I woke up this morning thinking about ants, how they create entire civilizations for themselves, organize their labors, build elaborately engineered structures for their populations, and so on – all, presumably, without battling such problems as sloth, greed, malevolence or even gluttony (I, at least, have never seen an obese ant).
My mind danced around the animal kingdom, considering the lovely songbirds that visit my feeders every day, the gorgeous but skittish little foxes one sees occasionally on long quiet walks, the nasty coyotes that communicate with each other at frightening pitch in the dead of night. I thought about how every critter does just what its Creator has commanded it to do – even our pets, designed, I believe, to demonstrate whose relationship with our Creator we should emulate (the dog’s), and whose relationship we actually do emulate (the cat’s).
I thought some more, and realized that we see displayed in the animal kingdom every facet of human life, society, culture and science – the very things that mankind takes such pride in, as if we had invented it all ourselves. (Some might say that worship is missing from critterly lives, but again I would point to dogs; don’t the best of them virtually worship their humans?)
Then I thought once again about the wondrous fact that each group reproduces after its own kind. Genesis 1 tells us, clearly and repeatedly, that God designed it that way. Why, it’s almost as if He knew man would devise the fable of evolution to replace Him and His explanation of how He created life, and decided to hammer home the point in the first chapter of the only Bible He ever inspired.
None of this thinking is original; creation scientists like the late Dr. Henry Morris have written volumes about such things. I was just pondering it because of a recent conversation I had with a long-ago acquaintance who waylaid every attempt I made to bring up the things of God. For instance:
Him: “So what have you been up to for the last 15 years?”
Me: “Oh, I’ve written a couple books about spiritual matters.”
Him: “How’s your sister?”
I might as well have said that I’d done nothing but sit around and eat bon bons for the two decades. Although I bet a statement like that would’ve been followed up with a query about what kind of bon bons I enjoyed most.
So anyway, that’s what got me to thinking about the wonders of the creation and how willfully ignorant we are about God. And once again, it made me ashamed of myself, seeing how I must have handled even a hint of God talk before I met Jesus Christ for myself. It also renewed my fear for friends like this, headed as they are toward a hellish eternity unless the Lord succeeds in getting their attention and saving their souls.
How stupid we humans are. And how wise and loving were those who, under the inspiration of God Himself, sounded such terrifying alarms in the Bible.
Consider the apostle Paul.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,” he warned in the first chapter of the book of Romans, “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
“Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
Key takeaway? When we stand before Him in judgment, we will have no excuse for having missed Him, and having proclaimed our own godless views of the universe.
Or, as the prophet Isaiah capsulized it in chapter 5 of his self-titled book, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”
So okay, my friend, you don’t want to give God a place in your thinking? Fine. And you love the earth? Great. How about spending some time looking in its direction.
Consider, if you will, the ant.
My mind danced around the animal kingdom, considering the lovely songbirds that visit my feeders every day, the gorgeous but skittish little foxes one sees occasionally on long quiet walks, the nasty coyotes that communicate with each other at frightening pitch in the dead of night. I thought about how every critter does just what its Creator has commanded it to do – even our pets, designed, I believe, to demonstrate whose relationship with our Creator we should emulate (the dog’s), and whose relationship we actually do emulate (the cat’s).
I thought some more, and realized that we see displayed in the animal kingdom every facet of human life, society, culture and science – the very things that mankind takes such pride in, as if we had invented it all ourselves. (Some might say that worship is missing from critterly lives, but again I would point to dogs; don’t the best of them virtually worship their humans?)
Then I thought once again about the wondrous fact that each group reproduces after its own kind. Genesis 1 tells us, clearly and repeatedly, that God designed it that way. Why, it’s almost as if He knew man would devise the fable of evolution to replace Him and His explanation of how He created life, and decided to hammer home the point in the first chapter of the only Bible He ever inspired.
None of this thinking is original; creation scientists like the late Dr. Henry Morris have written volumes about such things. I was just pondering it because of a recent conversation I had with a long-ago acquaintance who waylaid every attempt I made to bring up the things of God. For instance:
Him: “So what have you been up to for the last 15 years?”
Me: “Oh, I’ve written a couple books about spiritual matters.”
Him: “How’s your sister?”
I might as well have said that I’d done nothing but sit around and eat bon bons for the two decades. Although I bet a statement like that would’ve been followed up with a query about what kind of bon bons I enjoyed most.
So anyway, that’s what got me to thinking about the wonders of the creation and how willfully ignorant we are about God. And once again, it made me ashamed of myself, seeing how I must have handled even a hint of God talk before I met Jesus Christ for myself. It also renewed my fear for friends like this, headed as they are toward a hellish eternity unless the Lord succeeds in getting their attention and saving their souls.
How stupid we humans are. And how wise and loving were those who, under the inspiration of God Himself, sounded such terrifying alarms in the Bible.
Consider the apostle Paul.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,” he warned in the first chapter of the book of Romans, “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
“Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
Key takeaway? When we stand before Him in judgment, we will have no excuse for having missed Him, and having proclaimed our own godless views of the universe.
Or, as the prophet Isaiah capsulized it in chapter 5 of his self-titled book, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”
So okay, my friend, you don’t want to give God a place in your thinking? Fine. And you love the earth? Great. How about spending some time looking in its direction.
Consider, if you will, the ant.
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