“By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail” Benjamin Franklin
As a boy I was a cub, and loved it, then a scout and loved that too and our motto was about being ready for whatever survival challenge came our way.
Preparation for an event or even something we don’t see coming seems to be a good strategy and something I try and do.
I remember living in Brazil where I worked as a chaplain for a Christian run drug rehab centre. I soon realised that living and working in this in environment meant that I had to be prepared for anything that would suddenly happen, and stuff did all the time.
Perhaps the most valuable lesson that I learnt was in my personal preparation in stillness and focus on God. In meetings full of people, the leader would suddenly say: ‘Please, Nathan come and share what Jesus is showing you today’. And 80 men would pivot in their seats to welcome me to the front to share something of my DAILY reliance and relationship with Jesus.
This moment is probably the one most preachers would dread, I have even dreamt before of being asked to preach, getting up and realising that I had nothing to share, I would wake up sweating!
The point is this: we can easily live a Christian life that stores up favourite Bible verse and prayers, relishes past blessings and moments with God but we have nothing new. My challenge is not about legalism and ritual, it is about getting the manna of God’s provision every day and to be prepared!
