What Jesus Did : Matthew 25:1-13 - Always Be Ready
by Phil Ware
Always Be Ready - Matthew 25:1-13
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten girls that went to wait for the bridegroom. They brought their lamps with them. Five of the girls were foolish. And five of the girls were wise. The five foolish girls brought their lamps, but they did not bring more oil for the lamps to burn. The wise girls brought their lamps and more oil in jars. The bridegroom was very late. All the girls became tired and began sleeping. "At midnight someone announced, 'The bridegroom is coming! Come and meet him!' "Then all the girls woke up. The girls made their lamps ready. But the foolish girls said to the wise girls, 'Give us some of your oil. The oil in our lamps is all gone.' "The wise girls answered, 'No! The oil we have might not be enough for all of us. But go to the people that sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "So the five foolish girls went to buy oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom came. The girls that were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was closed and locked. "Later the other girls came. The girls said, 'Sir, sir, open the door to let us in.' "But the bridegroom answered, 'I tell you the truth. I don't know you.' "So always be ready. You don't know the day or the time {when the Son of Man will come}." (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
Vigilance is not something we talk about very much. But freedom does require constant vigilance, no matter how clichéd the phrase may become. Faithfulness to Jesus also demands constant vigilance. Impatience, lack of passion, loss of faith, diminished focus on righteousness all eat away at our viability and preparedness. We can grow cold and disinterested because we are caught up in the pursuits of this world. We can become calloused and indifferent because of trials and difficulties in this life. We can simply give up and quit because our burdens seem unbearable and our Helper so distant. But he is coming. The wedding invitations have already been sent and the wedding supper for the Lamb and his Bride, the Church, is set. We are simply waiting for the coming of the Bridegroom, Jesus, and the great celebration will begin. Let's be ready. Let's be vigilant. Let's have our lamps full and our oil ready so that if he comes now, we're ready. But if he tarries on, we will be ready, too! In the stories on either side of this passage, Jesus is reminding his disciples—and Matthew his readers—that we must always be ready for the Lord's return. While we don't know when it will be, we know it will be and it could be the next moment. We need to keep our house in order because at any moment, Jesus could accept our invitation to come, and we need to be ready to welcome him!
Today's Prayer
O God and Father, Almighty King beyond and above time, give me a heart of expectation as I wait for the glorious return of your Son and my Savior. Forgive me for my impatience, my lack of vigilance, and especially for my times of passionless discipleship. Give me a sense of adventure, of living on the edge of time waiting for my Savior to return and the character that he desires in me so that I am ready and joyous when he does return. In the name of Jesus, the conquering Rider on the White Horse, I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten girls that went to wait for the bridegroom. They brought their lamps with them. Five of the girls were foolish. And five of the girls were wise. The five foolish girls brought their lamps, but they did not bring more oil for the lamps to burn. The wise girls brought their lamps and more oil in jars. The bridegroom was very late. All the girls became tired and began sleeping. "At midnight someone announced, 'The bridegroom is coming! Come and meet him!' "Then all the girls woke up. The girls made their lamps ready. But the foolish girls said to the wise girls, 'Give us some of your oil. The oil in our lamps is all gone.' "The wise girls answered, 'No! The oil we have might not be enough for all of us. But go to the people that sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "So the five foolish girls went to buy oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom came. The girls that were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was closed and locked. "Later the other girls came. The girls said, 'Sir, sir, open the door to let us in.' "But the bridegroom answered, 'I tell you the truth. I don't know you.' "So always be ready. You don't know the day or the time {when the Son of Man will come}.-- Matthew 25:1-13 (ERV)
URL: http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/matthew/1116-wjd.html
(c)2001-2006, Phil Ware and Heartlight, Inc.
©1996-2002, Heartlight, Inc. - http://www.heartlight.org