“Hey Lauren, do you have your wallet?”

I ask this question to my dear bride probably 80% of the time when we go out to dinner. How do I always get to that point? It goes like this: I get ready, get dressed, grab my keys, grab my .5 Pilot G2 pen (if you know, you know), and say to myself, “Let’s roll.”

Left sitting on my dresser most of the time as the door closes behind us? My wallet. Way to go, Houston.

I was ready to go, but I had left one of the most important elements of a proper date night behind: a way to pay for the meal!

In today’s parable, Jesus is bringing us into a similar story to teach us about the importance of readiness for His coming. Ten bridesmaids are waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom. Five of them came prepared; they had the oil needed to make it through the night. The other five took no oil, so they had to go and get more when the arrival of the bridegroom was imminent. In the end, they were left locked out of the wedding feast.

What does Jesus want to teach us through this parable? The bottom line is this: Make sure you have your oil.

In the New Testament, oil is representative of the Holy Spirit. Having a lamp is great, but without oil, it is useless. It’s the same way in our lives as followers of Jesus. We can have everything put together on the outside: great looking family, success, wealth, even perfect Sunday worship attendance.

It’s a great looking lamp.

But it’s not the lamp that’s most important. It’s the oil on the inside that matters. The Holy Spirit in us is what lights us and activates us through the darkness of the night.

But what does this oil do? How can we be sure we have the oil of the Holy Spirit in the lamps of our lives?

Oil lights – where the Spirit of God is, there is light.

Oil warms – where the Spirit of God is, there is warmth and comfort, even in the darkest night.

Oil invigorates – the Spirit of God invigorates our hearts and activates us for Kingdom service.

Oil lubricates – where the Spirit of God is, friction and tension are released in relationships.

Oil heals – where the Spirit of God is, healing and restoration takes place.

Oil polishes – where the Spirit of God is, we experience a smoothing out of our rough edges.

We must have our oil present for the bridegroom’s arrival. The Holy Spirit in us, moving through us, as we await the return of the King.

The point of this parable is simple: Be ready. Have your oil.

The beautiful thing? God gives His Holy Spirit freely to all who ask. Luke 11:13 says, “…how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Do you need some oil? All you have to do is ask!

Reflection:

• What aspects of the Holy Spirit do you see most evident in your life? Which aspects do you see most lacking?
• What step can you take today to fill your lamp with oil?
• Prayer: Jesus, You are our bridegroom. We eagerly await Your return! You tell us that You will send Your Holy Spirit to whoever asks for Him, so here I am, asking. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. May He be the oil in my life that lights, heals, and restores every environment and situation You place me in. We are ready for You, Lord. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Family Content

Author: Anna Overstreet

• Today, we find ourselves reading another parable from Matthew 25:1-13. This parable is full of wisdom and life lessons that I hope you go back and study, but I want to focus on one sentence from these passages. This one sentence determines a person’s eternity. Read it first for yourself and see if you can guess which sentence it is. Did you guess Matthew 25:12? Let’s read it again, and truly imagine what it would feel like to hear this. “He replied, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!” As you have probably already figured out, this sentence was what Jesus told the people they would hear if they wasted their time on earth and did not have a relationship with Jesus. You can’t have a relationship with someone you don’t know. Matthew 25:12 reflects this idea to remind us how important it is to get to know Jesus.
• Take this time to examine your heart. Make sure you have told Jesus you need Him to rescue you.
• Have you accepted Christ and believed in Him?
• Talk with your family or someone you know who loves God if you aren’t sure.
• Then, live the rest of your life telling everyone about the Good News!
• Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes the Bible can be scary and hard to understand. Help us to always trust You when we find passages that are true but hard to understand. Help us to know without a doubt that we are saved and belong to You. Help anyone reading this who has not accepted salvation to do so today. Give us confidence to speak boldly to the unbelieving world, just as Jesus did all those years ago. Thank You for teaching us through Your Word. Amen.