The Ant And Sluggard

Proverbs 6:6-11

Consider the ant and be wise.  There needs to be a measure of wisdom in our lives concerning work.  A student who has a paper or test due in the morning should not spend the whole week prior watching several hours of television or playing video games. The student should work to achieve his goals of getting a degree and a future career so that his life in the future would go well. If we want to achieve our goals in life, it will require some work on our part. 

 

If we want a closer relationship with God, it requires spending time in the word of God and prayer. I cannot say this enough; we make time for the things we value and enjoy. We must learn to set proper priorities to make sure the most important things get done first.  We need to be wise in the way we live our lives. The ant gathers his supplies in the summer and food in the harvest.  He recognizes that when he has to work, he has to work. Work should be a driving force that takes us to our corporate, personal, and spiritual goals.

The ant is a tireless worker. He has to maximize every ounce of his time to build those huge ant hills. From our vantage point, these anthills do not seem to be that big.  However, the ant is at least 1000 times smaller than we are.  From his vantage point, they are bigger and far surpass the tallest skyscrapers known to man today, and he does this every year or at least rebuilds some of it every year. They are magnificent masterpieces and works of art.

The ant works well with others.  He has surrounded himself with those who have similar goals. They are his safety net and support system.  It helps him be all he can be. Because of this, their work production increases exponentially.  It matters who we hang out with and how we spend our time.  The church does not need to forget the unity of the Spirit and the value of helping one another.   

 
Solomon also describes the ant as having no supervisor. The ant does not have to have someone standing over him telling him what to do.  Many times the lazy know what to do, but they don't want to do it.  However, the ant does the work and gets the job done.  If everyone at your job did what they are supposed to do and even helped each other, how much smoother do you think it would be?  When everyone pulls their weight at work or home, it makes life a lot better.  There should be a sense of enjoyment in our work. We should not have to fight bitterness because someone is not pulling their weight, and we have to work three times harder.  Oh, the job does and has to get done, but it could be a whole lot better if everyone worked together.  With everyone's help, we can accomplish so much more than we could have done alone.

The ant works underground.   We do not always see and appreciate all that the ant does. He is a thankless hero. From a Christian perspective, we should live a life of high standards at work and home.  We do not always have the praise and recognition of man, but we keep working for the glory of the Lord.  His reward can be even greater than our paycheck.  Though, it is nice when payday comes around.  God calls us all to make our mark on the corporate world and our personal life so that the world can be a better place because of our existence.

 

 The ant has learned the secret of keeping his hands moving or the value of staying busy, but the sluggard folds his hands and does nothing. The sluggard folds his hands and stops working toward his goals.  He gives up because he knows the job is not going to get done.  So he just stopped trying, laid down, and went to sleep. It is a dangerous thing to do, and he could lose more than his job. 

Conclusions

Our work ethic not only affects our lives at work but also affects the rest of our lives.  Proverbs 6:9-11 mentions the sluggard folding his hands and sleeping instead of working.  When he does this, poverty comes like a prowler or thief.  Poverty could describe more than just not having enough money.  Our relationships with God and our family can be poor or lacking. Our health can also suffer because of bad choices. These things happened because we did not make wise decisions, stopped working, folded our hands, and stopped moving toward our goals. We have been sidetracked and taken the mindset of the sluggard and set aside work. It is easy to place too much emphasis on relaxation. Popular culture and technology have made this very easy to do. However, we need to keep working toward our goals spiritually, corporately, and personally. When it is time to work, it is time to work. Lord, help us to find a balance so that we can live life to the fullest extent. So we can become the blessed people you want us to be.