"They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts,
in that day when I make
up MY JEWELS.”
(Malachi 3:17)
To my dear grandchildren,
Army Ants on the Move
“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not
anything made that was made."
(John 1:3)
The large, fierce army ants live in the tropical countries of the world. They have no permanent home and are always on the move, except when they rest to raise their young. As they travel, worker ants lead the way with larger soldiers at the sides. The main colony follows, carrying larvae in their mouths. Finally, the queen comes last, surrounded by large numbers of workers. As this colony moves, it may cover an area 50 or 60 feet wide and a quarter mile long.
Every small living creature they come across is killed, mainly insects. They either eat what they kill or beak it into small pieces and take it back for the queen and her workers.
Interestingly, these ants are blind and are guided only by feelers and a sense of smell. As they move, they leave an identifying scent. The messengers and scouts follow this scent back to the main group when they have found food. Large numbers then return with the scouts to where the food was found.
Usually the only time the colony stops is to let the queen lay more eggs. Rather than building a nest for the eggs, they cling together in bunches on logs or in hollow trees. After she has finished laying thousands of eggs, the colony moves on in columns, taking the eggs with them.
When the colony makes an overnight rest stop, the columns break up, and they climb up bushes and vines to form living balls. They stay there until daylight, then come back down and continue their move.
The ways of these vicious ants seem cruel and harsh. And yet they serve a purpose by holding in check many creatures that would otherwise overrun the jungle. They are part of God’s ways to keep His creation in balance.
In observing the army ants, we can see that their survival over the centuries has been the result of complete obedience to the ways of God in His creation. To the children of Israel, the promise was given: “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” But, sadly, “they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and and went backward, and not forward” (Jeremiah 7:23-24).
How happy you and I would be if each of us had a desire to please the Lord and obey God’s Word. But we cannot be obedient and happy unless we have a new life — a new nature — given to everyone who accepts the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.
Do you have this new life? Are you obeying Him?
Love you all
Grandpa
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