The Ten Virgins

The Ten Virgins

       “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps                and went out to meet the bridegroom.”    Matthew 25:1

Studying Jesus parables over the years, I have found them to be Truth.  Parables are stories that help people to easily understand a truth that otherwise may be difficult.  In Matthew 24-25, Jesus is explaining about the time of the end and so he told them in Parables.

In the story of the ten virgins, he explains that these virgins represent those who have been made pure by the blood of the Lamb; Jesus Christ.  There is coming a time when we who are ‘born again’ will be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb [Revelation 19:9].  Apparently all of the virgins were believers, but when Jesus came for them, only 5 of the ten were ready to go with him.  The question is, “Why” didn’t all ten go?

1.      Five of them were well prepared; their lamps filled with ‘oil’ and had extra oil with them so they wouldn’t run out.  They were so filled with the Holy Spirit (oil) that when the bridegroom was delayed, they patiently waited.

2.      The other five, (the foolish) as Jesus called them, weren’t prepared in case the bridegroom would not come when they thought he should.  They ran out of oil and wanted the others to share some with them.  This show the foolish virgins were impatient and unprepared to meet the bridegroom.  They thought that because they were also believers, they would go into the wedding supper even if their relationship with the bridegroom was fading.

How many have said, “They have been saying he was going to come back for 2000 years and it hasn’t happened yet.  Who knows if it ever will?”  In this parable, Jesus was making a point that he may be delayed, but he is coming when the time is right.  We don’t have any idea when he may return, but we should be living every day like it could be today.

The parable continues; the foolish virgins went off to buy more oil.  Eventually, they returned, but the door to the wedding supper was closed.  I can see them pounding on the door and desperately crying out for the bridegroom to open the door, “Lord, Lord, open up for us.”  Then the Lord answered them, “I don’t know you.”  I can’t imagine the despair they felt as they dropped down in front of the door, crying hysterically because they knew it was too late to ever be with the Lord.

Then Jesus turned to the disciples and warned them to be watching at all times, because no one know the day or the hour when He will return to carry us away.  If Jesus finds our greatest desires to be on things of this world other than on him, he will say that he doesn’t know us.

Long ago, when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, people were all excited, “The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Hail to the King of Israel!”  [John 12:12-13]  As time went on, they lost their enthusiasm and many even turned against him. Some of those same people had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead.  Many had seen the blind healed and the deaf that could hear.  Yet, they turned their backs on him.

How quickly our zeal for the Lord can become stagnant.  He wants each and every one of us to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit and to determine in our hearts that no matter how long it takes, we will wait for his coming.  Singing songs of worship and praise will do very little for us if they don’t come from the heart.  Just going to church won’t do much for us if we aren’t seeking God.  Church is not about the pastor, the singers, or what someone else says or does, it’s about seeking God and His presence.  It’s not anyone’s fault if we ‘don’t get anything out of it’.  It’s our lack of zeal for God. 

As a Christian, I believe the most terrifying words I could ever hear Jesus say are, “I do not know you”.   If you think getting saved is enough in your life, you are missing something.  All 10 of the virgins were ‘saved’, but were they following the Lord?  The Bible tells us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, [Philippians 2:12] which means we continue through life trying to live a holy life and become more like Jesus.

There is a song we love to sing in our church and it is called, “The Zeal of God”.

The zeal of God has consumed me, deep in my soul;

A flaming fire that keeps burning; a fire that cannot be quenched.

This is where we should be in relationship with the Lord; you may have to work at it, but it can happen for you if you want it bad enough.

 

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GOD IS ENOUGH!

GOD IS ENOUGH!

“Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.” Psalm 34:9

Four years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I wasn’t even upset about it.  I am basically an anxious person when it comes to something like cancer, but I felt so calm about it.  I watched my younger sister pass away from brain cancer in November and here I was 2 months later with cancer. She had held on for 9 months and was so brave with what she went through; she was my inspiration. 

Then I heard someone say that God was El Shaddai and that this Hebrew word means “All Sufficient One”.  This grabbed a place in my heart and I knew that I knew, He was all I needed; the Almighty God was enough!  I knew that He was the answer for me.  I went into surgery that day knowing whatever the outcome, it was in His hands.  I chose not to have chemo or radiation, but to totally trust in God. 

I want to say here that this may not be what you need to do if you ever have cancer, but I felt for me this was what God wanted me to do.  I am only telling you my experience and it may not be yours.  I remembered what the Apostle Paul said “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. [Philippians 1:21] God gave me such peace about this and I placed myself in His hands and after 4 years I am fine and still trusting God. 

I’ve had serious things happen to me since that time, but I always remember, “God is Enough!”  If you don’t believe me, then let me share a few of the many scriptures in the Bible about it.  Matthew 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”  This is written so simply that everyone can understand it.  If we try to live as righteously as we can, we can be assured that God will supply our every need. 

Of course, we all tend to think we need more than we have, when in truth we may have trouble sorting our needs from our wants.  Our heavenly Father goes beyond giving us just the amount we need.  In 2Cor. He tells us: “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”   Can you imagine that?  He gives us enough to share with others and we know that if we give, we receive even more.  You have heard that you can’t out give God and it is so true.  The clue to all of this is to trust God for everything. 

It has taken some time, but I finally get what Paul says in 2 Cor. 12:9, “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need.  My power works best in weakness, so now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”  This is what God, the Father, did for me.  In my weakness His power worked in me and healed me.  I cannot praise Him enough.  

He wants to be your ‘El Shaddai’, your ‘All in All’, your ‘All Sufficient One’ and no matter what your needs are, ‘He is Enough’.  Trust Him and your needs will be met.  There are times when it is difficult to trust in God when you need something, but when you place yourself in His care, your needs will be met. 

 

 

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

What is the Kingdom of God?

                   “He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities ,                 because for this purpose I have been sent.”    Luke 4:43

When Jesus walked the earth his whole message was centered on the “Kingdom of God.”  This was his message as he went from place to place and many have questioned what he meant by this.  Is the Kingdom of God here with us now?  Is it a place far off in the future?  Was he talking about heaven?

According to the scriptures it is part of now and the future.  It is both a spiritual place and an eternal place.  I know this sounds confusing, but let me try to explain with verses in the New Testament.  While Jesus walked the earth, there was no new Covenant, because the New Covenant needed the sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the cross.  At that time the old blood covenant was still in place with daily sacrifices to cover the sins of God’s people.

So Jesus preached the Kingdom of God in this way: “Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  John 3:5 As Jesus taught, many prayed for their sins to be washed away and become ‘whiter than snow’.  [Psalm 51:7 (NLT)]  I Peter 1:23 explained it more fully “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.”

Jesus taught this to all the people and the disciples over and over again.  When he was answering the question his followers asked him about when the time of end would come, he spoke about many things that had not yet happened at that time.  Then he said this, “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. [Luke 21:31]  In this statement he was saying that it had not yet arrived. 

At the time of the Lord’s Supper, he told the disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” [Mark 14:25]  He had not yet entered the Kingdom of God.

He also warned all the people that they must put away sin and follow after God, living a Holy life. I like what it says in Matthew 6:33 (NLT) “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”  Those who trust in God will not lack in anything; He will supply all our needs.  That could be called, “Kingdom Living”. 

This is a good place to explain that only those who live a righteous life will enter the Kingdom of God.  In I Corinthians 6:9-10 (NLT) says it quite plainly, “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.”

When Jesus died on the cross and shed his blood for the remission of our sin, the New Covenant came into being.  When we are born again and receive Jesus as our Savior, we immediately are a part of The Kingdom of God.  This is the spiritual aspect of God’s Kingdom.  Then at the time of death or the Rapture, we enter the eternal Kingdom of God which is for all those found righteous.

God’s Kingdom is where a sovereign God rules over all his creation.  It is spiritual in that all born again people are a part of it and his creation is a part of it, and it is eternal because He is eternal.  In the end, the rest of creation will be destroyed and all that will remain is the Kingdom of God.

 

 

Do Not Be Afraid!

Do Not Be Afraid!

“In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56:11

“Do not be afraid; only believe.” Mark 5:36

The Bible tells us 286 times, “Do not be afraid”.  That is surely easy enough to say but sometimes it doesn’t seem to be enough.  There is surely enough going on in this world for people to be scared out of their wits; if they are not a Christian.  Notice, I said if they are not Christians.

Two weeks ago I wrote a teaching on my blog, “I Will Never Leave You” and the theme of it was that God would never leave you or forsake you. In other words, you have nothing to fear.  When we are fearful, we need to remember that “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  [2 Timothy 1:7]  Ask yourself this question, ‘if God hasn’t given us fear, who has?’ Fear comes from the enemy of our soul; Satan.  It is one of his strongest tools. When we are bound by fear we become vulnerable and helpless, but we can overcome that.   

I have to admit that I have some fears, a couple that I have to use all my faith to handle.  One of those fears is of flying; my heart races and my imagination takes hold, but I have done it several times by praying and reading the Bible.  I can do all things through Christ; therefore I have conquered it, but I still prefer driving.  The other thing where I come to the point of losing control, is the fear of mice.  God help me!  My mother instilled this in me and I have lived with it my whole life.  Reason tells me they are very small harmless creatures, but reason leaves me when I see one; dead or alive.

These fears are emotional ones and this is not what I’m talking about.  I am talking about the fear of the physical body; our own or that of our loved ones.  Let me explain:  some people cannot watch the news, hear anything about terrorists, or be told Isis is cutting off people’s heads.  That is a lack of faith.  Faith tells me that God will be with me in any situation; even death.  Paul tells us that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”  We know Jesus said, “Do not be afraid” many times, because he would be there to help us and strengthen us.

Believers, there may be dark days ahead of us; trust in God, no man can steal your soul.  To be honest, if I was about to have my head cut off, I would be terrified, but I would be calling on Almighty God to deliver me from evil.  That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t die, but God would take me to heaven and I would live there forever. 

If you have received Jesus as your Savior, your soul has nothing to fear.  If you are not born again, you should be terrified when you die, because your soul will be headed straight to hell.  Hell is a real place and it will never end.  Where you go when you die is your choice; not God’s. 

Jesus was not talking to unbelievers when he said, “Do not be afraid”.  He was talking to those who believed in him and accepted him as their Savior.  If you know there is a God and a Jesus, remember, the enemy of your soul also knows that.  Just knowing is not enough, you need to turn your life over to the Lord and let him lead you on the right road to salvation.

In Psalm 56:11, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”   If you trust in God, he asks the question, “What can man do to you?”  What God is telling you is not that you will escape pain or death, but that your soul is safe with him.  “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” [Hebrews 9:27]  We will all die someday unless Jesus takes us in the rapture and that could happen, but otherwise we will all die of something.  

 

In the meanwhile, we must live for God to the best of our ability and be ready to meet Jesus face to face. No matter how evil this world becomes; no matter what destruction may come, hold on to the Lord.  Do not be afraid. “When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”   [Luke 21:28] 

 

 

 

Then and Now

THEN AND NOW

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God;

 and those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

 

Can you imagine what life would be like if everything went exactly the way we wanted it to? So many times throughout our life we have wanted things that would surely cause disaster in the long run.  There have been times for all of us that we went against God’s plans and did our own thing.  What a mess that was! 

Looking back, I wondered how I even survived all of it.  However, behind the scenes, there was a loving Father in heaven who was watching over me and without my help, turned things around.  I have loved God for a very long time, but in my younger years chose to step out of His will.  Did I know better? Yes I did, but did it anyway.  I’m sure most of you have gone through the same thing in your life. 

There are those who may question this scripture in Romans 8:28 and ask, “How does my loved one who dies of cancer work for good”?  “How does it work for good that I have a sickly and crippled child?”  “My finances are so bad and I lost my job; how does that work for good?” How does it work for good that I have had so many surgeries and still need more and I hurt every day?”  I have an answer for each of these questions!  How do I have an answer, because I have lived through each of these painful times? 

My younger sister had a rare brain tumor and passed away 4 years ago.  She lived 9 months after they discovered the tumor and we spent that time sharing memories of childhood, sharing the love of Jesus and just loving each other.  It was a terrible tragedy for me and I miss her and think about her every day, but I will be forever grateful knowing she left this earth totally trusting in her Savior and knowing she is enjoying heaven today with our mother and many others.  Our family grew so close during that time and others I know received Jesus as their Savior.  It was bitter-sweet, but others grew from her strength and faith and someday I will join her in her heavenly home.  All things work together for the good. 

My eldest daughter was only a few months old when they found she had meningitis and following that she had polio. (Her story was in Guideposts, “Mysterious Ways” magazine.)  Those were sad and difficult years for my crippled and sickly daughter and for our young family. There were many who prayed for her and today she and her husband have two daughters, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.  She has made 9 missions trips around the world.  She is still very active at her church where she and her husband are pastors. All things work together for the good. If you want to read her story, email me and I will send you a copy. 

Years later when I turned my life over to the Lord in a miraculous healing of body and soul, instead of things getting better, they got worse.  Our finances were in terrible shape and we were on the verge of losing everything, when I lost my job.  My husband was still working, but we had so much debt we couldn’t keep up.  We sold our home to get out from under our bills and moved into an apartment and a job opened up for me.  It was then the Lord put on our hearts to tithe.  We could barely make it as it was, but by this time our faith was building and so we thought we would try it.  The first Sunday we tithed, there was nothing left for groceries or car gas to get back and forth to work.  By Wednesday, I was pretty scared because both cars were nudging empty.  I made it home from work and grabbed the mail and there was a check inside that was owed to us from our house selling and we didn’t even know about it.  We have never stopped tithing and God has met our every need. All things work together for the good.   

I am the one who has had so many surgeries; I’m like the bionic woman.  I still need a knee replacement, but it can wait a while yet.  I’m too busy writing my blogs; teaching others about the love of God; occasionally preaching Sunday service; being the accountant for my church and spending quality time with my many family members.  Yes, I know I’ll be 81 in April, but I’m on God’s business for as long as He will use me and that is probably until my last breath.  After all, all things work together for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.  I’m traveling on God’s plan, not mine. 

There is an old saying, “When the going gets tough; the tough get going.”  I’d like to change that to, “when life gets rough; the Believer hangs in there.”