wonders around him no matter how brilliant the sight or how loud the sound. The revelation of God works on the same principle. The person who has a heart after God will see or hear Him in the smallest sign, while the one who has rejected God in his heart will see nothing or explain it away, no matter how powerful the Presence or how obvious th...
Read more