Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. Without having any chief, officer or ruler, she prepares her food in summer, and gathers her sustenance in the harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

Proverbs 6:6-9, RSV

We all know of Jesus' warnings to not build bigger barns for the purpose of taking it easy for the rest of our lives, as do we know His teachings concerning the vice of worrying about our daily food and clothing. However, sometimes we go too far and get a type of welfare mentality that ends up with an expectation for God to do all of the work. In other words, we not only want to be the bird that God provides food for (a proper desire) but we also want Him to throw the worms into our nests so we don't have to arise early and get them ourselves (a most improper attitude, to say the least).

The fact is that God has always condemned sloth but has praised industry. He desires His servants to be workers. The part that He condemns is when they take that industriousness too far and think that they are somehow providing everything they need for themselves without a proper acknowledgement that all of our blessings - including the opportunity to work - comes directly from Him. The reason that this distinction is so important is that it allows us to become productive citizens, while at the same time fulfilling our requirement to trust God.

One of the things that I have enjoyed most about living in a small agricultural community is that people seem to understand this. They raise their children to do "chores" and they have a punishment and reward system that encourages compliance. In this way, they are accomplishing God's desire that we train up our children in the way they should go. After all, we want them to be self-sufficient so that they will not have to rely on the handouts of strangers. 

Now for the point abut prepping: There can be no question that people can go too far in storing up goods for the future. If they are not careful, they will begin to rely on themselves and their possessions instead of God for their daily bread. This is a foolish and dangerous attitude. On the other hand, God uses the example of the ant to help teach us what is acceptable and expected. The ant works hard while the work is there. They do so because God has given them sense enough to realize that summer food is not always available in the winter. So the ant stores up for the winter each and every summer. Failing in this, the colony will die.

But it is also instructive to understand what the ant does not do: It does not store up food for the following summer, nor does it store up food for many winters to come. It just does what is needed. God, in His wisdom has programmed the ant to do this and he has even used the ant as an example of prudence and foresight. The question is do we see this? Do we understand the difference between doing what needs to be done so that we can serve God to the best of our ability, and hoarding God's bounty so that we can sleep away the rest of our lives in luxury and ease?

The fact is that God does want us to contemplate the present times and the future in order that we might make proper plans. He wants us to be trusting and prudent at the same time. Our problem, then, is one of balance. We have to be on guard against the mentality that trusts in one's stores of goods instead of God. At the same time, we have to make sure that we are taking care of business to the point that we will have enough to continue to serve God and even help others during the bad times.

This balance can be tricky, but with God's help it can be achieved. Sometimes all we have to do is go to God's creation, observe them and learn. Some people don't seem to have the sense that God gave an ant. Our duty is to make sure that we are using the common sense and wisdom that He has given to man!