Recently I revisited the parable of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins, found in Matthew 25:1-13.

Having just heard an interesting sermon on this topic, something jumped out at me that I thought was worth investigating. When reading this scripture I had always imagined that I would be one of the people still alive on the earth, either in the group led to safety or with the others left behind living a tough life, when Jesus Christ returns. I am not sure why I have always thought this except for my vivid imagination and perhaps a deep down thirst for adventure. However, I now saw this scripture through different eyes and it gave me a great deal about which to think and meditate.

What if I were dead and buried when Jesus Christ returns? After all, death is inevitable. None of us knows exactly how long we have, unless we have a terminal illness. Even then, doctors can only give us, at best, an estimate. This surely is a sobering thought. The ill and dying patients I look after invariably get 'their houses in order'. Whether this will eventually happen to any one of us, God alone knows. Most likely we will be here one day and gone the next. If I could choose, I would opt, as most of us would, for dying in my sleep calmly and quietly, preferably when all my children have grown up and left home.

Then I thought about all the accidents that happen to people in any given day. What if something happened to me tomorrow? What are the odds of this? Highly unlikely I should think; but 'what if?' I re-read the parable with that in mind. What if I were in the grave when Jesus Christ returns? That would mean I should ensure I had plenty of oil before I died. That changed everything. Panic stations. I always thought I would calmly build up my oil stores over time.

Time to rethink

Yes, we are all given a lamp when we are called and baptized, but God tells us in Matthew 25:3 that it is not good enough to just turn up with a lamp to greet the bridegroom; that simply won't be enough.

Matthew 25:4 states that the wise virgins took oil in their vessels along with their lamps. The next verse captured my attention fully: it tells us that we might think the bridegroom was delayed, and so go to sleep. Now some of us will surely go to bed that night as per usual, but some of us will be asleep in the grave with no further opportunity of obtaining more oil.

The question remains: how much oil to store up? Do we really even know how much oil we have 'in storage' on any given day? Does reading the Bible for an hour each day in a most meaningful fashion ensure enough oil is added to our vessel? I know God does not look at things by the clock and indeed is more interested in how much we take things to heart. I think this is one of those things that we can never have too much of. Much like studying for a test, if one studies to just get by and puts in minimal effort, then chances are one will fail. However if one studies to ensure passing, through much effort success is more likely.

In Proverbs 12:27, God tells us that diligence is man's precious possession. To be diligent means to work away at something bit by bit, seizing every opportunity to add to the efforts until the goal is reached. With that in mind, it would be a good idea to read His precious Word each and every day. Sometimes I pick up my Bible, close my eyes, open it up and wherever it opens, that's where I study. On one occasion, it opened on the same page three times. It almost seemed that God was really trying to tell me something that I didn't want to hear.

Sometimes a sermon will inspire me to go to a particular passage, while at other times I just read a small book like Jude, Philemon or James. No matter what you read in the Bible or how much you read, as long as you really think on it and pray about it, it is a starting point towards the goal. The goal? To never stop looking at this beautifully, supernaturally written manual for life. To not only take it into your mind, but to etch scripture on the tablet of your heart so that it will be there forever. That does not mean to memorize it merely for the sake of memorization, but to enjoy it, understanding the meaning and the intent God is giving to us. We should read it, absorb it, and then live it. God admonishes us through James to be doers of the Word and not just hearers only, because if we are hearers only, then we have deceived ourselves (James 1:22).

Carpe Diem (seize the day) and read His words of love and encouragement to each one of us, because truly we just do not know whether we will need a vessel full of oil "today." Once we are gone, it is too late. Now is the time to show our most wonderful Creator that we want to spend time with Him, by immersing ourselves in the living waters that give life. He tells us in John 4:14 that "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst." Let's all take a deep refreshing drink each and every day so that, not only will we never thirst, but we will also fill our vessels with oil.