Ready in a Moment...
Matthew 25:1-13
“The Kingdom of Heaven at that time will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were sensible. 3 The foolish ones took lamps with them but no oil, 4 whereas the others took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 Now the bridegroom was late, so they all went to sleep. 6 It was the middle of the night when the cry rang out, ‘The bridegroom is here! Go out to meet him!’ 7 The girls all woke up and prepared their lamps for lighting. 8 The foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both you and us. Go to the oil dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 But as they were going off to buy, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. 11 Later, the other bridesmaids came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they cried, ‘Let us in!’ 12 But he answered, ‘Indeed! I tell you, I don’t know you!’ 13 So stay alert, because you know neither the day nor the hour.
This parable/teaching is one of my favorite. For me, it portrays what is happening as time continues to move forward.
We have choices. We can prepare ourselves and have oil ready at all times. Or, we can act like we want and think we are ready, but really we are not...
What does it mean to be prepared? What does it mean to have "oil in our lamps?"
My personal opinion is, make sure you are taking care of things for today. Make sure that you have things ready for the NOW.
We plan for the future (making sure we have enough oil for our lamps), but we are READY for today.
I sometimes think that we plan too far in the future... We can see how Covid19 affected plans. We made plans to travel. We planned for certain events to happen. Events in the world messed things up. Lockdowns happened. All the plans had to go away... Most people were "prepared for the future, but weren't ready for the NOW."
We can prepare, but we must be ready for the NOW. Our preparations must help us be ready for things to happen instantly and change in a moment. The bridesmaids who were ready and prepared were ready for the NOW. They thought ahead and had what they needed. They knew the bridegroom could come at a moments notice and had what they needed.
I remember my grandmother having a freezer full of food all the time. This came from a time that in the depression when there wasn't enough food. I agree that having food for the future is great. Buying a cow and having mince/ground beef ready for the next year is a good idea. But, if electricity goes out, or something happens to the freezer, than what? This is part of preparation that takes thought. It means being ready for the instant that something could happen.
In our time of preparation for the return of the Messiah, we need to keep our spirits well tuned. We need to read His Words. We need to listen to His Voice. We need to make sure that we are doing what He wants us to do.
He will come with no notice. We don't know the day or hour. Make sure your heart is ready. Make sure you have your oil prepared.
Love and blessings,
Rose
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