Baptist City Blog

In the verse above, a man was making a marriage for his son. In order for this marriage to be a success, someone had to prepare. It says about this man’s preparation, “…I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.” This marriage was a success because of the preparation that was made.

It can never be stressed enough the importance of preparation. Preparation is the door of execution. If you don't prepare, you will never execute the plans needed to have success in whatever endeavor you are pursuing. Much talent has been wasted throughout the years because of one’s inability to plan. Let me give you several thoughts about planning that will help you in your everyday life.

First, if an endeavor is worth doing then it is worth planning for. I’ve never understood people who say they believe in something, but they poorly plan for that endeavor. I’m always amazed of the plans that go into a wedding, and they should plan for a wedding, yet endeavors that one is about to pursue that will affect their life for years to come are often poorly planned. If you are going to give the effort to do something, especially if it affects several years of your life or another’s, you need to give the proper time to prepare.

Second, preparation is organizing well ahead of time. You cannot give the proper attention to planning if you are doing it at the last minute. I have been around many people who seem to thrive on last minute preparations, but they wonder why people are stressed when working with them. Friend, you may be able to work at the last minute, but most people don't work that way. Moreover, your last minute preparation will eventually hurt you. If you know you are going to do something, then start organizing that endeavor well ahead of time.

Third, plan for the expected and the unexpected. If you plan ahead of time for what you know needs to get done, you will have time to take care of the unexpected when it happens. The man in this parable didn't expect people not to come to the first invitation, so he was able to improvise well because everything else was already planned. You limit your resources to take care of the unexpected when you don't plan ahead. The unexpected always happens. If you have properly prepared, you will be able to handle the unexpected properly.

Fourth, preparation is completing the endeavor before it is started. You will notice that the man in this parable had everything prepared from beginning to end. That is why he was able to say, “…all things are ready…” To prepare properly, you are going to have to execute the plans for your endeavor in your head so that you will know what all needs to be done. The greatest thing about preparing is that when the event occurs, you have already lived that event several times over. That is how you plan. You have to go through the event to see what needs to be done and to what extent everything needs to be done.

Your ability to prepare will dictate your potential. You will never go beyond your ability to prepare. If you want to excel in life, you had better learn how to organize and prepare. The most successful people in life are those who prepare.