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1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13 NIV Bible)
A blessed Monday be yours, dear Friend! I pray this time with God's word will bless you and make you a blessing to others. May we offer up a prayer of celebration for reader Cicely Jackson's sharing of good news; her daughter Breanne had her baby yesterday (Friday) she had a C section all is good. She had a little boy named Preston Wade. 6lbs 10oz 20 inches long. May God bless baby, mom, and dad and all family members! Also, prayers for Mrs. Lucy Saenz, whose husband Hector died this week and on Saturday we had a celebration of his life. May God's comfort be with Lucy and their daughter, Elizabeth, and all family members.
What do you think about when the word marriage is mentioned? I know the responses are as vast as those of you reading this. To me, it brings back the wonderful memory of that day in February when my bride walked down the aisle as the most beautiful bride I had ever seen, and she walked down that aisle to marry me! We fell in love and decided that life would be better spent together in love. It was an event of love. If you've seen the memes of the groom who's not facing his bride and his best man turns him around and his reaction is priceless; he immediately weeps and shakes his head in disbelief. You could say that was almost me. I teared up seeing such a beautiful woman coming for me!
For some, the memories might not be so wonderful, and even for some, they may be painful. Some may even say, the love died, or we're no longer in love. However you feel, I pray that all is well with your soul and with your relationship with God.
We must remember that for Jesus, He was talking about His marriage. Wait. What? "Jesus wasn't married, was He?' No, Jesus was not married, no matter what some novels and other naysayers may say, but He will be married, to His bride, the Church. His wedding will be to us as His Church. Such is the love God has for us that Jesus, His Son, is looking forward to having us all with Him, forever, and this will take place in that wedding that is to come. In Jesus' time, the wedding feast was all about celebration and rejoicing. It might not always have been about love, because most marriages were arranged by the parents of the couple. The couple usually did not know each other and would not see each other until the betrothal, the ceremony where the bride and groom would stand before the rabbi and acknowledge that for one year, the bride could take the groom as her husband, and his name, but during this time it was only she, the bride, who could say that she changed her mind and not marry the groom. The only way he, the groom, could call it off, was if she was found guilty of a sexual sin. (Think Joseph and Mary and his having found out that she was with child and it was not his). The next part of the wedding would take place in a banquet hall, with the groom deciding when he would come and take his bride to this feast. In a cultural twist, it was not known when the hour would be that he would decide to come and take his bride as his wife to the place where the feasting would begin in a manner that could take days. The hour was usually at night, thus the bridesmaids having lanterns ready to make the march from the bride's home to the banquet hall. It was their job to meet the groom and light the way to the bride then to the hall.
Jesus is saying that the key for all this to happen is for us to be ready. This parable highlights the significance of spiritual preparedness. The lamps represent our faith and readiness for Christ's return. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit's presence and our personal relationship with God. It reminds us that we must be vigilant and prepared for the unexpected moments when our faith will be tested.
In our lives, we may encounter moments of spiritual dryness or times when we neglect to nurture our relationship with God. The wise virgins teach us to keep our lamps, our faith, burning brightly by staying connected to God through prayer, studying His Word, and embracing the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The message is clear: Stay prepared in your faith journey. Be filled with the oil of God's presence, so when the unexpected moments come, and the cry goes out, you will be ready to meet the Bridegroom, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us heed His warning to "keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." All we can be sure of is that it will be awesome experience, and it will not disappoint us; If. We. Are. Ready.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we come before you with a desire to remain vigilant in our faith. Help us to keep our lamps burning brightly with the oil of your presence and the guidance of your Spirit. May we always be prepared for the unexpected moments in our journey with you. Lord, grant us the wisdom to seek your presence daily and the readiness to meet our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, when He returns. In Christ Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Live a prepared life!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
