PROVERBS 6:6-11 – “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”
THEME OF THE DAY: LESSON FROM AN ANT. God uses His creation to teach us invaluable lessons about Himself, us, and the Christian life. Here are two of the many in scripture.
From the Gospels, our Lord would use birds to teach us not to worry – “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:25-27).
In the Old Testament is the familiar scripture of God’s creation teaching us about His power and glory penned by David in Psalm 19 – “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat” (Psalm 19:1-6).
Today’s scripture is another. It is the ant. This little creature is a great teacher about the Christian life. There are two lessons we may take away from observing it.
First, the ant is a self-starter. No need to “jump start” these little insects to prepare bread in summer and gather her food in harvest. She doesn’t need micro-management. And in the Christian life, we must be self-starters when it comes to seeking the Lord in prayer and His Word; faithfulness to church; faithfulness to serve others; and faithfulness to areas of ministry. Like the ant, we work before an audience of one – the Lord. And here is the warning, if we lack self-motivation spiritually, which means NOT being a spiritual self-starter, we will not grow in the Lord. Discipline of self-starting is a must.
Another lesson from the ant is a strong work ethic. To plant in the summer and to gather in the harvest is hard work. It requires diligence, perseverance, and “stick-to-itiveness” to finish well the tasks at hand. Spiritually, it is easy to see the application. Seeking the Lord is hard but rewarding work, and He rewards our efforts with the greatest reward possible – Himself.
Creation is a great teacher. Take time and learn from it, and when ants are around, think about what we may learn from them.
PRAYER: Father, may I develop a life of self-discipline that is necessary to live a life of holy obedience to You.
REFLECTION: Each day of life we are writing the book which will be read by Jesus on Judgment Day.