When I was a teenager, I used to really irritate my dad when he would see that I was driving around with a nearly empty gas tank. He impressed upon me the importance of keeping my tank full. This was good advice because running out of gas or even just thinking you’re about to run out of gas is very stressful and unnecessary if you just plan ahead. I clearly have not fully embraced my father’s advice yet because I can recall more than one occasion when I actually asked my kids to pray that we would make it to a gas station as I sweated and squirmed in my seat, kicking myself for not filling up when I had the chance. What does any of this have to do with heaven? I’m glad you asked. Jesus also warned us about being similarly prepared in the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids found in Matthew Ch. 25.
In this story, there are 10 bridesmaids waiting for the return of the groom to take his bride. Five of the bridesmaids were prepared and had plenty of oil for their lamps and 5 were careless and didn’t plan ahead. The groom didn’t show up until very late in the evening and the girls had fallen asleep. At midnight they woke to shouts that the groom was approaching but the 5 foolish bridesmaids had no more oil in the their lamps to see and they ended up having to go to the store at the last minute to find some. While they were gone, they missed the departure of the wedding party. They tried to catch up, but when they got to where the marriage feast was already taking place, they were locked out and missed the entire wedding.
Missing a wedding on earth is one thing, but missing THE WEDDING in heaven would be beyond tragic especially considering we are all intended to be the bride. If you are anything like me, we all need to wake up and realize we have to put some thought into preparations for what is to come. We can’t just assume what we have done is enough; we have to take time to really take inventory of our hearts and minds and be sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that we are really ready.
The first step is to be sure that we truly have invited Jesus to be our groom- that we have told him that we actually want to spend eternity with him; this is a very intimate decision and must be sincere. Just going to church every Sunday does not equal a personal relationship with our Savior. None of us knows the exact hour that Jesus will return for us, but I believe if we are paying attention, we should all be seeing that the day is fast approaching. Without getting into all the details of last days bible prophecy, just know that time is running out and if we aren’t ready to go when he gets here, we will be left behind.
What then, should we be doing? Seeking the Lord daily. Praying, spending time to really discover his character by reading his word. Pay attention to what’s happening in the world beyond this virus and our own immediate problems. If we take a step back and look at the big picture through God’s lens, the direction we should head in our daily lives becomes much clearer. Life doesn’t need to be complicated right now. We just need to have faith that the Lord is guiding us through the fog, one step at a time. At times our path may seem difficult to see, but if we listen for his voice, he will call us home. So now is the time my friends. Make your preparations. Fill your tank. Go over your heart’s checklist to be sure it is is ready for the biggest journey of our lives. We all want to be dressed and ready to go when the time comes.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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