Preparation is the key. Thanksgiving is happening in less than two weeks; are you ready for it? Walking through your local club store might fill someone with anxiety as they are full of people and long lines. Everyone wants to ensure they have all their shopping done so that their food will be purchased and ready for Thanksgiving. However, there is another type of shopper, one that will wait until the day before and gather up that which is leftover from the hordes. There is one thing about Thanksgiving: whether we are ready for it or not, it will come on November 23rd this year, but our meal can be dictated by how we prepare.

Jesus ultimately doesn’t care what preparations you make for a Thanksgiving feast. However, Christ does call us to be prepared by doing good. Our lives must reflect the change that comes upon us when we find God’s transforming power. We must ask ourselves if we are ready for Christ to come up to us and ask, “Are you ready for my return?”  As He reminds us in The Parable of the Virgins, we do not know when Christ will return; thus, we must always be ready for His return. 

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.  But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose 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, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 25:1–13.

The parable shows the differences between the prepared and the ill-prepared. One group has just enough, but the other doesn’t have enough. The ill-prepared seek out those who have enough to cover them, but the resources are insufficient to share. Unfortunately, this forced the group without enough oil to go out and do some last-minute shopping. While they were out, they missed their opportunity with the bridegroom. This parable could be ready so literally that it meant we should make sure we always have enough for an emergency. However, the preparation we must make is that our hearts must be ready to receive Christ at all times. When Jesus returns, there won’t be an opportunity to quickly do all the preparations, so we must get our hearts right with God now.

Each of us needs to prepare our hearts for God’s return. Being prepared for God’s second coming is a spiritual imperative that requires steadfast faith, sincere repentance, and a commitment to living a life aligned with divine principles. It involves cultivating a heart attuned to love, compassion, and righteousness and actively seeking a deep connection with the divine through prayer, reflection, and worship. 

Prepare your hearts to do the Gospel work now. We cannot think there will always be another opportunity to be kind or share hope because the bridegroom will come without warning.  Jesus calls on us to set aside any procrastination when doing good. The oil in the parable does not represent a tangible good, but rather, it represents the GOOD that God’s Church must bring to the world. God’s kingdom requires workers who are ready and willing to share the Gospel no matter what one’s life may look like.

The anticipation of God’s second coming motivates us to lead a life of moral integrity, embracing the teachings of compassion and forgiveness. Being prepared involves constant self-examination, acknowledging one’s shortcomings, and striving for continuous spiritual growth. It is a journey of humility and grace, recognizing the profound significance of this event and aligning one’s life with the divine will, ensuring that when the appointed time arrives, the soul is ready to stand before the Creator with a pure and earnest heart.

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Published by JRMITCH85

I am often asked what describes you, which is a hard answer because sometimes I move in a thousand different directions. Some call me an engineer, others call me pastor, a few call me captain, some call me friend, others call me dad, and one calls me sweetheart. All of these things are descriptors and are accurate, but they don't fully capture me. My favorite place is in the mountains, enjoying the beauty of nature and God's creation, running and hiking around with my family and friends, and taking photos to cement the memories. However, the people that know me the best know that my favorite thing to do is come up with crazy adventures that push the limits of what our minds and bodies can do. My faith in God is important to me and drives me to look at creation the way I do. Because of my faith, I look at these adventures and running races from Half Marathons all the way to 24 hour races, as well as several Obstacle Course Races, as an opportunity to push the body God gave me as an act of worship. Hopefully, someday soon, I look toward running longer races and bigger adventures. My hope is that humanity can understand that the wild is a gift, and we need to care for it and quit destroying it by the way we live.

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