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The whole essence of what we would be doing today is to understand the place of preparation in maximizing opportunities. And we are going to be looking at two models in the Scriptures that would help us understand why preparation is important, why it is vital, why we cannot joke and toil with it. As believers, it is something that God has put in place that we must step into and for us to actualize and maximize these opportunities that God has set in time for our lives, we must understand the place of preparation.
And I want us to start by looking at Ecclesiastics 9:11 which readily talks about our topic of discussion. It says: “I returned and saw under the sun that (this is what I observed, this is the result of my observation, I conducted a research I did a study and this is my submission, that;) the race is not to the swift, (it is natural for us to think that the one that runs the fastest should win the race, but he said I have observed, I have conducted a research I have done a study. I remember some days ago my husband and I were watching a race, the Diamond league of athletes IAAF, for you to qualify you must be very good, so it is like very good people are contesting and we realized that when we talk about each athlete they talk about Olympic champions they talk about the fact that this one is a continental champion so they were champions in their rights. World record holders many of them.
But we realized that when they want to start the race, each and every one of them as a champion in their rights, many a times we get disappointed that many of them that were really hyped don’t win. The Olympic record holders are not the ones that eventually come first so Solomon was right, in the natural thinking if you just look at it the fastest should be the one that wins but it doesn’t happen like that.
It says further that “the race is not to the swift Nor the battle to the strong” (so it is not strength necessarily that wins the battle. If it was strength that wins the battle, David was not supposed to beat Goliath. So there is something more to winning the battle that Goes beyond strength. There is something more that wins the race, that goes beyond being fast. That talks about swiftness, it said Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; (these are things that should be commensurate to each other but it says this is not the case he said but why this my submission does not work is because time and chance happen to them all. The reason why the ‘swiftest’ does not win the race, the Reason why the strongest does not win the battle, the reason why men of understanding does not necessarily command riches, is because time and chance happen to them all.
And we want to look at what that time and chance means. What do we do in time? And what is chance? It is often said that 24 hours is usually the only thing that is common between a rich man and a poor man. 24 hours is common to the wise and to the fool. So 24 hours is like a denominator as it were. But what is it that makes that denominator work? Time! What do we do in time? That’s one of the questions we would be asking. And when we talk about chance, what does chance mean? What does time and chance mean?
It is like the denominator for the fraction that eventually becomes the result of our lives. Everything that you do becomes the numerator. Time and chance now divides it. So whether you would be left with zero or you would be left with something that would be insignificant or negative or you would be left with something that makes sense time and chance happens to them all.
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And I looked at what do we do in time? I realized that preparation is key to time. We have all been given time to prepare. How did I come about this submission? Jesus gave a parable about 3 servants, that their master was going on a journey and their master decided to do something before he embarked on that journey. He gave them talents, he said “see I am going on this journey and before I return, I am giving you this talents do whatever with it, when I come back, you would give an account to me what you have been able to do with it.”
And He gave one five, He gave one two, and He Gave another one. He gave them equal time, though different talent, now their outcome at the end of the day, was not subject to their talent because if you noticed what he said when he returned you will notice that the perception of the master was not tied to the talent but was more focused on what they did with the talent in time. His reward was not tied to whether the one that had five talent now had ten, or the one that had two now have four, no! His focus was what they did with the talent in time.
And when he returned what did he say? The one with five came and gave account, “I traded with the five you gave me and I had five more”, and he said “good and faithful servant.” Because this is where sometimes we get it mixed up. The same response He gave to the one that had five, was the same response He gave to the one that had two. Good and faithful servant. He didn’t turn to the two and said why did your two not become ten? He rewarded what they did with the talent in time not the number. And by the time he turned to the one that had one, He was not concerned about whether he was returning one back to him. It was about what he did in time. And he returned one back and said “I did nothing in time, because you my master you are a wicked master, you love to reap where you did not Sow.” So in time I did nothing. So I am returning your talent the way you gave it to me. And he said you are a wicked servant. Unprofitable because in time, you did nothing.
So we must understand that there is something God wants us to do in time, God has not given time to each and every one of us to play around with. He has given us time for preparation, he has given us time, for us to do something with it, to trade with. And what does that mean when we talk about preparation? it also talks about the fact that you are producing something, when you are preparing something you are producing something, you are constructing something, you are getting something ready, you are arranging something, you are developing something, that’s what preparation means. The process of producing, developing of assembling something.
So when you are preparing you are not wasting your time. When you are preparing you are not wasting your life. That third servant am sure he would be looking at the servants with the one and two talents see how you are wasting your time, just sit down the way am sitting down and enjoy your life, why are you stressing yourself are you the one that killed Jesus? While those ones where producing, while those ones were assembling while they were constructing something meaningful he sat down he did nothing. So when it was time for their reward, when the opportunity to get rewarded came, he got nothing. So when he said time and chance happens to them all there is something you must do in time and that is preparation.
And for us to understand preparation, there are three “S” of preparation. When you are preparing there are three “S” that are engaged in it. I want us to look at Jesus as our first model in Luke 2. Understand who we are talking about that He didn’t just jump from the sky and he started succeeding. There were certain things He did right. Luke 2:51-52, the Bible says:
“Then He went down with them (talking about Joseph and Mary) and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
But in 51, the Bible says He was subject to them so while He was preparing for His ministry, there was something He was doing in time. He was subjecting Himself to Joseph and Mary that had gone ahead on the earth. And it says as a result of this Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and favor with God and men. I want us to look at Luke 3:21-23 as well. The Bible says:
“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
He subjected to His earthly parents, He subjected Himself to John the Baptist to be baptized. And there was a proof for His submission. In Luke 4:1-2. The Bible “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” Now the life of Jesus showed the three “S” of preparation. Jesus did not just appear on the scene, and started His ministry, there were certain things He did that helps us to understand preparation.
The first one is that He was “Subject” to His parents. This talks about His submission. In time you must be submitted to a process. You can’t just emerge, you must submit yourself to a process that makes you. And it is the process of your production that’s why when God wanted to explain how He uses His vessel, He said “go to the potters house I want to show you the making of a vessel.”
And He took the prophet to the potters house and he saw how that the potter was busy carving or producing the vessel. He saw that it was a making process. The vessel did not just emerge. It was produced, so in preparation you must be submissive to a process. Jesus submitted Himself to the authority. The Bible says Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature and He received favor. So for you to maximize opportunities that God has put in time you the also submitted yourself to a process in time.
The second “S” is Sensitivity.
You must be sensitive to what you ought to do per time. Jesus was sensitive, you cannot be thoroughly prepared if you are not; number one submissive to the process of your making, number 2, sensitive to what you ought to do per time. And you cannot be sensitive, to what to do per time if you are not led by the Holy Spirit. You can’t just sit down and just wish something up, you must be sensitive, the Bible makes us to understand this sensitivity and we understand the children of Issachar, the children of Issachar they understand the times and the seasons. They are sensitive and the Bible says three hundred of them the whole of Israel was at their command, why, because of their sensitivity in time.
They had the opportunity to lead a whole nation because of their sensitivity in time. So we must be sensitive, you can’t maximize opportunity that come your way if you are not sensitive you can’t join a band wagon effect. You can’t be doing what other people are doing.
Our second model is Joshua. Other people in Israel saw Moses as the guy that performs miracles but Joshua was sensitive to submit to Moses, he was sensitive to follow through with Moses, no wonder when God needed a man when Moses was gone. There was no other person whose CV was correct like Joshua. Because Joshua was always there. That’s why God didn’t have to give him so many commands. He said just do what Moses has been commanding you. Because God knew he was always there, he was a sensitive guy. When others were at home and Moses collected the ten commandments, Joshua was at the foot of the mountain. When he needed 10 spies to go and check the land, Joshua was one of the representatives, he was always there.
And that takes us to the third point. Service. The heart of Servant Hood.
Service earned Joshua his place. And he could not have served well if he is not submissive. If he was not sensitive. So in our preparation in time, and that was the story of Esther. Esther was submissive she submitted to her uncle Mordecai she was sensitive to recognize the chief eunuch and she served. So these are the things we must understand about preparation. You must submit to a process, what process are you submitting to in time? The Bible says that would tell us the opportunity you would be able to maximize.
How sensitive are you to the things and people around you. That also tells us and shows us how you would be able to maximize the opportunities that God has put in place in time. How well do you serve? Do you have the heart of service? Do you have the heart of servant hood? That would guild us to where and how you would be able to maximize opportunities around you. So we must understand that while we are being prepared we are being produced, we are being constructed, we are being assembled, and when God is done assembling you. When God is done constructing you, you will be fit for the masters use.
Some people just believe God just uses anybody anyhow. You can come to God the way you are, but He can’t use you just like that. He must prepare you, that is why He had to take David even though he was anointed king, it took him a number of years before he could become the king of Israel. Because he needed to be prepared, he was raw. He needed to be constructed, he needed to serve, he needed to be submissive, he needed to be sensitive.
If you look at people who took opportunities in the Scripture, these three “S” of preparation was present in their lives. So many examples. And I just want us to meditate on all these irrespective of who takes the credit. Am I submitting myself to a process? What kind of process am I submitting myself to? How sensitive am I to the opportunities that God has placed around me? Am I serving the way God wants me to serve? Am I serving where God wants me to serve? Am I serving what God wants me to serve? Is there a purpose am to serve? Am I serving that purpose?
I just want us to bow down our heads and pray that the Lord should give us grace to release ourselves to the Holy Spirit for a proper making. Just pray to God Lord give me grace.
[Centre for New Dimension Leadership]
