TIME TO RECHARGE
9 o’clock the other night I’m watching
TV, and the lights go out. No electricity in the whole neighborhood. Thoughts
fly through my mind in rapid succession like bullets from an automatic rifle: “I’ve
got a generator. I need to take it outside. I have to get my flashlight. It’s
dark. I won’t be able to see out there. Sh..t, I should have recharged the
batteries the last time. Do I have any other flashlights? In my car.
Phew!”
I’m just about to get up out of my
chair, and all the lights and sounds come charging back to life.
A couple of days later, I thought
about not having the batteries ready for my flashlight when we had the power
outage. It reminded me of the Bible story about the ten virgins with the oil
lamps. They took their lamps to meet the bridegroom and go to the wedding. But
only five took extra oil for their lamps so they’d be prepared. The bridegroom
was late, so the five without extra oil were running out of light. They thought
they could borrow some from the others, but that wasn’t going to happen.
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be
likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the
bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and
five were foolish. They that were foolish took their
lamps and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels
with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and
slept.
“And at midnight there was a cry made,
Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then, all those
virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise,
‘Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.’ 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.’”
“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. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord,
Lord, open to us.’ But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I
know you not.’ Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 25:1-13).
We learn from this passage that each
of us is responsible for getting our own oil. No one else is responsible to
read the Bible for us, and no one else can do our believing for us. The women
who were prepared went on to the party and the others missed out. This parable
is about being ready when Jesus comes back. Nobody knows when that will be, but
there will be a day when Jesus returns and everything changes.
“The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up”
(2 Pet. 3:10). “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God” (1 Thess. 4: 16).
Jesus said that when judgment day
comes, every man will have to account for every idle word he speaks (Matt.
12:36), and fire will try every work. Our works are to be built on the
foundation of Jesus Christ. “If any man’s work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he
shall suffer loss” (1 Cor. 3:13-15). “Seeing then that all these things shall
be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be?” (2 Pet. 3:11).
People want to feel that their lives
are meaningful and that they are contributing good things into this world. Once
Jesus comes back, we don’t get the chance to do it over again. We only have one
life to live here on earth right now, no reincarnation. We need to make every
day count.
We don’t want to miss a chance to say
something kind, do something significant for someone else, give a smile, help
someone, minister healing, cast out a devil spirit, etc. “We are all the
children of light” (1 Thess. 5:5), and we can “walk
as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). “Neither do men light a candle, and put it
under a bushel” (Matt. 5:15). Let your particular light shine.
The end of our world is imminent, and
according to the Bible, it could be any day. And for those of us who have
experienced near-death events, we also know that our time on earth could end unexpectedly.
So, let’s make a difference here while we can. If we think more often about
Jesus’ return, we will live our lives more like the women who carried extra
oil, rather than the ones whose light ran out.
As it says in Romans
13:12: “The night
is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”
If we live like today could be our
last, it just could be our best.
After the lights came back on the
other night, I recharged the batteries for my flashlight. Today, I’m recharging
my heart for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Love, Carolyn
More TRUTHS from God’s Word
And HOW TO APPLY these
truths in everyday living—
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