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Life Lessons from Our Tiny Neighbors

by Lyn Perry  
3/21/2007 / Christian Living

"Go to the ant, you sluggard!" (Proverbs 6:6-11, see below)

Ouch! Ever get super-charged at an event and make all sorts of commitments only to wake up the next morning and "chicken out" on whatever you decided to do? Making that first phone call or starting that project seems overwhelming in the morning light.

Let's "go to the ant" and consider its ways and be wise!

First, the ant is self-motivated to work. It has no boss telling it to get going. It is driven by habit and instinct to succeed. God has placed a success mechanism in us as well. We can cultivate that habit.

Second, the ant stores up for the future. It works when it can, knowing that winter is coming when it can no longer work. Big clue! We can play now and pay later or we can pay now, save money and build wealth.

Third, sluggards, by contrast, work when they feel like it - and they never feel like it! They are full of excuses: "I'll get back to work after a short little nap." And that nap lasts all day long. Like I said, "Ouch!"

Fourth, poverty will eat the unprepared alive. Like a bandit, like a thief, it'll take away everything from the sluggard. If we play now and neglect our work, we'll not only pay later but we'll pay with compound interest.

Fifth, there's good news! We can change, we can consider the ant and be wise. We can get wise today! The definition of wisdom is applied knowledge for godly purposes.

Success is a choice. It's a matter of daily choosing to do those things we know is best for ourselves and those around us.

Questions for Reflection
Are we driven by habit and instinct to succeed? We were designed to be. What habits do you need to start or continue to develop?
Are we storing up for "winter"? We know instinctively that we should prepare for the future and yet we're full of rationalizations.
What excuses are we willing to eliminate from our lives right now so that we can live the life of abundance that God intends for us?

I don't know about you, but I want to get wise right away so that I can experience God's favor now and in the days ahead. Let's get wise together.

Proverbs 6:6-11 (NIV)
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.

(c) 2007 Lyn Perry, permission given to reprint this article with acknowledgment. Let me know if you use it! :-) Also visit Thought Renewal at http://thoughtrenewal.blogspot.com
A former pastor and happily married, Lyn enjoys reading, writing, and arithmetic. Well, two out of three anyway.

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