Why should Christians emulate the diligence of ants even in a world like Babylon?

Brian Borgman emphasizes the importance of diligence as highlighted in the book of Proverbs. He draws a parallel between the industrious nature of ants and the diligence God calls us to exhibit in our lives. The value of hard work is not just an immediate reward but a long-term commitment that God blesses. Laziness, in contrast, is short-sighted and ultimately leads to unfavorable outcomes. Through our actions and teachings, particularly as parents, we should model this diligent work ethic to our children.

Borgman further illustrates his point with a personal anecdote involving his daughter, who was reluctant to start her school day. By reading Proverbs on the pitfalls of being a sluggard, he was able to convey the consequences of laziness in a relatable way. This teaching moment highlights the need to instill a strong work ethic in the next generation, combating the societal tendencies towards laziness perpetuated by modern conveniences and distractions. Such diligence is essential for our children to become influential in their own time.

Proverbs 6:6-8 (NKJV): "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."

I think that one of the things that we see in that section, which of course, Proverbs ends up being filled with more and more wisdom that's related back to that same thing of not being a sluggard, right, but being diligent. And so I think one of the important things is that, okay, so as we've talked about parenting, We're talking about not just instructing our kids, we're talking about modeling for our kids, right? So we're hard workers. I think that one of the things that we take away is that God commends and he blesses diligent hard work. That is, that also is in a sense, playing the long game, right?

Because it's not as if hard work just pays off immediately, but Laziness is just short-sighted. Laziness just is seizing the moment for its own convenience and laziness always ends up biting you in the end. And so we're teaching our kids, look, you know, okay, we're ants, okay, right? The parallel is obvious, right? So we're not mighty people, we're not nobility, we're not the rich and the famous.

We are just like the ordinary little ants in this world, and yet God's given us this awesome call of being diligent, hard workers. We instill that in our kids, and then we turn around and we tell them that being a sluggard never pays off. So if you have time for an anecdote, my daughter was five and my wife was homeschooling her and for about two or three mornings in a row she did not want to get out of bed. So my wife told me She doesn't want to get out of bed and start school. So we used to have a little book, still have it, a signpost from Proverbs.

It was done by Banner Truth. And so I went in, sat down next to her bed, and I started reading all of the Proverbs on being a sluggard. And then I got to the point where I said, look, here's what happens to the sluggard. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands, and your poverty will come on you like an armed bandit. And I said, do you remember when we were in Sacramento a few weeks ago and we saw that lady pushing a cart, all of her belongings were in that cart.

I said, that's where laziness is gonna lead you. Now, I don't know if that was altogether accurate, but it made the point. And She looks at me with tears in her eyes and she says, daddy, I don't want to be a bag lady. And so she ended up getting up for school. But we have to instill that in our kids because our kids will never be an influence in their generation if they're lazy.

And yet we have devices and we have a society that feeds laziness, you