Are You Truly Ready?

Matthew 25:6

“At midnight cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!”

Praise the lord, my friend.

The above words from Matthew 25 were spoken by Jesus while telling the parable of the ten virgins to His disciples.

If you don’t know about that parable or can’t recall the details, here’s a quick summary:

Jesus said the kingdom of heaven would be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were wise and carried extra oil. Five were foolish and hence brought none.

When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep while waiting.

But at midnight, the cry rang out, and they woke up to meet him. The wise ones trimmed their lamps and were ready.

The foolish ones, whose lamps were going out, asked the others for oil, but they couldn’t give it.

While they went to buy more, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. Then the door was shut.

Later, the other virgins came and said, “Lord, Lord, open the door for us!” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.”

You see, Jesus was not talking to crowds who were just there to see miracles when He shared this parable.

He was speaking privately to His disciples, who believed and followed Him.

That’s what makes this parable so sobering.

It was directed towards people like you and me who believe, follow, and are waiting for the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

But are we truly ready like those five wise virgins?

Many of us think that we are holding lamps by attending church, reading our Bible, and praying twice or thrice a day.

From the outside, it may seem like we are ready for the bridegroom’s return. But inside, we know whether we’re carrying the oil or not.

My friend, oil here represents more than just good deeds or religious habits.

It represents a surrendered and transformed heart that refuses to go back to its old ways.

And, just like the oil from the parable, we can’t borrow it from somebody else.

We have to cultivate it every single day by repentance, obedience, and prayer.

And, if we don’t, our bridegroom Jesus will arrive at an hour we do not expect, and we won’t be able to go with Him just like those five foolish virgins.

Matthew 24:44

“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”

See, Jesus said this because he wants us to be truly ready when He comes back out of the sudden.

So, let us sit alone for a few minutes to examine our hearts and ask ourselves:

If we’re trying to please God or people?

Praying and reading the Bible have become something we’re obligated to do, or do we really want to do it?

Have we started chasing self-righteousness in the pursuit of chasing Him?

If our answer to any of these is uncertain, then maybe it is time to truly turn back to Him, my friend.

Let’s bow our heads and truly repent, surrender, and get filled with oil that can only come from intimacy with our gracious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

So, we can be truly ready for His return and will be able to go with Him when the time comes.

Closing Prayer

Dear gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank You for grace and mercy. Let thy will be done, and let Your kingdom come on this earth the way it is in heaven.

Father God, thank You for Your Word that awakens us, warns us, and lovingly calls us back to You.

Today, we don’t want to just carry lamps, we want to be filled with oil.

We don’t want to just appear ready; we want to truly be ready for your arrival.

Forgive us for every time we’ve drawn near with our lips while our hearts were far.

Forgive us for treating intimacy with You as a task, instead of a treasure.

Lord, rekindle our love for You.

Help us to desire You above all else. Create in us clean hearts, and renew a steadfast spirit within us.

We surrender our routines, our distractions, and our self-righteousness.

Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and make us a people who are truly prepared for Your return.

When the midnight cry rings out, may we be found awake, lamps burning, and hearts full of your Holy Spirit.

In Jesus’ mighty name, we pray, Amen.

Praise God, my friend.

If you’ve any prayer requests, please feel free to let me know by replying to this email. God bless you.