Christianity isn't about us; it's about what God did for us through Christ Jesus. It's not about our actions or abilities, but about expressing God's life through us. Jesus sets the standard – He's the focus, not us. And with Him, we can do all things because He strengthens us.

To be born again is to respond to the message of Jesus Christ. It is to accept the gift of God, which is in Jesus, and is done by believing with your heart and confessing the lordship of Jesus. It is called a gift because we contribute nothing to it; it is freely given

From the examples of Nicodemus and Cornelius, being a religious person, a giver, knowledgeable in scripture, morally upright, and even having angelic encounters doesn't mean one is born again. Every person born of a man and a woman inherits a sinful nature. Just as physical birth qualifies us for this nature, being born again qualifies us for the gift of eternal life.

The ant is able to gather food for winter because it exercises self-control. The ability to delay gratification is non-negotiable if one wants to gather. The ant doesn't labor only to eat all it has worked for instantly. This may be trivialized by many, but looking around, you'll notice several lives that are unpleasing because they overlooked the wisdom of self-control.

The wisdom of the ant is that it doesn't just know the seasons of life; it knows what to do in each season. The ant knows the summer season is meant for hard work. The ant isn't confused about what to do; it knows that as long as it's summer, it's time to work hard

The wisdom of the ant is that life is in seasons. As simple as this truth may sound on the surface, this is why the ant is never poor or in lack, yet we, with our sophisticated lives, are always in need. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, but the people failed to recognize their season. Do you know which season of life you're in?

Regardless of its limitations, the ant shows responsibility. It knows it is responsible for the final outcome of its life and hence responds to life with the ability God has given it. As weak as the ant is, it is never a victim of poverty because of its self-leadership. Nehemiah had no degree or experience in building walls, yet because of his great leadership, he achieved remarkable results in a record time.

Everyone has a limitation or something that puts them at a disadvantage. The ant isn't the strongest, biggest, or quickest, nor does it have a leader, but none of these have given it enough reason to ever go hungry. Every limitation is a platform for demonstrating God's perfect power in us. With this understanding, Paul glories in his weakness so that Christ's power may rest on him.

Wisdom is gained from taking lessons from all that happens around you. The Psalmist reveals that "Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge". Having an ear to take lessons even from a supposedly insignificant creature like an ant makes you wise.

Why did God go through all of this? Purely because He loves us. He loved us without any performance from us. God doesn't love us more or less based on our actions, but on Jesus. This makes the gospel a stumbling block to some and an offense to others. He died so He could spend eternity with us!