One day a number of years ago, Dennis asked the Lord why he wasn’t experiencing certain results in his life that he knew were available to him from the Word of God. A clear answer came up in his spirit: “Like so many other people, the reason you do not experience the results you are promised is because you are lazy!”
That was not easy for Dennis to hear, yet the message was clear and direct. There were certain aspects of basic Christian living that he had temporarily laid aside. It was nothing that most people would call major. When there is something, however, which is robbing us of the success which God paid a dear price to give us, God sees it as major.
Proverbs 6:6-8 provides some important insight into successful Christian living: “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” (NKJV).
There is a tremendous lesson available to the Christian who will observe the ant’s qualities and allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate them in his spirit.
It is with relentless zeal that the ant goes about its daily business. It is continually active, never grows weary, and ever focused on the progress of its work.
The ant is self-motivated. It requires no overseer. It is a planner which provides for itself by storing up a supply in the time of harvest. The ant knows how to work together with its co-workers in harmony and singleness of purpose. It also carries much more than its own bodily weight. In fact, the ant carries as much as 50 times more than its own physical weight.
These are qualities that the Holy Spirit will cultivate in us if we begin to draw closer to Him. The Lord will become the motivating force within us, moving us in the direction of the assignment He has planned for us.
The Lord will unfold His plan to us, and by following that plan step by step we will begin to see things from God’s vantage point, instead of seeing them from our own human point of view. Notice what Jesus says about seeing from our point of view: “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s” (NLT).
We will not always need outside advice in order to make decisions. We will begin to develop confidence in the Holy Spirit residing within our hearts and the direction He provides.
Even if we seem to lack some of the positive attributes of the ant, we can’t let that discourage us. First, we must become aware of the attitude God has toward us—He sees the potential of these characteristics increasing in us. Now we must develop that same attitude toward ourselves.
Many times it seems easier to “coast” along than to become diligent about these areas of our lives. But in the long run, life is what we make it to be through our decisive action. We usually accomplish just about what we set out to. Let’s become more diligent to add the qualities of the ant to our daily lives.
