Are You Prepared?

I didn’t grow up in church. The experiences of my childhood where the church was involved were either not positive or limited to a week of Vacation Bible school during the summer. I didn’t choose to receive the gift of salvation until I was 20 years old. From the moment I said “yes” to Jesus, my life has never been the same.

Over time, I learned that the choices I made would either bring me closer to God or take me further away from Him. Just as no one else could choose salvation for me, focusing on my relationship with the Lord is my choice alone. My pastor can preach amazing life-changing messages every Sunday, but if I don’t choose to spend time in the Word of God on my own, I am choosing not to grow in my relationship with the Lord. If the only time I worship the Lord or pray is during church, I am making that same choice. The amount of spiritual food I get from a once-a-week message and a few worship songs pales in comparison to the spiritual nourishment of spending time with the Lord daily on my own. 

In the parable of the ten bridesmaids, Matthew writes that five of the bridesmaids were wise and five were foolish. All ten bridesmaids were supposed to be preparing for the arrival of the bridegroom. The five wise bridesmaids had enough oil for the time they knew they would have to wait, but they were also prepared for any delay with extra oil. The five foolish bridesmaids didn’t even have enough oil for the time they knew they would have to wait for the bridegroom to arrive.

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.” (Matthew 25:1-4 NLT)

When the bridegroom arrived, only the five wise bridesmaids were ready for Him. The last-minute change in the arrival of the bridegroom caught the five foolish bridesmaids off-guard. They were not prepared when the bridegroom arrived and as a result, they were turned away. (See Matthew 25:7-12)

When Jesus returns to this earth, we must be ready. No one else can get ready for us. It is our responsibility. We can’t ride on the coattails of our pastor or another believer into eternity. We must prepare our hearts for Jesus’ return. We do this by choosing to grow in our relationship with the Lord through the Bible, prayer, and worship. Each time we choose these things, we are filling up our oil and preparing for the return of Jesus—when the bridegroom comes to retrieve His pure and spotless bride.  

I encourage you today to seek the Lord. Read His Word. Pray and Worship Him not only on Sundays, but every day. 

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.” (Matthew 25:13)

Will you pray with me?

Father God, I want to be prepared when the bridegroom returns for His bride. Help me to choose to seek after You daily and to grow in my relationship with You. Grant me a hunger for Your Word so that I may be ready for Christ’s return. Amen.

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.