My Opinion

The Tragedy of the Unprepared Life

By brokencode ⋅ February 2, 2007 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

The Tragedy of the Unprepared Life, (to delay, to procrastinate, and chill out our chance of salvation) IS FATAL !
That’s the subject we are going to discuss today.

Matthew 16:26 : For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul?
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

24. Then said JESUS unto HIS Disciples, IF ANY MAN COME AFTER ME, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF, AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME.

Commonly known in America is this well-known true story that comes from the sinking of the “Titanic”. A frightened woman found her place in a lifeboat that was about to be lowered into the raging North Atlantic. She suddenly thought of something she needed, so she asked permission to return to her stateroom before they cast off. She was granted three minutes or they would leave without her.

She ran across the deck that was already slanted at a dangerous angle. She raced through the gambling room with all the money that had rolled to one side, ankle deep. She came to her stateroom and quickly pushed aside her diamond rings and expensive bracelets and necklaces as she reached to the shelf above her bed and grabbed three small oranges. She quickly found her way back to the lifeboat and got in.

Now that seems incredible because thirty minutes earlier she would not have chosen a crate of oranges over the smallest diamond. But death has boarded the Titanic. One blast of its awful breath had transformed all values. Instantaneously, priceless things had become worthless. Worthless things had become priceless. And in that moment she preferred three small oranges to a crate of diamonds.

There are events in life, which have the power to transform the way we look at the world.

Our LORD JESUS’s parable of the ten virgins offers one of such types of events, for the parable is about the Second Coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. But our LORD doesn’t come right out and say it. Rather, HE lets the story describe it for HIM.

The woman on the sinking Titanic has understood, in the light of her current circumstances, that she must make preparations for making on a lifeboat. Diamonds would not suffice, only the precious resources of an orange were good enough. Likewise, in this world where our LORD CHRIST JESUS imminently shall return, at any moment, the parable warns, we must be ready.

Weddings are one of such kinds of events, and every time there is a wedding our Pastor/Preacher/Advisor/Redeemer, admonishes those in the wedding to be ready, to make a special effort to be ready on the day of the ceremony. The church elder and workers used by GOD will plead with the invitees to arrive early and to be dress proper and be ready. Sometimes it works out but sometimes it doesn’t.

Our Divine Teacher and Master’s parable about a wedding is told not from the vintage point of the bride and groom, but of the ten young maidens who had been invited to the happy occasion, five of them were foolish, said our LORD, five of them were wise. What was the measure of their wisdom? In a word, their readiness is always to be part of the event. All of the young women had oil in their lamps, but five needed an additional supply because they hadn’t come unprepared.

This is off course foreign to our concept of weddings today.

Weddings in our society are announced for a specific time and place, and if things are late in getting started, those invited guests will start to become impatient and grumpy. But invitees are guity of their own action too in regard punctuality which are being treated so lightly, so unimportantly among Malaysians, having fallen into the trap of Malaysia’s “Rubber Time” !

Not with GOD. Time and when the appointed time come and if we are not prepared or caught unprepared then we are not included. Then we are out; and “Habis” ! For we can say bye-bye to our salvation. Too late to cry over spilled milk.

In first century Palestine, a wedding could happen at anytime even within several days. The uncertainty was considered a part of the excitement of the wedding. The bridegroom hoped to catch some of the bridal party sleeping. But fairness required that some announcement be made, so just before the big event, a messenger was sent through the streets shouting: “Behold, the bridegroom commeth”! The alert ones among us in the wedding party would respond, and the others would be left behind, (Matthew 25:1-13).

Now in this our LORD JESUS’ Parable of the ten virgins, the cry came at midnight. This was often the case; most bridegrooms chose to come late at night. The sleeping attendants were awakened. This was then they realized that they did not have enough oil in their lamps to get through the night. Panicked, they attempted to borrow some from the other bridesmaids. But they responded, “If we give you our oil, there won’t be enough left for us. Hurry out to the dealers and buy some yourself”!

So the foolish maidens hurried out, but by the time they returned the door had already been closed. They knocked on the door and pleaded to be a part of the whole wedding celebration, but the groom replied: “If you belonged at this event you would already have been present”! And our LORD concluded: “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cameth”!

What are the lessons that we are supposed to learn from our great Teacher, LORD JESUS CHRIST?

1) Spiritual things are things that cannot be borrowed!

LIKE: FAITH, HOPE, and CHARITY (AGAPE Love). Attributes of a true Christian. Such as: garment of praise is the garment of righteousness of GOD that GOD Wants us to earn and know as such, it cannot be borrowed from the true owner, because it cannot be bought or sold or exchange for any amount of money. It is therefore priceless for us to cherish and to keep if we have it.
GOD’s Call is individual and personal, and we cannot borrow it because it is not a thing!

2) Some things cannot be put off when it comes to Spiritual matters.

LIKE: The coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST and for us to be well-prepared so that we may be able to receive HIM our Heavenly Bridegroom in a correct mindset and is properly dressed for this “Holy Matrimony”!
GOD Divine Salvation Purposes mustn’t be ignored, ot taken lightly as it refers to the kind of personal relationship with HIM our Heavenly Bridegroom again! The Divine Salvation Plan of The LORD not only cannot be ignored, it must be revered by no one’s delayed tactic! It is for our soul, so how can we then be so unprepared?

3) We can become “dropouts” and miss a great opportunity of our life, (in fact lose our soul), if we miss it.
So when it come to “the Oil”, it is a serious matter because it is refers to spiritual. What is our spiritual standing with GOD?

LIKE: We should not take for granted the divine offer of The LORD, GOD’s Special Favours unto us. we could not afford to lay it aside as if it is unimportant, easy going like being sloppy and lazy to be alway sleeping, and without spiritual development in us.
We cannot keep postponing or putting it aside and consider it later when it’s appropriate for the occasion or when the going get touch.
Please read Luke 7:36-50.

This is the perfect Anointing of CHRIST JESUS at the Pharisee’s house demonstrated to us that we must know our LORD’s Big Heart. Even outcasts can be recieved into the Kingdom of GOD if their heart is right with GOD for us to heed and to worship HIM with the anointing “Oil” in this parable LORD JESUS hath given to us to understand its spiritual application.

We must humble ourself and pray and seek HIS Face and turn away from our wicked ways, weeping over our sinful nature in contrition in humble service unto our LORD.

Then there too is the parable of the creditor and debtors verses 41-50.

WE all owe our LORD JESUS a debt that we can never pay, a debt of owing HIM our life.

This life of ours therefore belongs to our LORD JESUS. HE redeemed us to be HIS servant.

There is a moral bankruptcy in us if we do not acknowledge the divine forgiveness and HIS Divine Mercy and Grace all the time of our life. There is an urgent need for us to show our appreciation to GOD in the riches of HIS Grace in our life now!

The love for CHRIST ought to be put into our daily practise.

Examples for Love for CHRIST can be found in Luke 7 verse 47; John 11 verse 16 n 12 verse 3 n 20 verse 11 n 21 verse 13.

So now we are tught to live for CHRIST and for our LORD’s Sake. No more for our sake alone!

We must be prepared to live joyfully and rejoicefully even if we are suffering. Consider it a privilege that we can now experience “suffering for CHRIST” especially those of us serving full time, having given up prestige and worldly living.

Then GOD’s love in our life will abound and we will be superabuandantly blessed gaining the contentment in our heart with the Love, Joy and Peace of the LORD in our heart.

That will become truly living for JESUS a life that is true and no more in falsehood like our life before!

Amen.

Praise the LORD.

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