What is a BOG?
There was and most likely still is, a very special ant hill. It was special because all the ants in this particular hill were Bible believing, God fearing ants. Yep, you heard right, God fearing ants.
Now I don’t want to hear any long dialogs as to why ants can’t be Christians. Of course they can. How? It’s quite simple really. God wanted some Bible believing, Christian ants and so he made some. God does not really pay a whole lot of attention to the wisdom of men (even Christian ones). Most of it is silliness to him.
Anyway, there were these ants. One day the Lord spoke to these ants. It happened during Ant Church. While singing and worshiping one of the ants gave a prophecy.
“There shall be eight months of time in which to sow and reap. Then shall there be four months of cold and famine in the land. So, listen to the Lord and be diligent and the Lord will bless you and all will be well.”
As time passed, the word from the Lord was confirmed and the Ants heeded it.
The Lord led the ants and told them where to plant and what to plant. He showed them where all the best picnics were to be found. The ants worked tirelessly without ceasing. They worked, they prayed, and then they worked some more. Each ant looked in the mirror every morning with great pride and sense of accomplishment as they pondered the Lord’s work they were doing.
Now, in the very same field that the ants lived, there was a certain grasshopper. He was no ordinary grasshopper. He was a Grasshopper of God. Long ago the voice of God had whispered to him in the wind as he jumped from place to place. He knew the voice was God’s and so from then on, he listened to it.
For the most part, the voice told him to jump and trust the wind to take him to where the Lord would have him go. It was just the life a grasshopper of God would want. So all summer long the grasshopper jumped from place to place. When the grasshopper would land, he would look for other bugs and when he would find them he would tell them about God. If they accepted God the grasshopper would tell them they were no longer bugs, they were now BOGs (Bugs Of God). Then the Lord would have him jump and the wind would carry him to another place. Every morning when the grasshopper woke up, he would thank God for his freedom and then jump into the inviting wind.
One day the wind dropped the grasshopper on the anthill. The ants rushed out to see what the loud thump was. The grasshopper dusted himself off and introduced himself to the ants. He apologized for disturbing them and began to talk to them about God.
The ants assured the grasshopper that they knew all about God, they even had gifts of the Holy Spirit. They told him they had no time to chat, they must prepare for the coming four months of famine. It was then that the grasshopper noticed the farms and the long lines of ants carrying food into the anthill. He offered to chat with them on a break. He was interested in their ideas about God. The grasshopper was absolutely stunned to find out that ants don’t take breaks.
Then the ants went back to work and they ignored the grasshopper only giving him enough attention to make him feel “in the way”. So, the grasshopper jumped into the air and went on his way.
While ants work very hard and never take breaks, it is also true that they talk as much as they work. I guess for ants, that’s where they get their fun. For quite some time they talked about the grasshopper. Some BOG he must be, they would say. He does not work, he does not store, surely he will perish and realize he was not a BOG after all. Some ants were even upset because they figured the grasshopper would come around during the famine and want them to take care of him. Being BOGs the Lord would probably make them do it too.
From time to time they would see him zipping around the field. They would shake their heads unapprovingly and move on, doing the Lord’s work.
The grasshopper was enjoying great success as far as he was concerned. Lots of bugs had become BOGs. Every now and then he would see the ants toiling away. Such a waste, he would think. God would provide for him and the ants too. Imagine if all those ants were out witnessing and making BOGs of all bugdom. They could perhaps change the world. Sadly, they would see, he thought. When the things of this world pass, and they always do pass, the ants would see the futility of their labors. Then the grasshopper jumped into the wind so he could continue to do the Lord’s work.
Well sure enough after the time set by the Lord, the field became cold and dry. There was no food to be found.
The ants were well taken care of. Warm in their hill with plenty of food, they were all very happy and content. God had provided for them because of their hard work.
The ants became disturbed when one day, while looking out at the desolate field they noticed the grasshopper. The ants had been sure he had perished and some were even glad to see he had not shown up to be a burden on them. Young ants were told stories about how the unprepared grasshopper met with an awful end because he had not worked like a diligent ant.
Yet there he was. Zipping from place to place, just like he always had. How was this possible?
He had not worked. There could only be one answer. God was taking care of the grasshopper.
This was outrageous to the ants and they immediately went to ant church and prayed.
How could God bless a bug that had not worked like they did? They deserved more. They were not better than the grasshopper; they were harder workers and therefore should get more blessing.
Then an ant spoke a Word from the Lord.
“You have been good and faithful ants and I have blessed you as I promised. You worked harder than you had to though and so did not have as much fun as you could have and did not make as many friends. Even so, you will be a blessing to the land. As for the grasshopper, he does what I tell him just like you do what I tell you. I bless him just like I bless you. Yes, I take care of the grasshopper and he has been a great witness. Many bugs have become BOGs because of him and I will not let him perish.
The Word was a revelation to some ants and very troubling to others. Other ants could not accept it at all. One thing was for sure, the ants were never the same again.
One cold day the grasshopper landed next to an odd little bug and noticed him looking at the ant hill. The grasshopper sighed. Poor little devils, he said to the bug. All they do is work. They never have any fun and they never tell anyone about God. They worry about what they shall eat and where they will sleep. The Lord has always provided for me and I have not worked a single day. Surely the Lord will bring them and their work to ruin.
The odd little bug looked at the grasshopper with shock on her face. What? Are you crazy grasshopper? If not for those ants I would surely have died. When the famine came I lost everything. I did not know what they knew. I heard they had food and I thought they might have mercy because they were BOGs and indeed that is exactly what they did. They took care of me and gave me food to last for the famine. When I asked them how they knew dark times were coming they told me about God and his warning to them. I decided to become a BOG because of the ants.
The grasshopper was shocked by the outburst of the odd little bug oh ... BOG. Then the wind blew and the voice of God spoke to the grasshopper. Why do you assume that you are right and everybody else is burdened by their labor? They do what I tell them, just like you do what I tell you. They are blessed, like you are blessed and I love you all. They do what you would hate to do, and you do what I have not equipped them to do.
The grasshopper jumped into the wind with new thoughts about ants. He had thought that freedom and not being burdened with the day to days were God’s ways. In the end though, it turned out that God gave each person his or her own task and equipped them to do the task. None of the tasks was greater than the other. Only obeying counted in God’s eyes. It was obedience that brought God’s blessing because God knows more than ants and grasshoppers.
