ICS Daily Devotions
Waiting For The Bridegroom
Matt 25:1-13 (NKJV) “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose 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, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
This passage in the scripture reminds us to keep watch while we wait for the return of Jesus Christ. It is a good reminder to keep our mind focused. God’s strategy is to work through His churches to extend His Kingdom. When the Bible talks about Kingdom of Heaven, kingdom of Christ, and of God’s kingdom, all denote the same thing under different aspects. It concerns Christ’s mediatorial authority or his rule on the earth, the blessings and advantages of all kinds that flow from this rule, and the subjects of this kingdom taken collectively, i.e., the Church. We always need to consider how God can use our churches in the work for the Kingdom, far beyond the immediate community of which we are a part of.
We need to live the consecrated life where we know the will of God, do the will of God, and obey the will of God. We do not know how much time we have left while serving the Heavenly Kingdom. Since we do not know, we need to be alert and ready to serve and endure in the span of time that we have left.
The Bible says that the Christian life is like running a race to win the crown. It is an imperishable crown. The race will not be a 100m dash but a marathon. It is about finishing well and not dropping out half way through the race. Therefore, Jesus was talking about how we, the church, should be behaving when he told this parable to his disciples.
All of the virgins started well because they went out to meet the bridegroom. We must not forget that the bridegroom will be coming back for His bride. Every bride will be well prepared when the bridegroom arrives, no matter what cultural background the bride has. Unfortunately, the bridegroom did not give them a specific time regarding his coming. Therefore, all of them fell asleep.
If we relate it to our context, the church must be walking with the Lord and doing all that He has entrusted to us. We must not be found asleep but be ready when the bridegroom return. If we endure till the very end and complete the race successfully, the reward of the Kingdom will be great.
Sermon series: Our Church Experiencing God Together (CG Campaign 4)
