HOW
PREPARED ARE YOU?
MEMORISE
Wisdom
is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get
understanding.
Proverbs 4:7
READ
Matthew 25:1-2
1 Then shall
the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and
went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of
them were wise, and five were foolish.
MESSAGE
Wisdom has been described as the right application
of knowledge. This is reflected in a person’s active and constant preparation
for success. A wise man prays when others play, fasts when others feast and
plans when others loaf around doing nothing. There is no gainsaying the fact
that spiritual and physical success depends on active and constant preparation.
One who fails to plan has already planned to fail. How prepared are you?
A study of the scriptures will reveal many
ingredients for active and constant preparation. These include determination,
endurance, seriousness and faithfulness. Determination is an indispensable
requirement for spiritual and physical success. This is resolution and firmness
of purpose. It takes determination to be successful in life, business, marriage
and ministry. How determined are you? Added to determination is endurance. To
endure means to suffer, to undergo pain, hardship, difficulties, problems and
all sorts of hard situations without giving up. There is always a price for
good success. Endurance requires discipline – self-discipline. To enjoy
spiritual and physical success, you have to discipline yourself. Discipline
your appetite for food. Discipline your desire for sleep and comfort.
Discipline yourself in prayer and fasting, and discipline your tongue. Another
ingredient for good success is seriousness. This is the active part of
determination. Seriousness means acting on success. It is possible for someone
to desire to be successful, endure pain, hardship and difficulties without
becoming really serious about success. To demonstrate seriousness about
success, you identify those things that will make you successful and act on
them. One who is serious about success does not play with opportunities. He or
she would rather make the best use of them. An important aspect of seriousness
is faithfulness. To achieve good and enduring success, you must be faithful.
Faithfulness denotes being completely loyal to a cause. You must be faithful to
God who is the author of good success. You must be faithful to yourself and the
assignment entrusted to your hands, and you must be faithful to others. It
takes strong will to be faithful, and the one who aspires to be faithful must
be diligent. Diligence means whole hearted searching. In your quest for good
success, seek the Lord with all your heart and serve Him in holiness and truth.
ACTION
POINT
Think about opportunities you have missed in the
recent past, what better level of preparation would have helped you to take
those opportunities. Start preparing for your next opportunity now.
BIBLE
IN ONE YEAR
Revelation 12-15;
Psalm 94
0 comments:
Post a Comment