Wash Away the Farmer Ants
In my last post, I told you briefly about the farmer ants, who were responsible for destroying my first okra harvest, by aphids. They rounded up the aphids like we round up cattle or herd sheep. Then they ensured the aphids stayed in their little spaces to feed on the plant, so they, the ants, could get the sap, secreted by the aphids who were feeding. Boy, ants are smart.
But really, they are not smarter than us. A quick blast of water took care of them, both ants and aphids. But you know, the ants came right back to try to set up their farm operation again.
And again.
And again.
The answer to that was to blast them with the water every morning. When I had the time, they would get blasted twice a day!
The result?
I never knew okra was such a prolific plant. They just kept producing, and producing, and producing. It honestly was hard to keep up with the harvests that kept on coming!
Washed by Water
This reminds me of Ephesians 5:25b – 27. Paul wrote of the church being washed of water by the word, so she would be sanctified, holy, full of glory, and cleansed of the many things that would foul her up. The beginning verses of that chapter list just some of the things that would seek to keep us from being glorious, holy, and without blemish. Such as:
- Uncleanness
- Foolish talking and vain words
- Unfruitfulness (no harvest)
“For ye were sometimes darkness (covered up and needing to be cleaned up so the light could shine through) . . . but now . . . in the Lord, walk as children of the light.” (additions mine, vs. 8)
It is a daily thing, this washing of the water by the word. In this way, we keep the darkness out and are continuously filled with the light that is Jesus Christ and his kingdom. The moment we let up, the enemy of our souls, just like the ants, brings things to gnaw away at all that is good, under the cover of darkness. And he works to steal away our harvest that is meant for our nourishment and the nourishment of others.
Jesus is the Word, according to John 1:1. He is also the light, according to John 1:4. The light does not care whether the darkness understands it or not, the light just overcomes the darkness. Think about that the next time you are going through a “dark night of the soul,” or a particularly trying time.
When we wash ourselves in the water of the word, the light of the world, the word of God, we break up and dispel the darkness that is attempting to overtake us. We speak words of life – and those words are seeds going into the atmosphere. They take root, and they break up the hard ground of the circumstance we are in, and before you know it, they push up through the ground and blossom, and bear fruit, which we then harvest gloriously and we also nourish those around us! The light overcomes the darkness. Give it time to bear out that truth.
In our culture, we wash daily. Whether by bath or shower. Imagine trying to use traditional soap, toothpaste, or even shampoo – without water! It wouldn’t be very effective. Also in the garden, what good is it to have the right rake, shovel, even hose – if there’s no water to go with it! Similarly, it doesn’t help to have all the right “religious” tools, without Jesus, our water, our word, our life-giver!
Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone
And Jesus is also the bread of life. (John 6:35) Since we’re talking about a daily thing – and since Jesus is the word, and the word is the bread of life – let’s be reminded that “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
To be clear, the words that we speak to dispel the darkness need to be in line with the word of God. That is, the scriptures we refer to as the Old Covenant and New Covenant as written in the Bible. You’ll find that some of the most successful motivational speakers get a lot of their inspiration there as well!
Consistent Rhythm
But just like in the garden, consistency is key. If I neglect to spray those ants off daily, the aphids will begin sucking the life out again. I must be vigilant in the protection of my crops. And I must be diligent in the feeding of my soul with the bread of life, and the washing of the water of the word. At least once a day, though more is better.
I want to be in such a rhythm of feasting daily on the bread of life, and washing of the water of the word, that my joy, my peace, my life, is a continual feast of glorious harvest! A rhythm of harvest that is so prolific that wherever I go and whatever I’m doing, my words and my very presence bring a harvest of encouragement and life to others, just as Jesus has brought it to me.
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