Rick and some friends were in an accident about a month ago. Someone cut in front of them, and they smashed into the other vehicle going about 50 mph. Miraculously, every person in both vehicles walked away with just bumps and bruises. There were many at the scene of the accident who said someone would have died if Rick’s group had been in a car instead of a heavy pickup truck. You know, we take it for granted that there will be a tomorrow. We go to sleep every night and expect to wake up the next morning. Peter, one of Jesus’s twelve disciples, wrote that people scoff at the idea of Jesus coming again, that there will be an end, and that Jesus will judge all people. After all, the scoffers say, the world just keeps on going like it always has (2 Pet 3:4). Things just keep chugging along...
Jesus once told a story about ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13). These ten women were bridesmaids in a wedding. It was a night wedding so it was dark. Each of the bridesmaids had a small oil lamp, the kind that has a wick, kind of like a candle. The women needed their lamps to see where they were going. The problem was that no one was sure when the bridegroom would arrive. Therefore, the women had to keep an eye out and be ready to go the minute he walked in. Well, five of the bridesmaids planned ahead and got some oil for their lamps in case it was a long wait. The other five didn’t bother with extra oil. They decided to take the chance that they had enough. And the ten of them waited. And waited. And then, all at once, the bridegroom showed up! But five of them had a big problem. No oil. They weren’t ready! They rushed to the market, scurrying around to buy oil for their lamps. While they were gone, the wedding began and the door was closed. The five bridesmaids with no oil couldn’t get in. They missed the whole thing!
What was Jesus’s point? His point is that He will come back. Just as a bridegroom will be at his wedding, so Jesus will come again. His coming is certain. But what we don’t know is when. And so, like the five bridesmaids who had oil and were prepared for a long wait, we must be ready. Because once Jesus comes, that’s the end. There won’t be more time given to anyone who does not believe in Him. There won’t be any more opportunities. The door will be shut.
Rick’s accident could have been his last day on earth. God obviously has more planned for Rick in this world, and so He left Rick here to complete that work. But even if that had been the end of Rick’s time on earth that day, it would simply have been the beginning of Rick’s eternity in heaven. Because by God’s grace, a few years ago, He granted Rick a new heart to believe in Him through Jesus. Today, you still have the opportunity to respond to Jesus’s invitation to repent of your sin of rejecting Jesus and believe in Him. Jesus’s invitation is open to everyone, including you. Perhaps there’s no urgency for you, after all, tomorrow always comes, right? But will it? Things happen and you never know. I pray that you will consider this. I pray that you will pray for a new heart, a new heart that can only be given to you by God through Jesus. This is urgent. Let me know if I can pray for you or if you need a Bible.
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