“Five Were Foolish, and Five Were Wise”

Matthew 25:1-4 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps."

As we slowly move out of the winter season into spring it is time to update the contents of your car emergency kit. For winter we have specific accessories like snow shovels, blankets, warm clothes, candles, etc. that we rely on should be encounter a problem. Our needs in summer are quite different. Add more water, snacks that do not melt & things like that. And make sure you change the batteries in the flashlight. Dead batteries are just as good as having no oil for a lamp.

Have you ever seen a movie where one of the characters is given a chance to get their affairs in order before a big event happens? The big event may be as simple as changing jobs, or moving to a new location. Or it can be complicated like being shipped out/deployed to war, or even a few months before a terminal illness runs its’ course. Whatever the trigger, there is a flurry of activity. Final things to accomplish, last minute farewells are just some of the items on the list to be accomplished. As fully devoted followers of Christ we all know that the “End” can come at any time. We know, because scripture tells us repeatedly (See Matthew 24:36 for one example) that we will never know when it will occur. Not even the angels know. Only the Father knows the hour and the day. So how do we live our lives? That is a good question. Two schools of thought seem to fall out. “Live today for tomorrow you may die” is one approach. “Always be prepared” is the second approach. I would suggest that the second approach is the best approach. We should keep in mind that in Christ Jesus, we are saved. We have been set free in Jesus from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). So, we know that we are already prepared. We know that we have nothing to do to be saved. It is already accomplished. It happened on the cross. There is no oil to buy, no batteries to replace, or emergency kit materials to change out. You are already prepared. Keep the words of Jesus in your heart “Peace, be still.” Your affairs are already in order. That is how it is amongst the wise. We are always ready to go.

PRAYER: Almighty God You have given us Your Son. He has given us the most precious gift of all. He has brought about our reconciliation with You. We poor miserable sinners were incapable of this. But You, in Your never ending love, gave us this gift. For that we are literally eternally grateful. Thank You Father, for Your love. Amen