Aggravating Little Ants

2 Thessalonians 2-Part 10
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.    2 Thess. 2:16-17

LET IT GLOW

These last few weeks, I have been teaching my three year old granddaughter the song, The Ants Go Marching One by One. You know the song.  Little did I know that it would become a reality. We had little black ants marching in two rows around the house, in the yard, up the trees, everywhere.  Boy, did those little stinkers agrivate me. They'd craw up my lawn chair and get on me. They even had the gaul to come into my kitchen uninvited. I tell ya, those little agitatingthings can become a big thing. (Isn't that true in life?)

This continued all week. In the heat, I would go out spraying along the bottom and the rock ledge around my house, not once but up to three times a day. I almost got blisters pulling the trigger on the squirt bottle. But my efforts didn't eliminate the problem. Those ants marched on inspite of my killing some. More live, marching ants took the place of the dead ones. (Hopefully, the devil gets that descouraged about Christians.)

Well, it was time to get serious and call out the calvary, my exterminator. They came and attacked those critters. Ha, ha, we got 'em DEAD. So one more time, this morning,  I cleaned up dead ants in my kitchen. Hopefully, it will be a long time before that happens again. Whew! I'm glad that's over.

Now, there was one thing I noticed about these marching ants,  their method of marching was  not side by side, but behind each other, like an army. Maybe that's where we got the phrase "I got your back" came from. Do I pray faithfully for my loved ones and friends, supporting their backs from the enemy? Do I encourage them to stay faithful to Jesus? Paul did.

It is hard to comprehend that God, who is sinless, would love me, a sinner, who sins daily. But He loves us anyway, with an unfailing love, in spite of ourselves.
In comparing what the King James version says with the New American version, the phrase everlasting consolation, becomes eternal comfort.

Thayer's Lexicon gives these definitions of Greek words used for:
Hope means joyful and confident expectaion of eternal salvation. 
Grace is kindness by which God bestows favors even upon the ill-deserving, and grants to sinners the pardon of their offenses, and bids them accept of eternal salvation through Christ.
Comfort means to encourage, strengthen your hearts.
Stablish refers to establish, which is to strengthen, make firm; to render constant; confirm, one's mind.

These last two verses in chapter 2 is a brief prayer of Paul's for the Thessalonian believers as they go through the deepest and darkest valley of their lives. What does Paul ask the Father of our Lord Jesus? First, he asks God to comfort them, not that God circumnavigate the storms for them. Next, Paul prays that God strengthens them, not that He spares them. (Steadfast Christianity by Charles Swindoll)

I do have hope for my eternal life as God's grace secures me. However, sometimes I need some comfort and encouragement to strengthen my heart whenever I'm going through a difficult situation. Don't you?


LET IT GROW

I guess it's normal for me to want a smooth path to walk on instead of it being rocky. Also, I like to avoid storms, but sometimes they are unavoidable. In most cases, the most direct route to maturity is through the storms, not around them.

Isaiah 43:2 states, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you."

Did you notice the word through was used three times? God doesn't guarantee a life free of storms and no ants to agrivate, nor sunshine all the time. But He will be with us as we go through those hard circumstances. Even when little things as small as ants frustrate us.

Paul is asking for comfort and a strengthened heart in every good work and word. So let's march one after another, whispering encouraging words so we'll continue on this rocky path toward heaven. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1: 3-4).
Don't let the small things, like ants,  discourage us. March on for Jesus.


LET IT GO

Encourage others, even in the little things.

Pray for God's love and grace to encourage others and myself.