From Cutting Out the Chaos
by Pastor Nave on June 25, 2017
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. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 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 (Matthew 25:1–10, KJV).
Preparation is important to demonstrate in our day-to-day lives. When we don’t prepare, it not only causes a problem for us, but for those around us as well. We know that if we prepare, peace will be I our lives instead of chaos. But, why don’t we always prepare?
Why Don’t We Prepare?
We Don’t Believe There are Real, True Genuine Consequences
We don’t always think and realize what will happen if we don’t do something. In the world we live in today, we are losing our ability to map consequences to our actions. When we don’t prepare, we don’t think there will be consequences we must deal with; when they come, we don’t think to blame ourselves. We must look inside of ourselves and determine what we’ve contributed to the chaos in our live. Before we consider acting without thinking, we should make sure we go to the Lord in prayer and gain direction from Him.
We Think We Have More Time than We Really Do
We are incapable of creating time. All we’re given the ability to do is manage time. There is only so much time in the day, so we must properly manage our time and prepare! In our spiritual lives, we must realize that we need to be ready to meet the Lord and stop filling our time with activities that won’t help us make heaven our home.
We are Procrastinators
Procrastination is putting something off until the day after tomorrow that which should have been done the day before yesterday. Those who are procrastinators believe in consequences, and understand the concept of time, but abide by an element of laziness. Procrastinators have an excuse as to why they can put off a task, but there is coming a day when we won’t be able to use any excuse.
Like the virgins in Matthew 25, we must prepare and get oil in our lamps so we can be a part of God’s plan. We need to be accountable for our life and what we’ve done. We will be judged for what we do and don’t do (Romans 14:10).
How to Cut the Chaos
We must prepare for what we do know, so when something shows up that we aren’t aware of, we won’t be caught off guard. The 5 foolish virgins didn’t bring any oil in their lamps to meet the Bridegroom. We must prepare for that which is to come (Proverbs 6:6–8). We need to anticipate what is coming and be prepared for the storms that may come.
