The Plumbline

I have written about ants before, but this morning, I'd like to write about the carpenter ant. These are small creatures, but they have such skill at constructing their homes that they have been labeled as "carpenters" simply because of this skill.  Actually, these are some of the larger ants we find in the world, not at all like the wee ones which might invade our cupboards in search of a sugar trail.  These "little guys" are hard to miss!   Their call to fame is that of building their homes not in the dirt, but out of wood.  Most scientists will tell you they are referred to as "excavator" ants because of how much they do to "excavate" old fallen trees and such at the base of the forest floor.  In reality, these little guys can do as significant damage to your home as they can to the fallen tree.  They aren't all that particular about the wood they choose to "excavate"!  Scripture tells us to "learn by watching the ants...

A potter is one who fashions clay into vessels of purposeful use.   Some may be fashioned into great works of beauty, such as for display and placed in positions of honor perhaps a little more than others.  Others may be fashioned into vessels of great service, such as those which allow water to be carried from a well back to the home.  Still others may be fashioned into the vessels which will withstand great heat in the scorching ovens.  Each has a purpose - each fulfills the purpose for which it was created.  Each has been created by the hand of the potter - with his intention fully revealed in how he creates each vessel.  In the "fashioning", he takes great care to create what he envisions for each vessel - knowing the purpose for which he is creating it.  If he knows the purpose of each vessel, then what he "puts into" each vessel in his creative power is also what he expects to "get out" of each each of these vessels. You, Lord, are our Fathe...