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WISE VIRGINS/GOOD STEWARDS
10/29/2008 00:55:56 / Encouraging
MT 24:45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, `My master is staying away a long time,' 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
MT 25:1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.MT 25:6 "At midnight the cry rang out: `Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' MT 25:7 "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' MT 25:9 " `No,' they replied, `there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' MT 25:10 "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. MT 25:11 "Later the others also came. `Sir! Sir!' they said. `Open the door for us!' MT 25:12 "But he replied, `I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' MT 25:13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
< I>"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
Keeping watch, being wise as Serpents and gentle [or innocent] as Doves does not include holding our eyes shut and not preparing ourselves for a different life than any of us has ever known. It means to be ready, to watch for the signs in the world and trim our lamps and fill our oil reservoirs with plenty to last until The Lord returns for His people.
I not saying panic, I not saying worry, I not saying get frantic. I saying
In as much as you can prepare, prepare, get ready, store items you can find and buy to tide you over.
MT 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? PHP 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So, worry and fretting is out, Trusting in Jesus is in. But also we are expected to be smart, if we know winter is close it might be good to have a coat to protect us when we go outside. Just so; it important to prepare for contingencies should the banking system fail, and times get hard like it was during the depression.
We know that it was difficult for goods to get to market during the depression, so stores had little to sell; food was hard to come by, so was money, trading for essential services is a good idea.
Getting ourselves prepared is a matter of prayer. I should ask God exactly what to get and where to put it. For instance it would be stupid to fill a large container of supplies in a place where a tornado might move it to my neighbor If I ask God, He can give me the best location to put whatever He thinks I need to stash away.
He will also give me information as to what I need to prepare for: AM 3:7 surely the sovereign lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
While we are not all prophets He does give them to His church to help us, so we should be able to get this kind of information at church.
OR
Jas 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Lord, I have many fears and I worry a lot, But I know you have the answer, forgive me and help me to rely on you for protection and provision. Be with my family in the coming hard times and help us to just stay in the comfort your hand gives us. Help us to say as the captives in Babylon said when they were about to be tossed in the firey furnace: If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." We won fall prey to the gods of worry and fear. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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