Jesus tells about the wise and foolish virgins who went out to join a wedding party to await the arrival of the bridegroom. Some brought extra oil for their lamps. Some did not. The bridegroom was delayed and the oil gave out. Those who did not bring an extra supply tried to buy some from those who did. No deal. They were forced to return home to get more oil. 

While they were gone, the bridegroom came and the wedding party went into the banquet hall. When the foolish girls returned, the doors were closed and they could not get in. Then Jesus said, “Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day or the hour when the Son of Man comes.”  

The warning is loud and clear: be prepared! The difference between winning and losing in life is often preparation. Every successful person knows that is true. 

Whether we are talking about sports, education, science, business or any worthwhile endeavor in life, success goes to the person who has the will to prepare!  

It is amazing that many of us who are prepared for life fail to prepare for eternity. We get our degrees in school. We position ourselves for the right jobs. We set our goals 10 years in advance. We know where we want to retire. Each year we try to prepare for the future and we totally disregard the most important reality of all — our relationship with God. 

We want to do our own thing for our entire lives and yet we also want to go to heaven to be with Jesus. We need to prepare. We need to get ready. We need to give our lives to God. 

We need to pray and read the scripture and help others in the name of Jesus. I’m not saying those things get us into heaven. It is only faith in Jesus Christ who died for our sins that gets us into eternal life.

But the things we do in life help us to prepare for life and death. We need to prepare. We don’t know when death will come and we don’t know when Jesus will return. But if we are ready it doesn’t matter.

We can’t buy our way into heaven. We can’t live off the faith of our parents or friends. There is no faith charge card through which we can borrow on our dad’s devotion or a friend’s good will. Each one of us needs to make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and his kingdom.

I can’t give my faith to someone else. I can share what I believe. I can encourage. I can challenge. I can help. But I cannot make the decision to follow Jesus Christ for anyone but myself.

We must take care that we do not shut the door of salvation upon ourselves because we tend to do things our way in life. Are you prepared?

— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. David Busker is the retired pastor of Monroe United Methodist Church.