LESSON FROM THE ANTS, October 15th, 2023

Posted by on Oct 15, 2023 in Sunday School |

CENTRAL THOUGHT
God will always bless those who diligently do their part and rely on Him.

TEXT: PROVERBS 6:4-11

INTRODUCTION:
As big as the elephant is, it is not mentioned in the Bible. As small as the ant is, however, it is featured prominently in Scriptures. It was used as an instructional aid to drive home fundamental lessons on wisdom about orderly lifestyle and diligence. The ants are indeed small living creatures that could be observed to obtain knowledge. A close observation of the living pattern of the ants reveals an orderly community of creatures doing their things diligently without supervision. They are time-conscious beings that provide for the “rainy day”. In this study, we shall examine these creatures with a view to deriving pertinent lessons from their living pattern.

LESSON OBJECTIVES:
This lesson is intended to accomplish the following objectives:
1.) Describe some physical features of the ants.
2.) Draw salient lessons from the life pattern of the ants.
3.) Explain the principles of hard work and prayers in life endeavors.
4.) Discuss how a Christian can remain diligent among the slothful.

BIBLE TRUTH

QUESTION 1.) WHAT WOULD ONE OBSERVE WHILE WATCHING THE ANTS? PROVERBS 6:6-7
Ants are small insects that live in highly organized groups. They are social insects. There are many types of ants but they share some characteristics in common – among which are:

  1. They have six legs
  2. They are divided into three parts bodily.
  3. Some even have wings. There are various species of the ants.
    The first observation that one could make while watching a colony of ants is that they have no captain or commander or overseer. Each of them has a divinely coded instinct for survival. Secondly, ants are sensitive and punctual to every available opportunity that comes across their way. For instance, they quickly reach out to any crumb of food. Also, ants display a high sense of diligence in the pursuit of set goals such as that displayed in the pulling of food or building materials into their holes (anthills).

QUESTION 2.) WHAT LESSONS CAN WE DRAW FROM THE ANTS AND OTHER SMALL CREATURES LISTED IN PROVERBS 30:24-28?
Some basic lessons that can be derived from the behavior of the ants and other small creatures are

  1. Believers should sharpen their survival instincts by catching every opportunity that pass them by daily.
  2. The ant is a very punctual creature. Believers should take notice. Today many Christians go late to school, work, Church, etc.
  3. The ant is very diligent in all it does. This virtue should characterize the life of the believer. We should be known to be very dutiful in our offices, schools, private business, home and in church, Proverbs 12:24
  4. For the ants, there is no tree too tall, no ground too hard to build its home. Similarly, the believer should be determined to succeed no matter the prevailing economic and environmental conditions.
  5. The ants display a high sense of resilience. Even when their “house” is destroyed due to human activity they quickly regroup to reconstruct it. Believers should be determined never to give up no matter the obstacles. The righteous is not immune to setbacks. He may fall seven times but rises again seven times.
  6. These tiny ants pull their little strengths together to form a large pull of power. They are therefore able to accomplish great things such as creating highways through concrete walls or pulling food sever times bigger than them. These teach believers the power of unity.
  7. Finally, the believer must learn from the ants the act of saving compulsorily for the rainy day. Our earnings must be properly managed in order to have a reserve.

QUESTION 3A.) HOW DO THE PRINCIPLES OF “HARD WORK AND PRAYERS”. RELATE TO SUCCESS IN LIFE ENDEAVORS?
DEUTERONOMY 8:17-18; ROMANS 12:11
The believer must first understand that he is a child of God. Hence, he is entitled to his father’s abundance (to prosperity). In order to succeed on earth therefore, the believer must depend absolutely on God through prayers. He should seek divine guidance and wisdom on what to do, when to do it and even where to do it, Proverbs 3:5-6. Thereafter, he must work diligently to actualize his clearly defined goal in life. Isaac worked assiduously in a very austere environment and God prospered him. Thus, hard work and prayers are complementary to each other and must be addressed by the believer in order to attain success.

QUESTION 3B.) WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF LAZINESS?
PROVERBS 6:10-11; 2 THESSALONIANS 3:7-13
A lazy person is the sluggard severally mentioned in Scriptures. He is a lover of sleep, gets tired quickly of every activity. He lives in a world of fantasy. Among the many consequences of this disposition are:

  1. He will suffer poverty, Proverbs 6:11
  2. The lazy man is not able to fulfill his life dreams or aspirations.
  3. He suffers from having no plans, etc.
    All in all, a lazy man is useless to God, himself, and the society.

QUESTION 4.) HOW CAN A CHRISTIAN REMAIN DILIGENT AMONG THE SLOTHFUL? PROVERBS 14:1; ROMANS 12:11; PSALM 1:1-3; JOSHUA 1:8
From the Scriptures above, the Christian can remain diligent among the slothful by:

  1. Self-determination to succeed, Proverbs 14:1
  2. He must work very hard always and not give in to laziness, Romans 12:11
  3. Serving dutifully anywhere as unto God and not man, Ephesians 6:7
  4. Working with the consciousness of God’s sure reword, Ephesians 6:8
  5. He should not permit ungodly influence in his life but always allow the word of God to direct his actions, Psalm 1:1-3

QUESTION 5.) WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DISPLAYING THOSE QUALITIES YOU OBSERVE IN THE ANT AND OTHER SMALLER CREATURES?
Applying the qualities displayed by these little ants will create the Spirit of hard work in business and ministry in the believer’s life. This will ensure good success in life and consequently attaining self-fulfillment and self-actualization. Such a believer will be a useful instrument to God and society. He will be a role model for others to emulate. The world will also celebrate him while God will welcome him as a good and faithful servant.

DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
God made the ants small on purpose. It is not because God ran out of raw materials. It is to teach us fundamental lessons to make us, bigger creatures, wise. We should therefore learn to be dutiful in our various life endeavors. We should complement our self-effort with prayers. Life the little ants, believers should live planned and organized lives. God will always help those who diligently play their part and rely on Him.

MEMORY VERSE:
ROMANS 12:11
“Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

DAILY DEVOTIONAL:
MONDAY: PRACTICAL LIFE OF THE ANTS.
Proverbs 6:7-8
TUESDAY: LESSONS FROM THE ANTS.
Proverbs 30:24-28
WEDNESDAY: PRINCIPLES OF HARD WORK.
Romans 12:11; Deuteronomy 8:17-18
THURSDAY: BEING DILIGENT IN THE WORD.
Psalm 1:1-3; Joshua 1:8
FRIDAY: BLESSING OF HARD WORK.
Proverbs 14:23
SATURDAY: KEEPING TO ONE’S PLAN.
Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:3