Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? I want you to learn this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Proverbs 6:6-11 (NLT)
I could summarize this lesson with one hyphenated word—“Self-Discipline.” Every once in a while, most people have days when they want to be lazy. I am sure you do to, so come on and admit it…you know it’s true.
Maybe once or twice a month, you have days when you want to sleep in or days when you want to laze around the pool. But for most of us, those lazy days are infrequent. After we have been lazy for a couple of days, normally we jump back into our busy work schedules.
Compare that to a lazybones. A lazy person refuses to have a work schedule—he prefers to make loafing around his full-time job. Idleness is his master.
Unlike the ant, which constantly works and gathers food for the winter, a lazybones thinks that he is overexerting himself when he plans or prepares his next meal. He lacks self-discipline and motivation.
Unless someone is around to oversee and give a lazybones a motivational kick in the rear, a lazybones will never get anything done. Poverty and scarcity will be his fate.
“Solomon, in these verses, addresses himself to the sluggard who loves his ease, lives in idleness, minds no business, sticks to nothing, brings nothing to pass, and in particular manner is careless in the business of religion” (Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible by Matthew Henry).
Unfortunately, when it comes to spiritual growth, there are many lazybones. They only want the milk, because they don’t want to expend the effort to chew on the meat. They lack the self-discipline to study and pray on their own. They do not mature in the Lord because they refuse to seek Him. Spiritual poverty and scarcity will be the fate of the spiritual sluggard.
When the storms of life come rushing in like a flood, a spiritual sluggard will be swept away and drowned. He refuses to expend the effort to reach up and take hold of God’s outstretched hand.
But you, dear reader, are not a spiritual sluggard. Similar to the ant, you have self-discipline and you motivate yourself to seek the Lord. You make the time to read His Word, and you actively listen and heed the voice of the Lord. You are quick to be about the Father’s business, serving Him and serving others. With hope, love, and faith, you plan and prepare for your eternal future. You are a good steward of your Master’s talents.
To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:29-30 (NLT)
Three Key Concepts:
1. A lazy person will sleep his way into poverty and scarcity.
2. The wise will observe and learn from the disciplined ant.
3. Good stewards of the Master’s talents will be motivated to serve the Lord.
