READ: Matthew 25
MEMORY VERSE
“The wise [virgins] . . . took oil in jars along with their lamps.” Matthew 25:4
BACKGROUND
My grandmother had a routine on Saturday nights. Before she went to bed, she laid out all her clothing, including the shoes she planned to wear to church the next morning.
She always attended the early service and wanted to be ready to get up and go the next morning without any delay. One Saturday night, she was suddenly hospitalized. Later, Jesus called her name, and she died.
When my grandfather returned home from the hospital, he found her clothes laid out. She’d been prepared to go to church as well as to meet her God.
My grandmother’s ritual reminds me of the wisdom of the bridesmaids in the parable in Matthew 25. In the story, Christ tells His disciples to be ready for His coming: “Keep watch,” He said. No one knows “the day or the hour” He’ll return (v. 13), so it’s wise for us to be prepared.
If we wait until the last minute to prepare, we could be like “the foolish ones” (v. 3). They ran out of oil because they hadn’t prepared well, and just after they left their posts to refill their lamps with oil, the bridegroom came.
We may not need to lay out our clothes like my grandmother, but her ritual demonstrated her desire to be ready for church as well as for her Savior. May we use her wisdom to be ready for the most important things in life, serving Jesus as He leads us and being ready for His return.
Katara Patton
INSIGHT
The scene in Matthew 25:1-13 is of a bridal wedding party. Traditionally, the bride with her bridesmaids would wait at her parents’ home for the groom, who’d typically arrive after dark to begin a celebratory procession to the wedding at his parents’ home.
Because the timing could vary significantly, the bridal party needed to be prepared for an indefinite amount of time. In Jesus’ parable, the groom arrives even later than usual, and some bridesmaids didn’t bring enough oil for their lamps.
The wise, prepared bridesmaids couldn’t share their oil reserves without risking also running out and ruining the wedding procession. This scene offered an ideal example of the need for believers in Christ to have a posture of constant faithfulness and readiness both to meet Jesus and to serve Him, even in unpredictable times.
Monica La Rose
APPLICATION
How can you prepare for Christ’s coming? What wise choices can you make in serving Him today?
PR’s (Pastor Richard) RE-EMPHASIS (From Today’s Post)
“May we…be ready for the most important things in life, serving Jesus as He leads us and being ready for His return.”
PR’s TAKE
The best way to be ready for His return is to stay ready.
“Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” ODB Matthew 25:13
PRAYER
“Dear Jesus, please show me how to be wise as I serve You and prepare for Your return.”
TODAY’S HYMN/WORSHIP/PRAISE/GOSPEL SONG
“I WILL TRUST IN THE LORD”
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord till I die.
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord till I die.
I’m gonna treat ev’rybody right,
I’m gonna treat ev’rybody right,
I’m gonna treat ev’rybody right till I die.
I’m gonna treat ev’rybody right,
I’m gonna treat ev’rybody right,
I’m gonna treat ev’rybody right till I die.
I’m gonna stay on the battlefield,
I’m gonna stay on the battlefield,
I’m gonna stay on the battlefield till I die.
I’m gonna stay on the battlefield,
I’m gonna stay on the battlefield,
I’m gonna stay on on the battlefield till I die.
I’m gonna stay on bended knee,
I’m gonna stay on bended knee,
I’m gonna stay on bended knee till I die.
I’m gonna stay on bended knee,
I’m gonna stay on bended knee,
I’m gonna stay on bended knee till I die.
