Matthew 25:1-4 -- On Preparation and Commitment

"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."
Matthew 25:1-4


This is the beginning of the parable of the ten virgins. Although the rest of it is also very interesting and instructive, I wanted to stop here because what struck me this time was just the preparation aspect... the very beginning. The wise prepared ahead of time and the foolish didn't.

Christ told several other parables that had to do with preparation as well. In Luke 14, for instance, we read about "counting the cost" to build a tower, or deciding whether you can win before you commit your forces to a war (Luke 14:28-32).

Other scripture stories teach us similar things, even if it isn't the main message. For instance, Noah, Moses, the Brother of Jared, and Nephi all had to do a lot of preparation work beforehand to accomplish what God asked of them, be it brass plates, ships, or promised lands. Those things weren't just delivered to them without patience, faith, and persistent effort.

All of these things are related to us... to what we are trying to accomplish with our lives and where we are headed. Are we thinking ahead? Are we committed to the gospel journey? If we treat God and his gospel casually, making them secondary (or lower) priorities in our lives, then we risk what the foolish virgins risked.

God is merciful, and loves us more than we can imagine. He is going to give us every chance possible to return to him. He wants that, and he is willing to help us along the way. And he offers truly miraculous help, not just a nudge here and there. :) We all have a very real opportunity to grow into our best selves with his help, and return to his presence and have that amazing eternal life that he promises us all... but despite all of his effort on our behalf, and all the chances that he gives us to change, there is still going to come a time when it will be too late to repent, to change, to go back for that oil.

Let's not get to that point before we prepare for it. We still have time right now, so let's sit down and plan for that tower, or figure out if we can win that war. Let's get the oil that we need so that we can wait as long as it takes. Let's commit now and go all in on the gospel. Let's put God at the very center of our lives rather than on the periphery. As we do, we will be ready for it when our Lord returns, and be on the correct side of that door when it is shut (Matthew 25:10).