There's Hope For TodaySample

A lack of preparation diminishes returns. A preacher who does not prepare is like a baker who offers ingredients rather than hot bread. That bakery soon closes.

Peter admonishes us to “always be ready to give a defense” of the gospel. Here, we fall woefully short of effectiveness. Have you ever written out your testimony? Have you ever taken a few minutes to consider the most concise way you might share Christ with someone who opens a door of opportunity? We should be prepared! Our world is marked by a raging spiritual hunger. People are looking for answers. Only the gospel can truly satisfy the yearning soul. We have the message, and we are surrounded with need. Shouldn’t we then prepare ourselves for those opportunities? Shouldn’t we be prepared in prayer; prepared in response; prepared in the Word; prepared to lead?

On one side of a table I assemble all of the ingredients that go into a loaf of homemade bread. On the other side, a golden loaf, forty minutes out of the oven, awaits a bit of butter and strawberry preserves. Only a fool would prefer the ingredients to the prepared loaf.

Every valued achievement comes by preparation. Shouldn’t we prepare ourselves to be used of God?