Vicki Keiser, Stephen’s Ministry and Church Council

Proverbs 6:6-11
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler,
8 Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”–
11 Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.

Reflection:
Sluggard—this word just rolls off the tongue, not in a good way for me. A sluggard is habitually lazy; I am sure not something any of us aspire to be. I am thankful that my parents taught my brothers and me from an early age that working hard was important whether it was for home, school, church, or other activities. My parents not only expected hard work from us, but we observed their hard work on a daily basis.  I believe that this same work ethic, when applied to working for the Kingdom of God, yields a great and eternal harvest.

In the verses above, Solomon speaks to us about hard work through the example of ants. Ants are amazing creatures that, to some, are only seen as pests to be eradicated. But if we look beyond them as pests and observe the attributes of their hard work, much can be learned from them.

I am sure you have observed how ants can find even the tiniest morsel of food left out; they are unrelenting and persistent in their quest for food. The Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission are invitations to this life. God calls us to be unrelenting and persistent for matters related to the Kingdom—feeding the hungry, healing the sick, sharing with others, and loving our neighbors. 

Hopefully, you have also observed how ants work as a team in an orderly fashion to achieve their goals of securing food or materials to build their home. There is no fighting among the ants about what is to be done or who will get credit; they focus on getting the tasks at hand done. Likewise, we can work together in community for God’s purpose and glory. We have all seen the pictures of how ants can carry many times their weight; depending on the species an ant can carry 10 to 50 times its body weight. Ants take on challenges much bigger than themselves. When God is with us there is no problem too big to solve; we can take on challenges infinitely bigger than ourselves when we rely on God. 

Ants seize opportunities to store food in preparing for the future. We too can use every opportunity to bring the message of his salvation to as many as possible in the preparation for the final day that will come.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for the examples in our lives of hard work, persistence, and community that lead us to serve your purposes in our lives every day. Help us to think big and rely on you as we work for your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.