17/08/2021
Happy summer holiday friends🤗 welcome to our daily devotion. Have fun!
SHUT OUT
Text- Matthew 25 v 1-11
Once a fox was roaming around in a forest looking for food. Suddenly, he saw a pig rubbing his tusks against the trunk of a tree.
The fox looked about carefully but couldn't see any danger for the pig anywhere. Despite being so clever, he could not understand why, the pig was doing that.
He couldn't control himself, went to the pig and asked, "The hunters are not out today, nor can I see any other danger, then why are you doing that?"
The pig replied, "Dear! We live in a forest where enemies are there at every step. Who knows when I'll have to face them and use my tusks against them? So, if I don't do it now, I may not get time to sharpen my tusks when I need them the most."
Our text today is on the parable of the ten virgins of which five were foolish and five were wise. This particular story of the pig and the Fox can be so applied to this particular story.
The Ten virgins were on a journey to meet the bridegroom at a banquet, that was their big mark. Our big mark or goal as Christians is to meet with our Lord Jesus Christ after the rapture. Just like every journey we embark on in life that demands a certain level of preparation, so must we in our dail walk to meet Jesus.
We must prepare well while bearing in mind the purpose of the journey that it might take a long time before we arrive at our destination but we must never lose sight of the big picture like the five foolish virgins that forgot to prepare adequately.
The five foolish virgins we're not ready at all and the door was shut against them. The wise virgins took oil to light their path because the knew the journey might be long and difficult but the others did not factor it in.
Amazingly, they were all faced with the same challenges like fatigue and they slept off. Life has a way of throwing spanners into our works but we must learn to wake up without hangovers adequately prepared to face whatever challenge we are meet.
So the moment they woke up the five wise virgins didn't feel any negative impact because they had oil to go but the five foolish virgins were stock in darkness and began to beg the wise virgins to share.
How do we survive moments of darkness, it is by having oil.
That oil is actually the holy Spirit living inside of us that helps us to live, to know and to do the will of God in a sinful world. The only way to keep the oil without running out is by having constant devotion like praying studying the word of God and worshipping. The Holy Spirit is our fuel on the journey towards a victorious life.
WHO CAN ENTER? Matt 7 v 21-23
The shocking thing is that once the door is shut it can never be opened as stated in Matthew 7:21-23. The master said it is not all that call me "Lord Lord" that shall enter in.
"Only those that do the will of the father can enter in."
Those that came late after the door was shut had no second chance. Distractions, sin, laziness and many more are some of the reasons why don't we don't focus on the mark which is to meet Jesus. Remember the pig kept on rubbing his tusk against to the tree in sharpen it in order to ward off his enemies when they come.
If we don't want to be left behind, we must learn to discipline ourselves in training like that pig and athletes do. We must discipline ourselves and flesh in prayer and the study of the word, exercising our faith. These are trainings that we offer our spirit man to live above sin and to be alive and active for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
MEMORY VERSE
1st Corinthians 9:25 - 27
This scripture is our guide in ensuring that we keep our bodies in control until we attain the prize and our goal like the Boys Scout motto says "be ready." We are soldiers and must discipline ourselves in training like athletes in order not to be shut out of the banquet.