Our text for today is Proverbs 6:6-8
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.”
There are four great lessons to learn from this brief text.
1. Learn from Ants:
The statement, “Go to the ant,” means look at the ant and learn.
There are approximately eight billion PEOPLE on earth. That seems like a lot until you realize how many ants there are. Ultimately no one knows how many there are, but some who study them have concluded that there be as many as 100,000 ants for each man, woman, and child on the earth. It is amazing to realize that God uses such a common creature to teach the one creature who is made in his image – mankind. What is the lesson we learn from trillions of ants? The lesson is this “Be prepared.”
Be Prepared, is the official motto of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. From our text, it is obviously the motto of trillions of ants.
Go to the ant.
2. Plan ahead.
Actually, if you plan at all, you plan ahead. Those who do not prepare for the future, simply do not plan at all. “Go to the ant,” Solomon said, because ants are known for their ability to plan ahead. They gather food during times of abundance to prepare for times of scarcity.
“Go to the ant.”
3. Self-Motivation:
One comedian commented that some employees nick-name ought to be ZEUS, Z.E.U.S. Which means, Zero Effort Unless Supervised.
There are no ZEUS ants. Ants don’t need supervision to work; they are self-driven.
“Go to the ant.”
4. The Harvest only comes for those who prepare.
Solomon said the ant “Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.”
The ant knows the secret of reaping – you only reap in the harvest, if you have prepared in the summer.
Go to the ant.
So today, look in the mirror and said, “Go to the ant.” Maybe it will remind you to get prepared.
Look at your children and say, “Go to the ant.” This may cause them to ask, “What do you mean?” and you can teach them about the important life skill of being prepared.
I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.