Have you read the story of the Ten Bridesmaids? It's a great story, if you haven't read it, it's found in Matthew 25.
In this Parable Jesus is illustrating the importance of being ready for His return. He describes the Prepared Five and the benefit that comes from being ready and prepared verse the Foolish Five and the consequences of waiting until the last minute. Let's take a look and see where we fall.
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
"At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom!
Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their
lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give
us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us
and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for
yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the
bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding
banquet.
And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said,
‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know
you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day
or the hour." Matthew 25:1-13
The Foolish Five
1.They took no oil
2. They ran out of oil
The Result: They missed the Bridegroom
The Prepared Five
1. Took Oil
2. Brought extra oil just in case
The Result: Were able to enter the marriage feast with the Bridegroom.
So what can we learn from this parable? We need to be ready and prepared at all times and we need to understand that it is our own responsibility to be ready for Christ. We cannot depend on others relationship with Christ to be good enough for us.
You can't borrow or buy someone else's realtionship with Christ. You have to have your own. So really there is no need in sucking-up to your Pastor or trying to find favor with them, because in the end you will be unpreapred and found with the Foolish Five standing at the door knocking to get in, only to hear Christ say, "Sorry I don't know you."
I know that sounds so harsh, but the reality of it is, you need to be preparing your own heart for the return of Christ.
Jesus we really need You to reveal to us where we fall in this Parable. If we are trying to use Church and every now and then prayer to suffice remind us that it goes way beyond that. It's about our personal relationship with You. We want to be ready and prepared for when You return so we can enter the Kingdom of Heave with You. We love You and praise You for these amazing Parables that speak directly to us. Thank You for giving us the knowledge and wisdom to understand them. Amen
