Be Vigilant, Attentive, Anointed

by Guest Author: Tecla Grazia, Italy.

Lessons from the Parable of the Ten Virgins

The parable of the ten virgins awaiting the Bridegroom is a parable for today.

It should not be projected into the future like many believers do. It is real, current, and timely. It must be lived day by day, because it is clearly written that we know neither the day nor the hour when the Lord will return.

This parable is an exhortation for us to remain vigilant and prepared with the Living Oil of The Holy Spirit. So often throughout our lives, we proceed without a deep awareness of the need to have sufficient “daily supplies” of The Holy Spirit.

On our personal journey, there is only one certainty: the reality of God. We must have The Holy Spirit within us, guiding, and leading us in the way of Christ.

We must daily have the fullness of His Presence within us. This is the oil, the anointing that comes from Him.

It must never be lacking within us because He is indispensable for our life; without Him we can truly do nothing.

He has been given to us precisely as our Guide, Support, and Comforter.

In the parable, all ten virgins fell asleep — those with supplies and those without. This is a sign we should all analyze, because, Brothers and Sisters, the risk looms over each of us.

Waiting for our promise tests our faith. In the meantime, we must ask for more oil of The Holy Spirit so we do not succumb to discouragement and faithlessness in the inexorable passage of time.

We can face these days by keeping our gaze resolutely fixed on Christ, as Christ Himself kept His eyes upon Father God during the journey towards Jerusalem in His last days

There are many “trials” we face, but if certainty, peace, and above all His love reign in our hearts, everything is accomplished through the marvelous Grace bestowed upon us, and not merely by the thrust of human effort.

Our Pilgrimage to Christ

There is a book I read at the beginning of my conversion, “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan.

I don’t remember much about this book, but there is this scene in which “Christian” is under a pergola with one of the many pilgrims that he met along his journey during his pilgrimage to Christ.

They had all stopped to rest and regain new strength, but Christian’s companions remained behind, lulled into staying in a place of comfort and complacency, while Christian continued on his journey.

This image struck me so deeply that it is still vividly engraved in my heart and mind and has accompanied me for all these years.

Dear brothers in the Lord, the risk of stopping during this pilgrimage of ours is strong and real, but as I said before, we must keep our gaze fixed on the goal, which is Christ Jesus.

There are many exhortations within the Word to remain vigilant and attentive to the wiles of the devil.

The enemy of our soul is always seeking not only who he may devour, but who he may lull into spiritual sleep.

His voice that he inserts into our thinking is soporific, inducing a spiritual drowsiness that could cost the errant and undiscerning their eternal salvation.

See: Matthew 24:42-44; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Peter 5:8.

Prayer

Father, the risks we face in this life are countless, but today we ask that the gifts of The Holy Spirit that you have placed in each of us be intensified, and the anointing of His Presence magnified, so that the routine of time’s passing does not cause us to slumber while waiting for You.

We recognize that we are nothing without Your Power within us.

We ask for more of You and less of ourselves, now and forever.

Keep us vigilant and alert, because what we are fighting for is worthy of every moment of our lives’ attention.

To You be the Glory forever.

You are perfection, and we place all things in Your hands

Amen and Amen

 

~ Tecla Grazia, Italy.

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Materials used by kind permission of the original author.

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