Hey! Get off the couch and get a job!

“Without having any chief, officer, or ruler,”
-Proverbs 6:7

Have you ever just sat and watched an ant? I suppose everyone has in childhood. They are fascinating. You’ll see one ant scouting about. Talk about self-motivation! He doesn’t seem to ever rest. He finds some source of food, and before long, he’s told several hundred of his friends. Now they are lined up, back and forth, carrying food back to the anthill then going to get more. They are so efficient and quick about their work.

I would be able to get so much done if I have such focus and drive. I would be writing scores of pages every day. I would get more done at work. I would spend more time with my wife, and she would be thrilled at the attention. I’d have the Bible memorized, in Greek and Hebrew, in a couple of years. I’d also invent a transporter like in Star Trek. That’s right. And a phaser too. I would be awesome.

But I don’t. Solomon is pointing to the ant here to inspire us to action, but isn’t expecting us to literally act like ants. But in pointing to these, one of the least of God’s creation, he is pointing out something in us. The ant runs and works and does not stop, even if there is no supervisor around to force him to work. We, on the other hand, are prone to laziness.

And that’s a terrible thing to say in the grand scheme of things. We’re the ones made in the image of God, after all. We’re the ones who have dominion over the whole earth. And a bunch of ants show us up. Terrible!

In examining these ants, our own slothfulness reveals itself, doesn’t it? I mean, I will compare myself with coworkers and think, “Well, I’m working pretty hard.” I compare myself with the ant, and I realize how easy I have it, and how much rest I really take.

It’s convicting, and it should be. God has given us the time we have on this earth, and we basically waste it. We were given this time to glorify Him, but instead we use it to entertain ourselves.

Is it really that serious? I think so. What if you went to work every day and, instead of doing work, watched television, played on Facebook, and basically wasted your time there? If you had even a halfway attentive boss, you would be called in for a talk pretty quick!

God is infinitely more worthy of your time than any boss, especially because He’s the one who gave it to you. He is the one who gives you every breath you breathe. He is so gracious with what He has given you, in fact, that He asks you to take a day off every week to rest!

How easy it is for all of us to slip into a self-centered attitude. We don’t even realize we’re doing it. We just go about our day without given a second thought to how much time we are spending on ourselves rather than God.

These ants show us just how lost we are. When we don’t have to worry about our next meal, our minds go directly to whatever will entertain us.

When Jesus came, He showed us how it was done. He spent His life in service, in teaching, and in worship. He set a standard that I could never hope to meet. Thankfully, He did not come to just show us how it is done, but to bring forgiveness because we cannot do it alone.

Though I cannot count the minutes, hours, days, months, and years that I have wasted in chasing my own desires, Jesus paid for that time upon the Cross. In His Blood He paid for the sins that I have committed. Justice has been served, and I will be welcomed into eternal life because of what He did.

The Spirit is constantly convicting me on this one. By Grace, I think I’m getting better about using the time God has given me. I am so thankful for another day to give it a whirl, but I am more thankful for the forgiveness offered to me when I fail yet again.