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I’m sharing a Proverb a Day, which will show you the way. Listen to this passage from Proverbs 6:
Go to the ant, you sluggard: consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provision in summer and gathers its food at harvest (Proverbs 6:6-8).
In the margin of my Bible by this verse I have written “self-motivated.” The ant is a self-motivated creature. Without anyone standing over all those ants and telling them what to do, they perform their jobs diligently and are prepared for what lies ahead.
Self-motivation is a key factor in our business world today. Very few people have it. Too many people are just trying to get by with as little as possible. They don’t look beyond their noses to see what else could be done, they take no initiative, are not willing to go any extra miles.
A Christian in the workplace should be like the ant: self-motivated, willing to dig in and get the work done without prompting, without constant supervision. Does your manager trust you? Can she or he be assured you will diligently do your job whether anyone’s watching or not? Certainly, a Christian should have that kind of reputation.
You know, your witness on your job will be effective if there is a difference in the way you work. If you have the “it’s not my job” attitude that is prevalent today, if you drag your feet and do only what you’re told to do, if you gripe and complain about doing anything above and beyond your job description, how will your coworkers and management know Christ makes a difference in your life? They won’t, and your verbal witness, if there is one, will fall on deaf ears.
If you are a Christ-follower, you have a power far beyond yourself to motivate you. You have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within you to give you the strength you need to be self-motivated. And when you are motivated to do what’s right, you will have an outstanding testimony because you do your work right whether anyone’s watching or not, you do it to the best of your ability, and you’re willing to go the extra mile.
Go to the ant and consider its ways. We can learn wisdom and self-motivation from those tiny ants.