"Ant-Like"

²⁴ There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:

²⁵ Ants—they aren’t strong,
but they store up food all summer.

Proverbs 30:24-25 (NLT)

If I asked you to paint a picture of how an ant spends its day, what would we see? Is it sleeping? Perhaps, taking it easy and relaxing on a blade of grass? Maybe the tiny little creature is even kicked back with an Ice Tea in one leg and the daily newspaper in the other.

Whoooaa! That's not the picture I see. Ants ALWAYS seem to be busy. They always seem to be working. And even though they are tiny, they accomplish much! Though a small, weak, feeble creature, ants will travel over rocks and stones, climb trees, enter into towers, barns, cellars, places high and low, in search of food; never slowing down. And if that isn't enough, the ant not only helps itself, but helps others. No one ant carries it burdens alone!

Did you know?

1. Some worker ants are given the job of taking the rubbish from the nest and putting it outside in a special rubbish dump?  They are a neat and tidy insect.

2. Ants can lift 20x their own body weight!

3. Ants are known to be the smartest species of insects with about 250,000 brain cells!

4. Ants are fast runners! If a human had the legs equal to those of an ant, we would be able to run as fast as a racehorse!

5. When a worker ant finds a source of food, it leaves a trail of scent to attract other ants in the colony to it.

WOW! No wonder the Bible instructs us to learn from these little guys! 

God's message in Proverbs 6:6 is directed at just the opposite type, SLUGGARDS! A sluggard is a lazy person, who wants to do anything BUT work! The sluggard is described in Proverbs 12:27:  'A lazy life is an empty life, but "early to rise" gets the job done!' What's the old saying? "Early to bed, early to rise, will make a man healthy, wealthy and wise." (Benjamin Franklin)

Yet, have you ever needed to get something done, but just didn't want to? Are you one of those people who thinks, "Aw, there's always tomorrow." PROCRASTINATION? Think, "Nike"... God doesn't want us to just talk about it, but DO IT!

Lazy people START things, but they don't follow through and FINISH what they start. How many projects and activities do you start and not finish? Often we get enough energy to start something but we do not FOLLOW THROUGH and FINISH. (I must admit, I'm bad about this.) Does God FOLLOW THROUGH and FINISH what He starts?

⁶ 'And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.' Philippians 1:6

Thank you Jesus!!! Thank you for not tossing me to the side, only to forget about me. Thank you for staying WITH me through ALL things and helping me carry my burdens! Thank you for NEVER giving up on me! Please help me to work hard and to accomplish much for your glory and for the good of others.

Take note: Desires are fine, but we need to put some muscle and sweat and toil and effort into living to make those desires come true! Diligence and hard work are virtues and pleasing to God. God wants us to be "ant-like" as He works in the heart of the believer .

¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.'

Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

What are some ways YOU can be more diligent?

More "ANT-LIKE?"

Check out pennyraine.com the hostess of today's WFW for more inspiring verses/pictures!