“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” ~Matthew 25:1-13
When I read this passage as a young girl there were three things that stood out to me that I should be prepared for. The first one was being ready for Christ’s return. Second was be ready for the mission field and the third was being ready for marriage.
Each one of us has the choice whether or not we will choose Jesus. Have you made that choice? As we see here in Matthew 25, when Jesus comes back or death calls… its too late to buy your oil, you can’t get saved then. Why wait till the last call to choose whether or not you will accept Jesus Christ as your Savior? Why not do it now? He’s waiting and you don’t want to be left behind like the foolish virgins.
Many say, “well the mission field is not for me, or I am not built to be a missionary.” I know that is wrong, each one of us is called, yes, in different ways, but we are all called to be witnesses of Christ. “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;” You don’t need to go off to Africa to be a missionary, you can be one right now in your home and community. If you go to school you can spread the light of Jesus, if you help a neighbor you can tell them about Jesus. You can place tracks in stores, on the street, in windows and talk to the cashier about your faith as you go through the line. All it takes is courage. Don’t wait till your older to share the Gospel, do it now. You may lose the chance to save someone if you think “I am too little.” There is also no guarantee that you will ever reach adulthood… and how silly would it sound to stand in front of Jesus and say “sorry I decided I should wait till I was 18 before sharing about You, but I guess I didn’t even last that long.” God talks a lot about children, how He loves them, how they have faith, and that He speaks through them (out of the mouth of babes).
You also can’t wait till the last minute to find proof for the Gospel. Know what God says in His word so that you have an answer for the Hope that is in you. If you wait to buy your oil when that opportunity comes, they might be already out the door before you can get to the check out stand. Be ready to be God’s missionary right now, and have answers from God’s word.
The last of the “Three Things” is being ready for marriage (you start now). Whether or not it is God’s will for us to be married or not, we should still prepare. This doesn’t mean we dream up what our wedding will be like or our new home. It is preparing our hearts for Prince Charming. Making sure our lives reflect Christ and that our character is pure. The one most important thing about preparing for marriage is being totally in love with… Jesus. I am not joking, it’s the most important thing. Marriage won’t fulfill you, only Jesus can. There is always troubles and trials in life and if you are only fulfilled in your husband, you’ll hit rock bottom. Jesus is the answer, only He can truly satisfy the longing of your heart. Once you learn to love Him, above all else, you can prepare in practical ways for marriage.
Knowing how to run a household and manage your own schedule are very practical ways of preparing for marriage. Could you take over your mother’s job? If you can’t then learn those things which you don’t know yet.
Don’t get me wrong… this is for ladies of all ages, you have to cultivate your heart now, be in love with Jesus now, so when in 5+ years for most of you, you will be ready when the right one comes along. And if you remain single… the things that you prepared for aren’t in vain, because Jesus will always need to be your first love before and after marriage. Working on your character will benefit all areas of your life. But if you wait to buy your oil, the right one might be on to the next girl because you weren’t ready. Now is the time to prepare, fall in love with Jesus and obey His call to holiness.
I hope that these three things were helpful in showing you what you can be doing right now. First make sure you have chosen Jesus, second reach out to the world around you with the Gospel, and thirdly fall in love with Jesus and make your character pure for marriage or singlehood.
