Amos 4:12

“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”

      One Sunday I got up to preach feeling pretty good about the upcoming sermon. I had spent time reading over the scripture and planning out what I wanted to say. I also had chosen a very powerful section of scripture. I was dressed properly and knew all the scriptures I had planned on referencing. All in all, I felt ready to preach a sermon designed to edify the listeners. Unfortunately I was not completely prepared.

      The day before had caused me to lose a lot of body fluid through sweat. This is a common occurance for me, but this time I forgot to properly replenish myself with liquids. In fact before I went up to speak, I did not even get a sip from the water fountain which is a pre-sermon ritual. The entire time I was up there my mouth felt completely dry. It was hard to form words. I spent so much effort trying to get the words out that I lost effectiveness in other areas of my speaking. My thoughts were not as clear as I hoped they would be.

      It is amazing how one small detail can foil such hard work. It happens all the time to people. They enact a plan they have spent hundreds of man hours to complete. and then they forget vital paperwork that puts it all to waste. People need to make sure that the lives they live to God will not be that way. They need to be prepared for God’s coming judgment in every aspect of their life, not just most of them. Otherwise, they will find that all the hard work they used was wasted.

“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”