Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

“Hey Lauren, do you have your wallet?”

I ask this question to my dear bride probably 80% of the time when we go out to dinner. How do I always get to that point? It goes like this: I get ready, get dressed, grab my keys, grab my .5 Pilot G2 pen (if you know, you know), and say to myself, “Let’s roll.”

Left sitting on my dresser most of the time as the door closes behind us? My wallet. Way to go, Houston.

I was ready to go, but I had left one of the most important elements of a proper date night behind: a way to pay for the meal!

In today’s chapter reading, Jesus is bringing us into a similar story to teach us about the importance of readiness for His coming. Ten bridesmaids are waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom. Five of them came prepared; they have the oil needed to make it through the night. The other five took no oil, so they had to go and get more when the arrival of the bridegroom was imminent. In the end, they were left locked out of the wedding feast.

What does Jesus want to teach us through this parable? The bottom line is this: Make sure you have your oil.

In the New Testament, oil is representative of the Holy Spirit. Having a lamp is great, but without oil, it is useless. It’s the same way in our lives as followers of Jesus. We can have everything put together on the outside: great-looking family, success, wealth, and even perfect Sunday worship attendance.

It’s a great-looking lamp.

But it’s not the lamp that’s most important. It’s the oil on the inside that matters. The Holy Spirit in us is what lights us and activates us through the darkness of the night.

But what does this oil do? How can we be sure we have the oil of the Holy Spirit in the lamps of our lives?

Oil lights – where the Spirit of God is, there is light.

Oil warms – where the Spirit of God is, there is warmth and comfort, even in the darkest night.

Oil invigorates – the Spirit of God invigorates our hearts and activates us for Kingdom service.

Oil lubricates – where the Spirit of God is, friction and tension are released in relationships.

Oil heals – where the Spirit of God is, healing and restoration take place.

Oil polishes – where the Spirit of God is, we experience a smoothing out of our rough edges.

We must have our oil present for the bridegroom’s arrival. We must have the Holy Spirit in us, moving through us, as we await the return of the King.

The point of this parable is simple: Be ready. Have your oil.

The beautiful thing? God gives his Holy Spirit freely to all who ask. Luke 11:13 says, “…how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Do you need some oil? All you have to do is ask!

Reflections:

• What aspects of the Holy Spirit do you see most evident in your life? Which aspects do you see most lacking?
• What step can you take today to fill your lamp with oil?
• Prayer: Jesus, You are our bridegroom. We eagerly await Your return! You tell us that You will send Your Holy Spirit to whoever asks for Him, so here I am, asking. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. May He be the oil in my life that lights, heals, and restores every environment and situation You place me in. We are ready for You, Lord. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Matthew 25

Author: Cooper Herrington

Our God is good. He isn’t just good, He is great. He loves us and is generous. God wants us to be people who are generous too. Today our bible reading is talking about the same thing as yesterday - the time when Jesus will come back. Jesus will know who followed Him and who didn’t follow Him. One way that Jesus will know who followed Him and who didn’t is by their actions. One of these actions will be generosity. This isn’t about how much or what you gave, but it is about your heart.

Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus will know who followed Him by the way that we treat people, the way we give, and the way we serve. Jesus tells us that when we see someone who is hungry, thirsty, alone, cold, or sick and we meet the need they have, then we are serving God too. Whatever we do for the people who can give us nothing in return for our gifts, we do for God. He wants us to have hearts that love Him so much that it makes us love other people, too.

No one can do anything to earn something from God. Everything God gives us is a free gift from Him - not because we did anything to earn it or deserve it. When we love God, our hearts change over time and we begin to love, serve, and give as God has loved, served, and given to us.

• Who is someone you know who needs something? What can you do to help them?
• Prayer: God, thank You for being generous. I love You, God. Help me love You more. Help me follow You. God, show me someone who needs Your love. Show me someone who needs food, water, friends, clothes, or healing, and help me to love them and serve them. Amen.