Dave's Diary

Prayer

Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 111:10.

Lord my God, wisdom begins when I stand in loving awe of You;
Good understanding causes me to follow all Your precepts.
and to bring You praise through the way I live my life, now and forever.
Speak to me and guide me today, I pray. Amen.

Reading

Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus set this parable in the context of the Jewish wedding customs of His day. At that time, a wedding involved about a week of celebration at the bride’s parents’ home, in which the whole village was usually involved. The culmination of this was when the groom finally brought his bride to their new home for a banquet. Guests (especially the young, unmarried women) would be invited to form a sort of “guard of honour” at their new home, holding lamps aloft. And so Jesus builds His story around this sort of moment.

The details are less important than the truths conveyed, of course. So what are they?

First, Jesus wants us to understand that spiritual life is something that cannot be borrowed. To be ready for His return means to have the light of His presence burning brightly in us. This is not something anyone else can do for us. Even though fellowship with other believers is part of a healthy spiritual life, it is what happens in private that most determines the growth and health of our relationship with Christ. We are individually responsible to build our relationship with Him on the strong foundation of practices like honest, vulnerable conversation (a.k.a. prayer), daily surrender to the Holy Spirit, Bible reading and study, worship, fellowship, etc. No one else can do it for us!

Secondly, carelessness about our relationship with Jesus can have dire consequences. At the end of our earthly lives, or the End of the Age, whichever comes first, the only thing that truly matters is the state of our personal relationship with Christ. Do we “know Him” and are we “known by Him” because we have spent time together in deep connection? Or have we made ourselves strangers to the One who died to save us, because we have not paid attention to His open door and His open arms of invitation. Have we fallen asleep on our walk with Jesus, and drifted away into the dreamland of this world’s distractions and pleasures. If so, let’s turn back today!

Contemplation

Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn one or more of these declarations over and over in your mind. Keep them in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ:

• I will draw near to Jesus in intimate prayer today.
• I will read more about Him in His Word, studying to know Him better day by day.
• I will worship Him and open my heart and mind to the power and direction of His Spirit.

Holy Spirit, draw me close to Jesus every day of my life. Do not let me drift away. Do not let me fall asleep! Cause me always to be ready when Jesus knocks on the door of my heart for time together, so that I will know Him and be known by Him. Amen.