Young men—go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise (Prov. 6:6-8). The ant is self-motivated. She’s tireless, foresighted, team-oriented, resilient, and disciplined. She needs no boss. The sluggard, by contrast, has grand designs, but never carries them through to completion. He wastes time and money. He’s marked by procrastination, frivolous excuses, and distractions such as sports and pornography. So, go to the ant—learn from her focus and work diligently. 

Young men, go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise. That's Solomon's exhortation toward men. The ant has no captain, no overseer, no ruler. The ant is self-motivated, needs no boss, no one looking over the ant's shoulder.

She provides her supplies in summer and gathers her food in harvest. She's proactive. Here's what Matthew Henry says, The sluggard loves his ease, lives in idleness, sticks to nothing, brings nothing to pass, especially in business and religion. Here's a question. Do you prioritize what you want to do over what needs to be done?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that we spend about three and a half hours a day working and over five hours a day on leisure and sports. Who knows how much time is spent mindlessly scrolling and being entertained by things that don't profit. Proverbs 24 says, I pass by the field of the sluggard, the vineyard of the man lacking sense. In other words, the problem with the sluggard is not his strength, it's his brain. He has the ability, but not the will to work.

And he has big ideas and grand designs, but he never carries them through to completion. Learn from the ant and set aside the work killers, like procrastination, like aimlessness, like games, like frivolous excuses, like pornography, like wasted money, wasted time, lack of discipline. The ant is a teacher. He's tireless, he's self-motivated, he's foresighted, He's team-oriented and disciplined and resilient and efficient and organized. Not a sluggard.

So go to the ant. You sluggard. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." Scripture applied as a production of Church and Family Life. Visit ChurchandFamilyLife.com for more resources.