A Model Ant...

Proverbs 6:6-11- "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."

I have always read these Proverbs about hard work and come away feeling guilty, asking myself if I am working hard ENOUGH!?! Is God pleased with the way I am working? The truth is, I don't know a lazy woman. In fact, I know alot of women who work too hard. Nate is always asking me to slow down!

Bless Dr. Kinlaw whose God-inspired words spoke to me today amidst a busy life and spoke to me about this passage...

"Following Jesus is not possible without hard work. It takes an intellectual shaping of our minds as well as a surrender of our will in order to be like Jesus. Christianity is not a matter of sitting around and waiting for inspiration; it is a matter of using what God has given us in order to know Him better. What does it take to really know Jesus? It takes hard work in every area of life, and strenuous labor is what we shy away from. There is no magic in knowing Christ, and there is no shortcut. Believers must roll up their spiritual sleeves and tackle the task He has assigned to them to do. We certainly have divine help, but God will never do for us what it is our responsibility to do....The things that are most redemptive in this life, we would never do without pressure."

How many of us have come away from our quiet time with the Lord, feeling a little depressed because it just didn't seem easy today? I know I have. I often feel like there is something wrong with me when I don't feel divinely inspired everyday, or feel a miraculous touch from the Lord. The truth- God gives me the miraculous touch daily, but wants me to sit and WAIT for Him, then go forward in OBEDIENCE. This is what can be hard. Yes, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to live in obedience, but He doesn't MAKE us do anything. We have to listen and act. And, He'll provide the grace to live for Him.

I know, I myself long for a constant "Mountain Top" experience....the emotional, in-love feeling we get when we truly hear from God & experience more of His character. But, God wants us to live like ants, working, living for Him daily.

This truth makes me understand a little more about the difficulty of weight loss. It isn't always easy...we have to live in obedience once we know what we're supposed to do.

We have the knowledge and the power, so let's live it today!

I am praying for you all...God is going to bless you today!