Winter is officially here, but Northeasters have been experiencing winter like weather for close to two months now. It all started in late October, when an unexpected nor’easter dumped several inches of wet heavy snow on the New England states, knocking out power everywhere; causing millions of dollars worth of damage. In Connecticut alone, it costs Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P), well over three hundred million dollars to restore power and do cleanup work.
Everything is back to normal now; just in time for Christmas, thank God, but we all dread what might happen in the coming months. Last winter was the worst in many years and there is no way to tell what this one might bring. Nevertheless, life goes on–one must prepare for the unexpected.
An unexpected snow storm that caught everyone off guard, reminds me of what the Bible says about Jesus’ return. “For you know quite well that the day of the Lord‘s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). And in Matthew 24:36, referring to His return, Jesus told His disciples: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” The scripture is clearly telling us to prepare and be at the ready at all times because Jesus could return at any moment. If we failed to do so, we are likened to the 5 foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps.
Believers, now is the time to trim our lamps and fill them up with oil. There won’t be time to do so when the bridegroom comes. He will only receive those who are ready to meet him. Luke 21:34, admonishes us to “take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” That’s exactly what happened to the 5 foolish virgins. They knew the bridegroom cometh but they failed to prepare.
We should make sure that we do not make the mistake the 5 foolish virgins made. They went out to get oil for their lamps when the bridegroom arrived but when they returned the door was closed. No doubt those virgins put their salvation on the back burner because they thought they had time. But they were wrong and so could you and I.
Related articles
- The Tragedy of the Unprepared Life (touchofjoyministry.com)
- The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (ministerioinfantilusa.com)
- The foolish will miss heaven’s wedding feast (worryisuseless.wordpress.com)
Let's Talk Gospel 
I like the oil referance at this time of year, and while everyone is focusing on presents and the “holidays” this is a great reminder not to forget ang neglect out lamps…Perfect Noel, thank you for the great post once again…God Bless-watw
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Thanks WATW. The 5 foolish virgins were too busy with the cares of life; they forgot to put oil in there lamps.
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Amen!!!
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Thanks for stopping by Minister Glenda. A trimmed lap without oil is useless.
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Lovely article. My best friend’s son lives in CT. He called her every day because of that storm. She even ordered pizza for him! 🙂 A terrific article, I enjoyed it very much!
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Thanks for stopping by Four Blue Hills, and thanks a million for your kind words. God bless.
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You are very welcome, glad I did stop by! 🙂 Merry Christmas!
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Excellent post! Thank you for the message. God bless!
Paulette
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Couple of thoughts on this parable:
“To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”
– Mother Teresa, missionary
From a recent homily by Archbishop Chaput – he explained that Christians often state that the prepared virgins were not charitable because they turned away the unprepared virgins.
He made the point that there are certain things that one cannot do for another and one of these is faith. To develop faith (be prepared with oil) requires patience, persistence, and study. So, no matter how much I want my children, family, friends or even strangers to have strong faith, they must do it – they must be responsible for developing their faith.
Enjoyed the post!
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You are exactly correct cinhosa. Packing your lamp without oil is like taking care of the physical body and starve the spiritual. Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate it.
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Hello Noel,
I enjoy my visits to your blog. Therefore, I have nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award! You can check it out by visiting my blog, and clicking on Liebster Award at the top of the page. God bless you abundantly!
pbus1.wordpress.com
Paulette
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http://pbus1.wordpress.com/liebster-award/
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Thanks. Happy New Year!
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Thanks a million Paulette. I am honored to know that you have blessed my blog with your presence, and I am doubly honored to be nominated for a Liebster by you. To God be the glory. I cannot tell you how much this mean to me. Thanks again.
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