Ant
Children's sermon
Learning From the Lizard
Bible Animal Object Lessons
Object:
The Wise Worker
Go to the ant you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise. Without having any chief or officer it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest (Proverbs 6:6-8 NRSV).
The writer of Proverbs must have been a real student of ant behavior. Ants are wise! Ant colonies might be compared to cities. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of ants live in one nest. They have a designed division of labor, carefully organized. Some workers bring food to the colony; some feed and care for the young. Others keep the colony clean or store food away. Some guard against intruders.
Some species of ants have amazing food gathering and storage procedures. Some ants keep aphids or leaf hoppers for honeydew just as a farmer keeps cows. The "cows" are herded to the proper plants, then the ants "milk" the honeydew by stroking the insects with their antennae. The honeydew is a liquid secretion of the aphid. Leafcutter ants raise their own edible mushrooms that grow on leaves they carry into their nest. Harvester ants gather seeds inside their nests for a future food supply. Ants are strong enough to carry loads many times heavier than themselves.
Lessons From The Ant
Work hard! The work ethic is all right as long as we take time for home, family, and God. Work hard toward spiritual growth!
Respect others! In their division of labor some ants are assigned to lowly tasks. In God's sight all honest labor is important.
Care for the young! Throughout the world there are times when children are neglected. Their demands should not rule our lives, but taking priority time for them and leading exemplary lives for them are basic.
Prayer
Lord of life and nature, thank you for lessons from a lowly ant. Speak to us in terms of diligence and dedication. Thank you for the challenge of work and the opportunity most of us have to work. Where there are those who are jobless, we pray that the economy and educational opportunities will be such that work will be available. We pray in the name of The Master Workman of the Race, even our Lord Jesus. Amen.
Go to the ant you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise. Without having any chief or officer it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest (Proverbs 6:6-8 NRSV).
The writer of Proverbs must have been a real student of ant behavior. Ants are wise! Ant colonies might be compared to cities. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of ants live in one nest. They have a designed division of labor, carefully organized. Some workers bring food to the colony; some feed and care for the young. Others keep the colony clean or store food away. Some guard against intruders.
Some species of ants have amazing food gathering and storage procedures. Some ants keep aphids or leaf hoppers for honeydew just as a farmer keeps cows. The "cows" are herded to the proper plants, then the ants "milk" the honeydew by stroking the insects with their antennae. The honeydew is a liquid secretion of the aphid. Leafcutter ants raise their own edible mushrooms that grow on leaves they carry into their nest. Harvester ants gather seeds inside their nests for a future food supply. Ants are strong enough to carry loads many times heavier than themselves.
Lessons From The Ant
Work hard! The work ethic is all right as long as we take time for home, family, and God. Work hard toward spiritual growth!
Respect others! In their division of labor some ants are assigned to lowly tasks. In God's sight all honest labor is important.
Care for the young! Throughout the world there are times when children are neglected. Their demands should not rule our lives, but taking priority time for them and leading exemplary lives for them are basic.
Prayer
Lord of life and nature, thank you for lessons from a lowly ant. Speak to us in terms of diligence and dedication. Thank you for the challenge of work and the opportunity most of us have to work. Where there are those who are jobless, we pray that the economy and educational opportunities will be such that work will be available. We pray in the name of The Master Workman of the Race, even our Lord Jesus. Amen.
