Are You Storing or Wasting

There is a familiar parable in Matthew 25 about ten virgins invited to a wedding.  Five were wise and five were foolish.  Apparently, the requirement for entry to this great celebration was to have oil in your lamps. 

While waiting for this celebration, they fell asleep.  Then they were awakened by a shout that the Bridegroom was coming.  Lighting their lamps, five of them had lamps that burned out rather quickly because they had no oil.  The other five had lamps that were still burning because they had oil.  The five who had no oil demanded that the five who did give them some, but they were denied because they realized it would not be enough for both of them. 

The ones without oil were called foolish and the ones who did have oil were called wise.  The foolish virgins were instructed to go back and purchase their oil, which they did, but when they returned, the doors were shut and the Bridegroom said He did not know them. 

The object of this lesson is to always be ready for the Lord's return.  We have been warned that no man knows the day nor the hour, but there will be signs that we can pay attention to that lets us know He is soon to return.

Many of us are involved in relationships that are not healthy.  We have to be careful who we associate with because, if we are not careful, we might be foolish enough to waste our oil when we have been instructed to store it for that special day.

Evaluate your relationships and see if the people you associate with are being wise or foolish.  Are they busy sleeping, when they should be purchasing or obtaining what is needed for that special day? 

Today's question for the Excellent Woman is this:  Are you going to give the oil that you worked so hard to obtain away, risking your own entry into the wedding? 

Do not be foolish! Be wise.  Prepare for the wedding and do not let other people's emotional ties entice you to waste your oil.
 
Pray this prayer with me:  Father God, help us to be wise and not foolish.  You have given us specific instructions on how to prepare for your return.  Help us, as we wait, to make sure that the wicks of our heart are trimmed and ready to be lit.  Father, help us not to cave into spiritual manipulations that will cause us to pour our oil into foolish vessels that are not preparing for your return.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.