Change Course

Ephesians 2:1-2 - And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.

Beck is changing his course on his show. He's using history as a reminder where we've been, what we've done and what mistakes we've made. He is doing this for himself and his family. He is not doing it for us. This road is a solitary one.

I mentioned yesterday that sacrificing our lives to Christ is a one-on-One thing. It's something between you and God. You can't come to Christ based on how you were raised, the denomination of your church, through your parents or on the coat tails of someone in your house, like a spouse, parent or even children. It's a solitary road. And a narrow one.

Funny thing but I have been figuring it is time for me to make another change in my own course. Not that I haven't been at least thinking about this for some time. Maybe it's the urgency I sense in the world. The signs we see that not all is okay. The signs that could very well be ushering in the return of Christ...and the urgency of preparedness, spiritually.

Oh, we should never have to get to this point. It should always have been there from the day we received Christ. But we, in our human nature, pull an Israel, and turn our minds to other things. I'm not making excuses. I'm being honest with myself. What do we need to see that will really take our minds off the things of the world and stay permanently focused on Christ? I'm not at the same stage as some yet I'm farther than others.

This thought brought me to the parable of the ten virgins with their oil and trimmed wicks and their waiting for their bridgeroom and wonder at this stage which I am? The story goes that there are ten virgins. It starts with a wedding feast.

The whole Hebrew concept of a wedding was different than today. A boy and girl of very young age were matched by their parents. This was their engagement, which lasted a year or so. While the bride continued to live at her parents' house, the groom prepared a house for her, usually an addition to his father's house. When they became of proper age for marriage, a ceremony and feast was held. They exchanged their vows...a covenant was made.

Wedding feasts usually lasted a week if the woman was a first-time bride. The bride, however, remained by herself for this time and at the end of the week would join the crowd and reveal herself when she took off her veil.

Imagine these circumstances. The waiting and patience involved, trusting that when the time of the wedding arrived, the groom would be there, or the bride. Would all things be ready?

The bride is like the ten virgins. She has maintained her purity and waited in anticipation of his arrival, the word that would make this marriage a reality.

This is what we are to do as we who are in Christ wait (im)patiently for His final return. We are to keep our eyes open for the signs. We are to keep our spiritual wicks trimmed and continue to keep our lamps lit. A day is going to come when our Groom will arrive and take us to house He has built in heaven.  John 14:3 - And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

As we continue our vigilance, we look at the past and pay attention to the signs today. As with Beck, we need to see the parallel between what this world and our country are doing compared to what happened in the Bible, how people turned from God, how He lifted His hand from them to cause them to look once again at His provision for their lives. A life without God is useless, self-serving, disastrous.

We must maintain our own faith in a God who loves us. We can worry about those around us who do not trust that it is God's hand we need to hold onto, but it is their own responsibility to accept His hand in their life. It's that solitary a road.

There were ten virgins. As they waited for their Bridegroom, some lost interest, five of them. In today's world I would venture to say the percentage would be more. They thought they had plenty of time before He would come for them and they became lax. They compromised their faith. Maybe they even thought He might not come. They let their lamps burn down, maybe even out altogether. Which will you be?

First, to become a bride, you must have a relationship with Christ. That goes for men and women. Men also are considered the bride when they receive Christ. A harder concept to imagine as a man, I'm sure. I'm glad I'm a woman !

To keep those wicks trimmed and lamps burning we should maintain that relationship with Christ, our Bridegroom. We should spend time in the Word listening for His voice, heeding His commands, doing as an engaged woman might do for that marriage, preparing herself and certainly staying focused on the idea of marriage to this Man, her Man, her Groom. What does He require? What does He like? What does He command? Oh, the thoughts...obedience, submission, heart on Him alone. Those things that might seem negative, yet in God's eyes so practical and true.

We've all made mistakes. But there is a Hope to correct them. It's time to look at those mistakes and turn them around through a relationship with Christ, that solitary Way.

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. (Proverbs 14:12, John 14:6, Isaiah 30:21)