Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of Scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
One year I was working in Duluth and on my way back home I stopped by a gas station to fill up the gas tank on my vehicle. Next to the station, somebody was selling refurbished battery cars for children, so I picked one up for Andrew, and loaded it into the back of my van. Over the next year, Andrew drove that truck all over our property, and usually would follow my wife and I as we walked around the lake. Normally the battery would last 3/4 of the way and then I would have to push his truck the rest of the way back home. As soon as we got back to the house, we would immediately plug his truck back into the charger.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Andrew needed a fully charged battery whenever he decided to use his truck, so he had gotten into the routine of keeping it constantly plugged in when it wasn’t in use. This way, whenever we decided to go somewhere, his little truck was prepared, powered up and ready to go.
Matthew 25 ¹ Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ² And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: ⁴ But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶ And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. ⁷ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
⁹ But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
¹² But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. ¹³ Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
How many times have you reached for a flashlight in the closet but someone forgot to recharge the batteries? The time when you needed it the most it wasn’t ready, and you were left fumbling around in the dark. In order for us to see where we are going, our hearts must be filled up regularly with the light of God’s Word. It is the fuel that we need in order to keep our lamps burning brightly.
Luke 12 ³⁵ Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; ³⁶ And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. ³⁷ Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. ³⁸ And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
The five foolish virgins never even bothered to prepare themselves, even when they had time to do so. It’s like somebody planning to go on a fishing trip with their friends, but on the day of their departure, they realize that they don’t have enough gas in their vehicle to get them to the airport on time. They miss their flight and are left behind.
The Christian life is about preparing ourselves now for what is coming in the future. This is exactly what Noah did.
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7
Imagine that somebody is going to pick you up after work and take you to the theater. Most people would take a shower and put on some clean clothes so they were prepared to leave right when their friend showed up. A Christian must prepare by taking a spiritual shower, and cleansing themselves completely of sin. Heaven is a sinless place, and we need to prepare for it right now by ridding ourselves of everything that is displeasing to God.
Remember that the foolish virgins couldn’t see where they were going because they had no fuel in their lamps. Rather than filling themselves up with the light of God’s Word and repenting, they procrastinated right up to the time that it was too late to do anything at all. Repentance cannot be left for another day. We need to seize the moment right now because now is the day of salvation.
“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” 2 Corinthians 6:2
Think about a restaurant chef whose main job is to prepare the dinner meal for the customers. If he decides to sit around all day and watch TV or read magazines, he’s not going to get very much food prep done. Then when the hungry crowd finally shows up for dinner, they will see that there is nothing to eat, and instead of waiting around, they will go somewhere else. Being ready and prepared is a good thing. Think about all the preparations that a pilot does before they ever take off from the runway. They have all kinds of checklists that they need to do to make sure that they have a safe flight. If they don’t prepare beforehand, all kinds of dangerous things can happen while up in the air.
A Christian prepares themselves by shunning sin and walking in the will of God. We must eventually get to the point in our lives when there is no longer a need for repentance because you are walking in the truth. This is why it’s so important that our vessels are filled up with God’s Word, because it guides us through the darkness of this sinful world.
“….Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105
Just like Andrew’s electric truck, we have to make sure that our hearts are plugged in daily to the teachings of God’s Word. We must be filled with Spiritual knowledge and understand the will of God, so that when the time comes, we are prepared, powered up, and…..
….Ready to Go.
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious goups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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