Oil in Your Lamp

"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." — Matthew 25:10
 
Can you borrow someone else's faith?
 
Jesus told a story about ten young women waiting for a bridegroom to arrive for a wedding. From the outside, all ten looked exactly the same. They all had lamps. They were all dressed for the occasion. They were all waiting. And when the bridegroom was delayed, all ten of them fell asleep.
 
The difference didn't show up until midnight, when the shout rang out: "Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him." Five of them had brought extra oil, and five hadn't. The five whose lamps were going out turned to the others and said, "Give us some of your oil."
 
And the answer was no.
 
Now, that wasn't selfishness. It was reality. Some things can't be shared, and a relationship with God is one of them.
 
You can't ride into heaven on your grandmother's prayers. You can't borrow your spouse's faith. You can't get in on the strength of your church membership or the fact that you grew up in a Christian home. I've heard it said that God doesn't have any grandchildren. Every person has to come to Him on their own.
 
Here's what sobers me about this story. The foolish ones weren't pagans who had no interest in the wedding. They were in the waiting crowd. They looked ready. They just never took care of the one thing that mattered, and when the door shut, it was too late to fix it.
 
So let me ask you, gently but directly. Is there oil in your lamp? Not your family's lamp. Yours. If you're not sure, don't let another day go by. Settle it with Jesus right now.
 
And if you do know Him, keep that lamp filled. Spend time with Him every day. Stay close. Because the bridegroom is coming, and when He does, you want to be ready to walk right in.