Have you ever considered the fact that the most insignificant of species can gain access into some of the most significant locations? When was the last time you heard of an ant requesting security clearance for White House access? Yet, I’m sure a few of those pesky bugs make it in the oval office every once and a while. You may say, “big deal,” its just an ant -but I’d like to see you infiltrate the highest military security in the world!
I love the way that the Bible flips ordinary thinking to reveal “kingdom thinking.” For instance, Jesus taught that “the last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16), “The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11), and “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:12).
The point is, in God’s Kingdom, bigger is not always better. Sometimes God chooses to use the overlooked and forgotten to do the meaningful and lasting.
Proverbs 30:24-28 says it best:
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:
the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;
the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank;
the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces. (Proverbs 30:24-28)
Most of us would overlook ants, locusts, and lizards. But they have the remarkable ability to go places we may never gain access. God has given them “Kingdom Clearance.”
I love the way one Chinese pastor described the underground church’s mission efforts in other “closed” nations. compared their network of secret missionaries to ants by saying something to the affect of, “It’s hard for an elephant to enter a village unnoticed. That’s why we go as an army of ants.”
Maybe you’ve been discouraged because you feel like an “ant” in this world. As it turns out, this is could be a wonderful privilege. Take heart –you’ve been designed perfectly for kingdom work!
Right now, quit thinking about all of the limitations that “worldly wisdom” places upon you and start looking at the opportunities that Kingdom truth offers you. Consider these two questions:
1) Who naturally confides in you? It doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor, popular or unknown -God cares about them and has given you the privilege of investing in their life. The point is, there is probably somebody in your life to whom you have been given more “clearance” than anyone else. Will you see this as a ministry opportunity? Be a listening ear and wise counsel. Share the gospel.
2) What environments have you been given access to? Do you have “clearance” at the office? On the job site? On the team? Don’t take that for granted -not everyone has the platform you’ve been given. Use it wisely for the Kingdom.