The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
More than one proverb recommends the importance of proper planning and preparation. Most preachers know that this is an essential if their preaching is ever to be successful. This proverb puts things both in a positive and a negative manner. Positively, The plans of the diligent lead to profit; negatively, haste leads to poverty.
If we take them in reverse and apply them to preaching, we can summarise like this - hastiness when preparing to preach leads to a poor sermon and careful planning with a diligent use of means will lead to a profitable sermon.
The need for preparation applies both to preparing the sermon and preparing oneself. Tim Keller has written “The temptation will be to let the pulpit drive you to the Word, but instead you must let the Word drive you to the pulpit. Prepare the preacher more than you prepare the sermon.”
E M Bounds says
We have emphasised sermon-preparation until we have lost sight of the important thing to be prepared - the heart. A prepared heart is much better than a prepared sermon. A prepared heart will make a prepared sermon ... It would not do to say that preachers study too much. Some of them do not study at all; others do not study enough. Numbers do not study the right way to show themselves workmen approved of God. But our great lack is not in head culture, but in heart culture; not lack of knowledge but lack of holiness is our sad and telling defect - not that we know too much, but that we do not meditate on God and his word and watch and fast and pray enough. The heart is the great hindrance to our preaching ....
Both long term and short term preparation is needed. A man needs to prepare himself for a life of ministry and with each time of preaching that he has in mind.
E M Bounds says
We have emphasised sermon-preparation until we have lost sight of the important thing to be prepared - the heart. A prepared heart is much better than a prepared sermon. A prepared heart will make a prepared sermon ... It would not do to say that preachers study too much. Some of them do not study at all; others do not study enough. Numbers do not study the right way to show themselves workmen approved of God. But our great lack is not in head culture, but in heart culture; not lack of knowledge but lack of holiness is our sad and telling defect - not that we know too much, but that we do not meditate on God and his word and watch and fast and pray enough. The heart is the great hindrance to our preaching ....
Both long term and short term preparation is needed. A man needs to prepare himself for a life of ministry and with each time of preaching that he has in mind.
