by Jim Hughes
Matt. 25:10 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.”
If you know the story, you know that there were 10 bridesmaids who were invited to the wedding feast. Half of them came prepared and had enough oil for their lamps and five didn’t. When the groom showed up those who did not have enough oil had to go and buy some while the others went to the wedding feast. When those who had to go buy oil arrived, it was too late. They were locked out of the feast and could not enter.
The Lord invites everyone to come to His wedding feast. His arrival is guaranteed and set in heaven. He commands us to be ready at all times, since we don’t know when the time of His arrival is. Some think they have it all figured out, but they don’t. We are told it’s not for us to know; we are just to be ready because it will happen when we least expect it.
Most people who profess to know the Lord do not appear to be ready at all. They go about their business with little concern that the Lord may come for them at any moment. Their faith plays a small role in their lives. They spend their time and energy on pursuing the things in this life. They do not consider church involvement that big of a deal. They generally are pretty soft on sin.
We may or may not be alive when the Lord returns. No one knows when their life on earth will come to an end. We assume that we will live a long time, but so many don’t. Death is no respecter of persons or age. Death is but one breath away for any of us. If death were to come knocking on your door today, can you honestly say that you are ready to meet up with God? Are you dreading having to stand before Him and give an account for your life?
Don’t be foolish and wait to get ready to meet the Lord. The door of opportunity may soon pass you by and then it will be too late. Today is the day of salvation; seize it while you can.
About the Author:
Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.
C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.
I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.