Sermon Series: “Don’t Waste Your Time: Procrastination Is The Enemy of Time!”

Date: March 9, 2025
Sermon Part 6: “The Gospel of the Ant Is A Word To All Who Would Be Wise!”

Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.” One of God’s small and powerful creatures has been given to us to make us wise in daily living.

Praise the Holy Name of Jesus Christ Saints!

Today’s Sermon is fairly brief, but dynamic and vital to achieving great business success and satisfaction in life. We are going to take some “Time” and talk about Ants. In Proverbs 6:6, King Solomon admonished that God’s people should go and study the Ant, and consider how the Ant goes about doing things. The Command to study the Ant, requires us to bow our knees, to move down toward the ground and learn from one of God’s small and unassuming creatures. Within the Ant, God has placed a Wisdom that we need to learn from and use to experience full-life satisfaction. This Message of the Ant gives a “black-eye to Procrastination and a knock-out blow to wasting “Time.”

When I started my employment in the Federal Government as an auditor, my late father gave me a small book. The exact title escapes me, but the title of it was something like, “Bible Verses for Busy Executives.” The book contained many inspirational Scriptures translated and illustrated in modern day language for daily reading and reflection. While handing me the book, my father said to me, “Mack (my nickname), once you find a mentor, and he or she has done a big favor for you, never stop searching for the next mentor to help you along the way.” “Mack, never stop collecting mentors,” my father said.

While my father was a Christian man, and encouraged my Christian faith, never before had he given me a religious book for reading. Growing up in our household, education was most important, and every year my dad required that we read various types of literature; including works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and on many days the “A” Section of the Washington Post.

Each morning before starting my work-day, in my small cubicle, I would read the book of Scriptures. One day while reading, I thought about my father, and it dawned on me why he had given me the book. I sat back in my chair and smiled widely. I believe my father knew that hard work, persistence, and perseverance would be needed in order for me to become successful in government. And, that the Holy Scriptures would provide the encouragement and nourishment needed to endure to the end of my career.

Also, I believe my father knew it would not only take hard work to climb the ladder of success, but that I would need the Wisdom of God to guide my life and business decisions. He was so right! I found a small Verse in the book that I took to heart, and it transformed my business life and my approach to life. The book my father sowed into my life has paid untold dividends that I’m still collecting on. Thanks Dad for listening to God and giving the Preacher Man Mack, the book.

The Scripture in the book I found is Proverbs 6:6; I call it the “Gospel of the Ant.” Indulge me for a moment as I read Proverbs 6:6 again for my encouragement and yours too: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.” To this day, whenever I read this Verse I compare myself to the Ant. I ask myself, “Do I work like the Ant? This same question I pose to you; do you work like the Ant?

Every person has observed an Ant before, either outdoors or even at times in their homes. Ants are always looking for sugar (sweet-stuff) and food to gather together in the summer and to harvest in the winter when food is more scarce and difficult to find.

Ants love and crave sugar because it is an essential source of energy for them. In fact, Ants will work harder to find sugar than other food. Ants are considered some of the strongest insects and can lift up to 50-times their body weight. When I think of the Ant, the insect’s determination harmonizes well with Philippians 4:13, where the Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.”

Ants work as a team and never are deterred from their mission. You can put your foot in front of an Ant to block its way, and the Ant will either climb over or go around your foot. You can turn them over on their backside, and they will work tirelessly to turn over and keep moving forward to their destination. You can kill members of an Ant colony, and still they will stay on Mission. The only thing that will deter an Ant from its Mission is death!

As I talk about the Ant, even now I smile widely, because the little creature just continues to motivate me to “push forward” for God in Christ Jesus no matter the obstacle. Like the Ant craves and hunts for sugar, I seek out the Word of God. For Jesus Christ said that, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word, that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) Job said that he esteemed the Word of God more than his necessary food. (Job 23:12) 

When I think about quitting assigned tasks, I think about the Ant and keep grinding forward. In Ministry, no matter how people have tried to hurt me, deceive me, abuse me, and not even my own blunders and sins, nor sickness or illness will stop me from seeking to be more like Jesus Christ; every day, until I die. (Php. 3:13-14 & Rom. 8:35-39)
When it comes to my career as an auditor, my work ethic was like that of the Ant. I sort of speak ate, drank, and slept our Agency’s Policies and Procedures Manuals. God taught me that the Workplace Manuals represent the heart-beat of an organization. The Manuals are not just for reference, but for gaining full knowledge and understanding of how the Agency approaches achieving its Mission and Goals. 

Wisdom is built upon a foundation of knowledge and understanding for use in different situations in life. You see, unless and until you have acquired knowledge and understanding, wisdom has no opportunity to work for you. This is why King Solomon wrote at Proverbs 24:3-4, saying,

“Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”

With diligence, I also pursued learning all aspects of my job and collateral responsibilities, as well as my superiors’ job duties, and the Office’s Operational Practices. I volunteered to participate in and/or to lead many conferences and workshops. I tried to make myself indispensable to my supervisors, and the Office in which I worked. My approach to my job was, if for some reason I ever got fired, the Office would be calling me back shortly to say please return, we need you to come back.

When I reached the level of senior-management, I reflected on my career and noticed something pretty remarkable. Each year, my Agency held annual appraisal and promotion cycles, in which there were people selected as “best qualified” for promotion, and then selections were made. However, never once in my career did I submit paperwork requesting a promotion. Every promotion I received was awarded “out-of-cycle” by mentors I had collected along the way. Glory be to God!

Also, during my federal service I received numerous awards, cash awards, commendations, special congressional details, as well as several job offers from other agencies that I audited. What I am most satisfied about in my career are not the many plaques and so forth received. But two other things. First, the positive impact I was able to make in shaping public policy in a wide-range of national and international issues related to defense, education and labor, and health. Second, that every person who worked under my leadership, I was successful in getting promoted to the next level. I’m so gratified that the mentee (me) became the mentor of others. Glory be to God for the things He has done.

My success in government service was not because I was brighter and a better auditor than my peers. But because I possessed the mind-set of the Ant, which made me “wise.”
Listen well Saints for here is the Wisdom of the Ant, which is God sent. Here is the “Gospel of the Ant” that we all need to be successful in our business affairs and lives.

The Ant simply knows and lives by the Motto, “If I don’t work, I will not eat.” Isn’t this what the Holy Bible says about every able-body person? Paul wrote at II Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you: that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” Oh Saints, just think what a wonderful world we would have, if every able-bodied person approached their work with the Gospel of the Ant: “If I don’t work I should not eat.”
The phrase “a man should not eat if he doesn’t work” essentially means that able-bodied individuals should not rely solely on others for sustenance, and should contribute to society by working to provide for themselves. It is a Call to avoid idleness, and a Command to take personal responsibility for one’s own needs. Food is essential for living and our well-being, therefore work should also be essential for our living and well-being. We should never feel content sitting down to meals to eat, knowing that we spent the day idle, in laziness, and slothfulness at work.

In Paul’s writing on the Christian duty to work he went on to say that Christians who are idle are to be admonished to work, and if they refuse, to not keep company with them. Laziness is not to be tolerated among God’s people. Check out Paul’s writing at II Thessalonians 3:11-15.

11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

From God’s Perspective, any person who is lazy and refuses to work, is disorderly, and should not expect to be provided for by others. Lazy people live behind fortified “Walls of Procrastination.” They tend to be busybodies as noted by Paul. Rather than working quietly with their hands to complete tasks, busy-bodies choose to waste “Time” by gossiping, telling lies, secrets, making jokes, murmuring, and complaining to anyone who will listen. Busybodies also have a tendency to arrive late to work, over extend breaks and lunchbreaks, leave work early and tasks uncompleted.

Last week, we established that the average person over a 30-year work career wastes about 1,650 days, or nearly 2,367,000 minutes of “Time” avoiding necessary work! The sugar of Procrastination is “laziness.” Like the Ant craves sugar, many people crave “laziness,” as it gives them more energy to sit around and accomplish little or nothing! There is a “Time” that we should rest and have leisure, and a “Time” that we must work.

During the business hours of the day, six days a week, we must work and not rest. When we sit down to our meals and thank God for our food, we should be satisfied that we were diligent in working like the Ant, and not lazy like the sloth during working hours.

Saints have you considered the “Purpose” of the writing of the Book of Proverbs? The main Purpose of the Book is to teach Wisdom, and provide practical guidance on how to live morally and ethically sound lives by applying God’s Wisdom to everyday situations. In other words, Proverbs instructs the people of God on how to live “well” (prosper and be in health) through a collection of short sayings. Thus, the Book of Proverbs is a must be read for all who desire to see many good days and live long on the earth.

The Life Application Bible provides a useful chart comparing what the Book of Proverbs has to say about the “diligent,” verses the “lazy.” (See Proverbs Chapter 27, Life Application Bible.)

Commentators of the Life Application Bible state that Proverbs makes it clear that “diligence; being willing to work hard and do one’s best at any job given to them, is a vital part of wise living.” They also noted that “we work hard not to become rich, famous, or admired (although those may be by-products), but to serve God with our very best during our lives.” In your study “Time” read and receive into ownership these Proverbs, which are able to prosper your souls.