You’ll need:

·        Pencils, and copies of Making the Grade

Small People Can Do Big Things

As we look through scripture, we learn that God is not into the big, the bold, and the beautiful like everyone else is.  He doesn’t define success in the same way that the rest of the world would define it.  Instead, He takes simple, savvy, spiritual people, and He makes them successful by His standards.  That’s an encouraging message for all of us who often find ourselves too small and powerless to do anything significant.

The Opening Act:

How would you define success?

What makes someone successful?

How about wisdom—how would you define that, and what makes someone wise?

How do people get more wisdom?

Well, thankfully, the values of God’s kingdom aren’t quite so shallow as the views of the world that we live in.  In fact God loves taking smaller, less-than-spectacular creatures and making them truly successful.  In that way they appreciate their success more, and He gets all the credit.  A funny little nature lesson in Proverbs 30 shows us what God values most in those He wants to make successful.  It’s a great lesson in wisdom.

So if you have your Bibles, turn with me to Proverbs 30:24-28.  in this passage, we find four wise animals.  Listen to this passage.  Proverbs 30:24-28 says, “1”

The Main Event:

1.     Wise people invest a lot of energy in preparation and make decisions with the future in mind.

The most common ant in the Middle East is the harvester ant, which doesn’t just gather up picnic crumbs, but actually harvests grain off the stalk.  Scientists have observed how they divide their labor.  One group climbs up the stalk and chews off the grain.  One group carries the fallen kernel back to the nest.  One group husks the grain.  And finally, one group carries the kernels underground and stacks then neatly.  If it rains the ants take all their grain out of the nest and lay it out to dry before restacking it below.  And they’ll travel over 200 yards to collect food, that’s more like 6 miles in people terms.  And they do all of this just to get ready for winter.

As we read through the Bible, we find that God puts a high value on preparation.  In Luke 12:35 it calls us to “…be dressed ready for service.”  II Timothy 2:21 tells us to be “…prepared to do any good work.”  I Peter 1:13 challenges us to “…prepare [our] minds for action.”  I Peter 3:15 reminds us to “…always be prepared” to share our faith.

Just think about Bible characters who had to prepare.  Moses prepared for 80 years to lead Israel out of Egypt.  Joshua prepared for 40 years to take Moses’ place as leader.  Even Jesus prepared for 30 years before He started teaching and doing miracles.  One famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon said that if he knew he had 25 years to live, he’d spend 20 of it in preparation.

What we need to realize today, is that every day that God gives you is a time of preparation.  The decisions you make today will have a huge impact on your future.  What are you doing now that will positively impact your next 20 years?  What are you doing today, that will impact your eternity?

2. Wise people know and stay close to their source of protection.

Once again, Proverbs 30:26 said, “…coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the crags…”

Does anyone know what a that animal is?

Well, the coney is what we know as a rock badger.  They’re smart and successful because they know the principle of protection.  They live in the crags, or cracks, of the rocks where predators can’t get to them.

A coney spends its entire life within 20 yards of the rock pile it calls home.  But even when it strays far away, it has guards backing it up.  Sentinels will stand guard on the rock watching for danger.  If a sentinel sees a land predator, like a fox or a coyote, it lets out long squeaks, saying to the other, “Danger!  You have some time, but get home now!”  If the guard sees a bird of prey, like a hawk, it lets out shorter, more urgent squeaks.  But if it sees a weasel, the guard simply withdraws silently.

The other conies, who look back often, will see the guard has disappeared and run for their lives.  That’s because a weasel can go anywhere a coney can go, even under the rocks.  And weasels often just kill for sport.  But even when rushing to hide, the conies don’t fun aimlessly.  They follow set patterns and trails within the rock pile to get to the safest hideouts.

Do you see the wisdom of these creatures?  They know their limits; they stick close to home; and they never venture far without someone watching their back.  And conies know their rocks.  They know where to run and where to hide.

Well, scripture reminds us that God is our rock in Psalm 62, and that the Devil is the predator seeking to devour us in I Peter 5:8.  Yet so many people today think that they can live 21 yards from the Rock.  Perhaps they attempt to life 25 yards from their accountability partners.  Or maybe they are trying to live 30 yards from their church.  And when they’re in trouble they cry to God but don’t find the safety and security they need because they’re not in the habit of running to Him every day.

One thing that we have probably all learned in our lives is that overconfidence is a killer!  I’m sure that we could all think to times in our lives when we strayed away from God, and got hurt because of it.  And that is why it is so important that we realize that wise people know and stay close to their source of protection.

3.       Wise people are into team participation and know the importance of

community.

Once again, Proverbs 30:27 goes on to say that, “locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks…”

Small people do big things by working together.  That’s the lesson that we can learn from the ant as well as the locust.

There are basically 2 kinds of insects: loners and colonists.  The loners are like spiders, which you always find one at a time.  The colonists are like bees and ants, always together in groups.  But locusts are both.  In good times, locusts are sluggish loners.  But in bad times, like when there’s a famine, locusts get very active and begin to swarm.  When that happens they become a force of nature as powerful as a volcano or hurricane.  They can’t be stopped.

The largest swarm of locusts on record swept Africa in the early 1990’s.  it was one mile wide, 100 feet thick, and 50 miles long.  Experts estimated that it had around 10 billion insects in it, which means that if you could kill one million a minute, it would take you a week to get them all!  The swarm ate everything in sight, landing on trees in such mass that they broke off 3 inch limbs just by their own weight.  Only another force of nature stopped them.  Winds blew them out to sea.  But even then, they flew for 60 straight hours before dropping exhausted into the water.

The Bible calls believers to swarm, to advance together in rank like an army.  There’s a sense of buzz in any Christ-following community where people are gathering and working together with a sense of mission.  We have to be careful about trying to be a loner in our communities with one another.  The question is, “Are you self-focused or team-oriented?”

4. Wise people are bold and persistent.

And finally, Proverbs 30:28 said, “…a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.”

Lizards can be captured easily, yet they somehow get past the guards to the king’s palace.  A gecko is a harmless little 4 or 5 inch lizard that lives in warm climates.  They’re easy enough to catch, but they’re built for climbing into places we don’t want them.  Their feet have a few climbing mechanisms that are interesting.

They have claws, which unlike a cat’s claws, are spread apart even when they’re relaxed.  They have adhesive pads in the middle of their feet that stay slightly moist for added grab.  They have scales that catch onto rough surfaces so the gecko can easily pull itself up.  Catch them and throw them out as often as you like, but they’ll keep climbing back for more.

What are your spiritual goals?

What would you like to be like, spiritually, in five or 10 years?

How are you being persistent in pursuing God?

Well, in these next several scriptures, we will se just how God desires us to pursue Him and pursue spiritual goals.  Jeremiah 29:13 says that, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Romans 2:7 says, “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life.”  In Galatians 6:9 it says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  And finally, in Hebrews 10:36 it says, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”

You know, persistence is a very helpful aspect to have in your life.  For example, ever since my freshman year of college, I really like Nellie, but she only considered me to be a close friend, like a brother.  I was very persistent in chasing after her, and as you can see today, that persistence paid off.

Or look at Nellie.  She has a hard time taking timed tests.  She has to take them though in order to be certified to teach.  Now she could have done like others and given up after she didn’t pass that test the first couple of time, but she didn’t, and as a result of her persistence, she passed that test and is now certified for a teaching job.

You see, I know, and I am sure that many of you know that persistence when it comes to our spiritual life is very important as well.

The Grand Finale:

So, let’s review the wisdom of these 4 small creatures.  The ants are wise because they prepare and make decisions with the future in mind.  The coneys are wise because they know their safety is in the rock.  The locusts are wise because they understand the importance of community.  And the lizards are wise because they’re bold and persistent.

The world values size, strength, beauty, and charisma.  But God values humility, character, and a passion for Him.

Activity – Slogan Time:

Divide into 4 groups, assigning each group a principle from your talk.  Give them 5

minutes to develop either a cheer or and advertisement for their principle.

Take Home – Making The Grade:

Make copies of Making the Grade and give them to everyone.  Have them grade

Themselves, A to F, for each principle and then write down comments or suggestions

for how they can improve.

Encore:

Get It?

·        Define each of the points—preparation, protection, participation, and persistence—in your own words.

·        How is this picture of success different from the one most people in the world have?

·        If you were a motivational speaker, what could you say to convince your audience that the values highlighted in this message are the real keys to success?

What If? The Big Picture

·        If you were serious about preparing yourself for your future, what would you be doing right now?

·        How does a person prepare for what God wants them to become?

·        How would you rate yourself in the area of staying close to God as a source of protection?  On a scale of 0 to 100 yards, how close are you to the Rock?  (Remember, 20 yards is a safe limit!)

·        Are you more of a loner or a swarmer?  Do you seek success individually or on a team?  What can we do to develop a greater sense of team in this group?

·        Have you ever quit too soon?  Or failed to persist in something you should have stuck with?  What happened?

·        In what spiritual discipline do you need to show greater persistence?  What are some of the benefits you can look forward to if you persist?

So What? It’s Your Life

·        What are the benefits of pursuing the 4 values we’ve discussed here?

·        What do you find most attractive about the 4 values of Proverbs 30:24-28?

·        Which of the 4 – preparation, protection, participation, or persistence—do you think you need to work the most on in your own life right now?

Does anyone have anything that they would like to add before we close this evening?

Well, if there is nothing else, our passage once again said that, “1”

As we leave here this evening, let us always remember, the ants are wise because they prepare and make decisions with the future in mind.  The coneys are wise because they know their safety is in the rock.  The locusts are wise because they understand the importance of community.  And the lizards are wise because they’re bold and persistent.  Small people CAN do big things WHEN they seek success in the way that GOD has defined it!

Let’s Pray!