How Can We Be Ready?

“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:43-44 NKJV)

We Should Have Oil in our Lamps

“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. (Matthew 25:10 NKJV)

In this parable there were five wise and five foolish virgins waiting for the coming of the bridegroom.  The five wise had oil in their lamps.  This appears to be a picture of the Holy Spirit.  We are sealed with the Holy Spirit upon believing according to Ephesians 1:13.  Notice all of the virgins were moral.  But only 5 were prepared for the bridegroom to come.   The five that were unprepared were facing a closed door and were told that the Lord never knew them.  They obviously represent religious moral peo;ple who have never had a time in their lives when they “repented and believed.”  When the Lord tells us we must be born again, we he says we must be saved, He means it.  

We Must Do His Business until He Comes

“So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ (Luke 19:13 NKJV)

In the story, one man hid the resources given to him in the ground.  He did not try to make money with the money he had been given.  We are all given ability.  We can use it for the Lord or we can hide it in the ground.  No matter how one interprets the ground, the one servant lost everything.  In a similar parable in Matthew’s Gospel (it may be the same story told with a different emphasis), the unprofitable servant was cast into outer darkness and there was weeping and grinding of teeth.  I believe again that we have an unbeliever.  

We Must Abide in Him

And now, little children, abide in Him (that is stay in fellowship with Him), that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. (1 John 2:28 NKJV)

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3 NKJV)

I think the Lord is saying that we need to not only be saved or born again but we need to have a conscience about sin.  Immorality and lying will characterize the world and we must be different.

We Must Live Expectantly Praying for His Return

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near (at hand or ready). (Revelation 1:3 NKJV)

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly (suddenly).” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20 NKJV)

When He comes, we don’t want to be unprepared.  The Lord is coming.  We can take that promise to the bank.  Because we are going to see Him again,  we need the oil, we need to continue faithfully preaching the Gospel, we need to be praying for His soon return.  If I was not sure that I was saved, I would be quaking in my boots.  The believer has a blessed hope–something great to anticipate.   The skeptic and unbeliever will one day wish they had been prepared.

Bruce Collins

Meditation for the week of October 18, 2026

If you would like further conversation about the issues in these meditations, contact me at collinsbd@yahoo.com and I will try to accommodate you with a virtual Bible Study.