Proverbs 6:1-35
Saturday, 18 February 2023
“Take a lesson from the ants, you lazy fellow. Learn from their ways and be wise!”-Proverbs 6:6 [TLB]
It is interesting to see how God speaks to us by various means- there are valuable lessons we can learn from all of His creation including the animal kingdom. In today’s text, God speaks to the sluggard–the one who is lazy, through the example of the ant. V6 commands the lazy one to be wise by considering the ways of the ant.
What could we possibly learn from ants? Quite a lot! –God uses the seemingly unimportant things of the world to shame/confront the so-called “wise!”
Let’s see some valuable traits of ants which we can adapt in our work for the Lord–
• Each ant works – Ants don’t have a guide, yet each ant works. They are neither rewarded nor promoted, yet they never go on strike or quit their job! They just work! Everyone carries his own weight according to his ability. All that God asks from us is that we use our abilities and our greatest ability is our availability. No excuse is acceptable for Christians to refrain from working for God. God’s field is ready for harvest, and we are called to labor in them!
• They work persistently – Just watch how an ant behaves when a bit of sugar is spilt on the table- One ant finds it, return to its colony and bring hundreds with it. We who have tasted and found that the Lord is good need to go back into the colony of the world and tell others about Christ and bring them to Him! Someone aptly said, believers are merely one beggar telling other beggars where to find bread! Even in times of trouble, keep going! The average Christian says, - “I can’t”; that attitude cost Israel 40 years in the wilderness. Let us move from “I can’t” to “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”(Phil.4:13)
• They work unitedly – Ants have an amazing team spirit. They work in love, no fights; they are helpful in carrying each other’s burden; weak or strong – all operate in harmony. As believers, we have to be fellow workers together with God. We are all different members of one body. Nothing is about ‘you’ or ‘me’ but it’s all about ‘Him!’ If the church is united in the power of the Holy Spirit, putting away our differences and disagreements to stand together, our enemy will tremble for sure.
• They persevere – When their homes are destroyed, the ants begin to rebuild immediately. How many of our promises from God lie by the wayside because the devil sent trouble, trials, and temptations our way? We believers have the All-powerful God; we need not despair. We must persevere, whether our problems are big or small. The crown of life is only for those who persevere!
The life span of these tiny creatures is 4 – 12 years but still they prepare for winter…they prepare for their future. People prepare for their retirement; how about after death? The Bible clearly teaches about life after death, but men do nothing about it. If you are ready, God has made a way to live with Him eternally. That is through His Son, Christ Jesus. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
An Advice: Dear Readers, lets us be as wise as the ant and wake up from our spiritual slumber. True faith gives us salvation; but it produces fruit only when we put our faith into action- our work for Him!
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