Asleep in the Light

By Jose Barajas

 “During the week like everyone else I’m sure, I have an alarm set to wake me up to get ready for work. Three of the five days I hit the snooze button, it starts with ten minutes then nine, eight until finally I have to get up or I will be late. There have been a few times where I have accidentally hit stop instead of snooze and all of a sudden I jump up out of bed starling my wife and dog as I overslept. I run around looking for my clothes and rush to get ready, brushing my teeth and hair haphazardly, and even at times I’ve put my shirt on backwards as I run out of the house. Then of course because I’m already late, I hit ever light, there is an accident and or I need gas or forgot something that I have to turn around and go back to get. 

Jesus is telling His disciples about His return and uses different parables to convey the message. One He tells about is the ten virgins and their lamps, found in Matthew Twenty Five, 

““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.”‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

People hit their snooze button when it comes to repenting and being ready for God at all times and in all seasons. There are many beliefs about Jesus’ coming, but what we need to focus is not the how, but are we ready! We think that God is not coming or it’s not time or maybe I’ll be whisked away because I’m “His,” or I said a little prayer, but have not kept my lamp filled,  but listen to what Jesus is saying. The Kingdom of God is like, that means that we need to be ready to meet Jesus as mentioned, tomorrow isn’t promised and also, God wants us sharing the good news and that’s what the oil signifies, the Holy Spirit, working thru us. We shouldn’t stop sharing, stop gathering, stop worshiping, because Jesus is delayed or because we have fallen for false teachings of His coming. We should all the more continue to let our lights shine.

People look at “Christianity” and compare them to those furniture stores that have those signs, “Everything must go, we’re closing” and years later it’s still there. God as the bridegroom in the story wasn’t delayed because he was too busy, but God wants to see if we are faithful and ready to meet Him. Too many people are asleep like the apostles in the garden of Gethsemane as many are today, not believing in God and definitely not believing God is coming again at least not “today”. 

When the bridegroom arrived the foolish ones had gone back to buy more oil and missed the opportunity to go in. He’s coming and we can’t delay for tomorrow, for it isn’t promised and we don’t know if we’ll get cancer, be in an accident, or other, as most walk around invincible, with an I don’t need God attitude! But, there isn’t enough money, not enough fitness, not the right diet, for we all will eventually go the way of all man,  to death and won’t be ready when the bridegroom comes to get us. In Acts One, the disciples asked Jesus,

“So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

Again the Kingdom of God is at hand, has always been at hand, that is what the Old Testament taught and Jesus full filled, and it’s about being His disciples and making disciples and staying ready, being ready and living for Jesus! We can hit the snooze button in bed all we want, I do, but don’t snooze on God, be ready, be awake, be sober, but most of all be a light in this darkened world!” Jose Barajas