CONCERT OF PRAYER Pray Week 898

“Work Ethic”

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. (Proverbs 6:6)

One of my favorite job interview questions was to ask prospective candidates to describe their work ethic. Sadly, many young prospective candidates did not understand the term ‘work ethic’ nor were they able to describe it.

It is interesting that God in His great wisdom, knew that we would not all be blessed with a good human work ethic example, so He built that standard into the ant.

In Proverbs 6 God exhorts the sluggard to study the ant’s work ethic. There is no one ant that oversees another. They act in a shared leadership fashion and work together as a team to accomplish a common objective. They all know what to do and do it diligently. They remain productive even when no one is watching. The ant has initiative.

Sluggards are those who are in desperate need of a work ethic attitude adjustment. No one wants a sluggard working for them or on their team. Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him. (Proverbs 10:26)

Sluggards have an entitlement mentality. They want more pay and benefits but do not want to work hard for it. The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing… (Proverbs 13:4)

A sluggard is one who is a procrastinator, always putting things off till later and ‘later’ never seems to come. Meanwhile in the workplace others have to pick up the slack and morale suffers. The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. (Proverbs 20:4)

Sluggards are full of excuses as to why “they can’t do” when in reality it is because they won’t do. The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” (Proverbs 26:13)

Sluggards are habitually late for work and have a high absentee rate. As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. (Proverbs 26:14)

The sluggard is a know-it-all. They do not have a teachable spirit. In school they have a negative attitude toward their teachers and school work. This same behavior problem translates into a poor work ethic in the job marketplace later in life. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. (Proverbs 26:16)

If you recognize sluggard tendencies in yourself, pray for God’s Holy Spirit to empower you to overcome your weakness and change. If you are in a leadership position as a parent, pastor, manager, or other position of authority, pray that you will set the solid biblical example of a good work ethic for others to emulate. Live and work by the standard of the Word of God. Be a mentor for our youth with respect to a biblical work ethic. Reward and recognize a good work ethic and hold them accountable when it falls short.