Midweek 2021 Feb 10 - Foolish Bridesmaids Parable

This week, we explore the parable of the "Foolish Bridesmaids"
Read Matthew 25:1-13
We hear Jesus speak again of the Kingdom of Heaven and a spiritual truth for God's people. We see 10 virgins preparing to meet the Bridegroom (Jesus) and yet 5 are foolish/5 are wise. The wise prepare for the long haul and bring along extra oil for their oil lamps as they wait for the coming of the Bridegroom (Jesus). He is delayed and so they fall asleep but at last he is coming and they rise to greet him. It is then that the foolish realize that they don't have enough oil and plead with the wise to share. The foolish have to run off to find oil at the last moment and miss the coming of the Lord. When they arrive late to the marriage feast, they are told they are not welcome and that He does not know them. This seems harsh, but it speaks to the importance of always being ready to follow Jesus.
Faith Challenge:
Jesus could return at any moment and are we ready, is our faith shining bright to see Him clearly or have we allowed our faith (oil) to run dry? Have we been foolish or negligent in our faith preparations. It is too easy for us to walk away from church, the Bible, and God and to be distracted by things that are happening right here and now. We don't look ahead and put into practice those things that will keep us strong in our faith, truthfully, we neglect our relationship with Jesus. We turn our backs on Him and hope that the faith we started with is enough. Faith however needs to be nurtured and cared for, as does our relationships with fellow Christians and God. Talk about as a family the ways, you can each encourage each other, to be in God's Word and in His house, amongst His people. Keep each other accountable, so that your lamp of faith is burning bright when Jesus comes again, so that you can see Him clearly when He calls you home.