The Sluggard

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"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest."

Proverbs 6:6-8


Getting out of bed on a cold, Wisconsin morning can be oh so hard! When we are young our parents may be our motivation for starting the day. Then we graduate to an alarm clock. As we get older our body clock does the trick. But in spite of the reason we leave our bed in the morning, without an internal drive which stems from wisdom, we can easily be caught in the ways of the sluggard.

The ant is not driven by someone telling it to get out of bed or to go do its work. It is internally motivated to be prepared. The Boy Scout motto is "Be prepared," but you need more than a motto to follow through. There needs to be a fire inside, an engine running that is continually fed by the fuel of wisdom.

According to Pastor John Piper, "Wisdom is knowing what is the greatest goal is in any situation, and what the best way is to achieve it." Wisdom is knowing when it is time to work to be prepared for what's ahead, and when it is time to take a break. Since God knows these things, it is wise to ask him and seek him. God gave the ant wisdom, and he can give it to you too. 

Lord Jesus, give us wisdom to know when to work and when to play. Amen.

Devoted to keeping Jesus Christ the main thing.

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