ANTS 401: TEAMWORK

There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer – Proverbs 30:24 & 25

REFERENCE
Proverbs 30:24 & 25

Our text describes ants as “exceedingly wise.” Interestingly so; because wisdom is the principal asset for exploits and success in life. Today, the wisdom tip for consideration in our quest for success is ‘TEAMWORK.’ Believe it or not, this is one of the greatest secrets to the ants’ success.

“Teamwork is the process of working effectively with others to achieve a common goal.” The concept of teamwork is a godly principle which is dotted all over the pages of the bible as God recommends the power in this wisdom point.

In the colony of the ‘Fungus Ants,’ each ant has a specific role to play in cultivating their meal (fungus). Excellent teamwork is at play, as some of them venture outside to cut and bring pack pieces of leaf, then others shred the leaves. Still, others turn the ‘shredded’ leaves around and add saliva to it—all to provide the fungus with the nutrients it needs. The ants then benefit because although they cannot digest the fibre in leaves, the fungus can. The ants can then harvest and eat the fungus to obtain the “unlocked” nutrients.

As a kid, I was always in the habit of killing large insects and putting their bodies in places where a stray ant will see them. After a little while, one ‘busy, hardworking’ ant finds the grub. He tries to pull the large insect, but its herculean. Whenever I went away and came back, I saw thousands of ants, like a black mass, descend on the insect, tearing it from limb-by-limb. They work in an astonishing system of organization for the greater good of the colony.

Thus, another secret to living successfully is teaming up with others to achieve your goals. This ultimately starts with forming and maintaining the right friendships and relationships with people. These relationships can then be leveraged as the needs arise later in life. When you team up with others, you eliminate your weakness by taking advantage of the strength of your team members; e.g. if perhaps you have an ingenious business idea but lack the finances to bring it to life, you can team up with others with the financial capacity to make it happen. Of course, this means your profit will be shared, but it also means you have eliminated your weakness of ‘No funds’ and succeeded in setting up your business empire.

Too many Christians are lone-rangers and that attitude has kept them restricted. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says “Two are better than one for they have more reward for their labor.” Teaming with others can make you access opportunities that you ordinarily cannot access on your own. Also, it can put you on a higher pedestal than you can attain just going it alone. Remember, no man is an island. Everybody needs somebody.

PHOTO SCRIPTURE

ADDITIONAL STUDY
Proverbs 12:26, Proverbs 27:10&17, Genesis 2:18, & I Corinthians 12:15-21

PRAYER POINTS
+ Pray for direction and guidance in choosing the right team to work with in different aspects of your life.

+ Ask for wisdom to build and maintain relationships that can be mutually beneficial to you and your team mates.