Solomon is about to give his son—and all of us—a lesson in self-motivation, responsibility, and a diligent work ethic. His example is the ant. Yep, that tiny, pesky bug. He mentions that the ant has no ruler—in other words, no boss. In over 50 years of work, I have almost always had somebody to answer to. Occasionally, I’ve been my own boss. Thankfully, I’ve had a passion for what I do and therefore haven’t needed anyone to tell me to go do it. There have certainly been times I’ve been tempted to slack off, especially when I felt like nobody would notice. That didn’t last long, mainly because I realized a little slacking off just made a lot more work later to catch up. Solomon is addressing that person who is a perpetual slacker—or as he calls him, a sluggard. In my many years of life, I’ve occasionally been called some things I did not appreciate; however, this one would stir my pot quicker than just about anything else. In my first year in ministry, a board member of the organization I worked for—who was in insurance—met with us as a staff. His comment to everyone in the room was, “None of you could make a living if you had to do what I have to do.” That challenged me to make sure that no businessperson would ever look at what I did and think I didn’t work hard just because I was in ministry. All of us have a calling. If we’re called to it, it means God intends for us to do it—and He intends that we do it with excellence, enthusiasm, and diligence. Today, work hard for the Lord. #BeTheEdge
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” — Colossians 3:23 NIV
