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Breath
of Power
A Weekly Devotional of Jesus Power Outreach Ministries
Week 7: February 14 - 20, 2005
THE DOOR WAS SHUT
Key Passage: Matthew 25: 6-10
"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.”
There is a day of reckoning when we shall account to God for our lives on earth. We therefore need as God’s children to examine ourselves daily to ensure that we are ready for that day, and not be found wanting. Nothing could be worse than the tragedy of missing the mark and having the door of grace slam against us on that day.
The parable of the ten virgins speaks about the Church and the readiness of the believers for the return of Jesus Christ on the earth. It reveals that some Christians are wise, while others are foolish. While the wise are doing their best to ensure that they are truly ready, the foolish are not, but are presuming that their unpreparedness can be overlooked and God’s standard of righteousness shall be lowered to accommodate their failures.
The truth of the Kingdom of Heaven is that one cannot run the race of life “anyhow” and still make it. One has to run it according to God’s demands; and these demands are revealed in the word of God. It is foolhardy for a Christian to indulge in secret sin, compromise his or her faith and yield to immorality and still believe he or she is ready to meet the Master. The Scripture says, “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity’” (2 Tim 2:19). It also says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9-10).
The other hard reality is that there will be a time it will be late for you to make the changes you need in your life today. Moreover, there is a limit to how far another person can go to help you in this race. You need to make hay while the sun shines and amend your ways before it is too late. You must be wise if the door will not be shut against you.Pray, O God, help me to run my Christian race wisely; may the day of the Lord’s coming not meet me unprepared.
Written by – Evangelist Oguazi Onyemobi
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