Community & Discipleship

Wisdom from an Ant (Pro 30:24~28)

2011.02.06Rev. Eddie Byun

Wisdom means knowing the season of life we are in and responding to it accordingly, as the ant stores food in summer. We prepare in good times for the storms, use the present for the future, and live for God's justice and mercy in this season.

Know the season you are in (vv. 25)

Proverbs 30:25 honors the ant for using time well, because it knows the season it is in and acts accordingly. The Bible speaks of two kinds of time: chronos, the regular passing of hours, days, and years, and kairos, the seasons of life that God brings into our lives. Jesus pointed to the same truth when he told his disciples to lift up their eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest (John 4:35). Wise people understand their kairos seasons and use their chronos time in light of them. So we must ask what season we are in today.

Prepare in good times for the bad

Isaiah 55:6-7 tells us to seek the Lord while he may be found, because there will come a season when hard hearts stay hard. Our lives move through highs and lows, and the wise person uses the good times to strengthen faith for the dark valleys, since Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble. In a crisis we can only bring what we have already carried with us, so pain either poisons or purifies our faith depending on how we prepared. That is why prosperity preaching is deadly, since it promises a pain-free life to those who give enough. When Christ is our treasure, we will have the spiritual strength to hold on until the storms pass.

Use the present to prepare for the future

Colossians 4:5 urges us to make the most of every opportunity, and the ant uses the present to prepare for the future. When I served an older congregation in Sydney, its members, nearing the end of their race of faith, asked me to help them finish well. Their words showed that every season carries its own calling, and that those who are young still have a future full of opportunity. In college, my prayer was simple: God, prepare me as best as you can to use me as much as you can. The question for us is whether we are preparing ourselves so that God can use us.

Grow up and refuse extended adolescence

Proverbs 6:6-11 calls the sluggard to consider the ant and be wise, and it warns against a little sleep and a little folding of the hands. Today a disturbing trend of extended adolescence delays the transition into adulthood, as many people in their thirties still live like teenagers. This spiritual laziness has also reached the church, where people who lack a lifestyle of prayer and fitness are being raised up as leaders. We need people who acquire wisdom, not just knowledge, and who understand that life is short and must be lived for the Lord.

Live in God's season of justice and mercy

God is calling his church to rise up for justice and mercy in this season, as he once raised up Martin Luther King in the civil rights movement. Through our prayers for freedom this year, God led us to begin Hope Be Restored and to partner with Not For Sale to establish a movement in Seoul. Korean women are the most trafficked ethnic group of women to the United States, and this is an issue in our own backyard. Our work begins with research, relationships, resources, and restoration to fight modern slavery. If the church does not lead in justice and mercy, the world will look more like Jesus than we do.

Apply to Life

  • Let us ask God what season we are in and respond to it accordingly.
  • Let us prepare in the good times for the storms to come by feeding our faith on the promises of God.
  • Let us use the present to prepare for the future and make the most of every opportunity.
  • Let us grow up in responsibility and invest our lives for the Lord rather than for games.
  • Let us rise up with the church in justice and mercy for the oppressed in this season.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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