THE VALUE OF TIME AND PREPARATION

Matthew 25: 1-13 A CEO of a famous Fortune 500 Company decided to have a team meeting at his home. The invitation was sent as a meeting invite, but the location was off-site (at his home). The executives he had charge over had no idea what to expect. While some thought it was team-building, others thought it was a barbecue. The time for the meeting was scheduled from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. on the day of the meeting, as employees arrived, they were surprised to see the CEO answering the door in his normal suit and tie. The CEO greeted each employee at the door and escorted them to his conference room. He started the meeting promptly at 9 a.m. The employees noticed that everyone wasn’t present, and they didn’t hear the doorbell ring after the meeting started. Unknown to them the CEO had hung a sign on the door entitled “The Value of Time”, the note proceeded to tell them that they would receive disciplinary action for missing a scheduled meeting and they were to report to the office. During the meeting, the CEO gave merit bonuses to the individuals that showed up on time, dressed appropriately, and were prepared for the meeting. Some employees that made it on time were still sent home because they were not dressed professionally or did not bring laptops to participate in the meeting. They received disciplinary action as well. In the parable of the bridegroom, we see five virgins who were unprepared for their appointment. The interesting thing about the parable is there were five virgins who were prepared, but they did not use them as an example. They went along with the crowd that missed their appointment and the bible refers to them as foolish. The five non-foolish virgins did not know the time of their opportunity, but they used the time to prepare for when that day would come. Obviously, time spent preparing is time well spent. Most times, if we were to look at our life from a bird’s eye view, we would realize we do not use time effectively or prepare properly. We have not valued our own time, so it is only natural to not value the time of others.

1. Can you remember a situation where your lack of preparation caused you to miss an opportunity? Can you remember a time when your tardiness caused you to miss opportunities or benefits?

2. The five virgins were most likely friends or associated with each other. Do you remember a time when you surrounded yourself with a crowd that did not motivate you to do better? How did that affect aspects of your success?

3. Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg were afforded the same amount of time as us depending on our age. What could you have done differently with your time to be as successful as they are?

4. Make a list of 3 things that affect your preparation or punctuality and what you can do to improve them

5. What will you do with the time you have now, so you are prepared when the opportunity shows up?