“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Matthew 25:1-12
Bring the Light
Do you think the five wise virgins were the first girl scouts? They seem to embody the motto “Be Prepared!” They brought everything they would need with them when they came to wait on the promised bridegroom, while the foolish didn’t think it through ahead of time and did not bring all they needed.
“Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.”
Something Interesting
However, there is something I want you to notice about this passage. While they were waiting for the promise, ALL of these young women got drowsy and fell asleep.
“As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.”
The wise AND the foolish got tired. They got exhausted. The circumstances were the same for the foolish and the wise. During this Christmas season, we may all get worn out and run down. If we have prepared ahead of time, we can still spring to action when God moves in our lives. We are ready. If we don’t get ready in advance, we can miss out on what God wants to do in our lives.
Spring into Action
I also find it interesting that when the cry goes out that the bridegroom is arriving, ALL the virgins get up and trim their lamps. As they slept, the wicks would have burned down.
“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.”
Don’t wait to get ready
They are all preparing in that moment to go meet with Him, but only the wise came with all their supplies ready.
“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’”
Because they were not ready, the foolish women missed out on the fulfillment of the promise. They had waited and worked, but had not fully prepared.
“And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Bring the Light
This parable is a cautionary tale about salvation – not waiting too long to take advantage of God’s gift of forgiveness through His Son. However, God’s Word is living and active and He can use this story to help us prepare for the stresses of December too!
Prepare, watch, and wait. This advent season, I want to challenge us to lift our heads and look around. Let’s watch for what God is doing and wait for His leading!
As we are watching and waiting, we need to bring the light with us. Preparing to take the light of Jesus everywhere we go during December will require us staying in God’s Word everyday. Daily filling our spiritual tanks with the light of Jesus helps us share the Light of the World with those around us.
Action Step:
Prepare to do an advent study during the month of December. If you want to join in with mine, we will start on December 3rd! It is called “Gnome for the Holy Days” and has adorable little gnomes to sprinkle throughout your Bible art journaling. I know we are all busy, so these will be shorter devotionals and simpler artwork so you do not get bogged down during December! I think planning how we will set our hope on Jesus and focus on Him can make a huge difference in how we handle the stresses of the season.
Get everything ready. Now is the time to print stuff out or set calendar reminders or get some simple art supplies and your journaling Bible all in one spot to make it easy to stay in the Word.
Share any other ideas you have to get ready to handle the stress of December in the comments on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube!
I’d also love to hear on Facebook or Instagram what you chose to be grateful for! Join in the conversation on the Devotion in Action page.
Prayer:
Dear God, help us to have Your wisdom as we prepare for this season leading up to Christmas. Give us divine ideas and strengthen us to carry them out. Prepare our hearts each day! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Don’t miss out on all the freebies!
For access to the free printables to use in Bible art journaling, click here: https://www.devotioninaction.com/resourcelibrary/
If you don’t have access yet to the Resource Library, find out how to get free access HERE!