The Virtuous Life – Day 215 – Proverbs 6-6-11 – Take A Lesson From The Ants – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide
Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or 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? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. Proverbs 6:6-11 (NLT)
Take A Lesson
I will take a lesson whenever or wherever you suggest. If I can learn something from an ant, so be it. That is a very good attitude. You must remain teachable. Nothing is worse than someone being so filled with pride that they cannot hear from me. Those that “know it all” and are so full of themselves, that they are unteachable, are headed toward a whole lot of pain and suffering. You have learned from my word that the wages of sin is death. Being prideful is a sin that pays painful, deathly wages. But this is not true of you. You are not so filled with pride that you will not listen to me. Do I listen perfectly? Do I always hear what you want me to hear? Am I always in tune with you? Not hardly. But you are making a very focused effort to listen to me. Yes, I am. That is very good.
So, what can you learn from the ant? You want me to work hard in season and out of season. Hard work will pay dividends in the future. You want me to use all the gifts and talents and abilities and resources that you have given me to serve you. You want me to be diligent. You want me to bear fruit for your Kingdom and bring glory to your name. You want me to store up treasure in heaven with you. None of this comes easy. None of this is accomplished without hard work. What you are saying is true. I will ask you to give your very best effort and work hard serving me. You will have my best effort and my hard work. That is very good.
I know something else to be true. What’s that? Focusing my heart and mind and life on you so I can hear from you is also hard work. If I really want to hear from you, I will set aside a daily time and place to meet with you. I will not be distracted; I will not be deterred. The discipline to keep on drawing near to you is not easy. But that is what I will do. I will work hard to receive your instruction. I will work hard to follow your guidance. I will work hard to live in an intimate relationship with you. That will be very good. Yes, if the ant can work hard, so can I. Yes, you can. Yes, you will.
Lord, I know you have given me work to do. Why else would you give me gifts, talents, and resources? They are certainly not given for my sole benefit. Help me to work hard in serving you. Help me to bear fruit for your Kingdom and bring glory to your name. Amen
Key Question… Why can you be sure that the Lord has given you work to do for Him?
Living It Out… Give your very best effort and work hard to serve the Lord.
Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord has given you work to do for Him.
Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are giving your best effort and working hard serving the Lord.
Prayer To Bless Others… May you give your very best effort in doing the work you have been given.
For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here:
Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.
Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.
By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved Copying not permitted http://www.GrowingAsDisciples.com
