Supervision

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 6

Gold Nugget

Verse 6-8: “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.”

Commentary

Today’s “gold nugget” consists of several verses that couldn’t easily be separated. This is one that can hit home in some areas that may have been untouched for some time.  Here the old cliché, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play”, is revealed as a spiritual issue. In today’s business world there is a term known as micro-managing. It’s were the management organization oversees everything their employees do with a microscope. As you can imagine, it’s very unpopular among employees. As a manager, I don’t like to micro-manage. I would rather people work off of deliverables and manage themselves. It actually requires more effort and cost on the manager to micro-manage, but still less than what they lose from those that are not productive employees. The end result is people in general will not be productive on their own. They have to be watched closely. When the boss is away, the workers will play. This is a proven trait in the American worker today, but the statistics should only reflect that of the world and not of the Christian. Again, unfortunately, this is not a real priority for many Christians as well. With all the effort it takes to go to church every Sunday and avoid cussing, who has the time or effort to worry about our work behavior? Is that really an issue that God is concerned with? I believe it is. We as Christians should be setting the bar for what is morally right. We need to abandon our slothful practices and do as today’s “gold nugget” says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.” The place we need to start changing this is in the workplace. If we wake up from our spiritual slumber, it will carry into the other aspects of our life. In this, we will set the bar for what is morally right and bring a good name to our God.

Prayer

Lord, this hits home in many areas for me. Help me to be mindful of all the areas that you have entrusted me as a steward and help me to be faithful. Amen

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