Matthew 25:11-13 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But He answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
The five foolish virgins thought they would go with the Bridegoom, but they were wrong. Many people who profess to be a Christians are in this same boat today. Jesus said, You must be born again. What did He mean by that?
To be born again is to be made new; to start your life over. This new birth will bring about great change. The great Apostle Paul speaks a lot about “putting off the old self and taking on the new.” This is what happens when a person is TRULY saved and born again.
To be born again is not about going to church or doing other religious things. It’s about allowing the Holy Spirit to REALLY change you from the inside, out.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. When we are born again, God implants in us the desires of our hearts. As He convicts us of the areas in our lives that need changing. With that, our desires change. Our activities change. Our wants change. Our whole life changes. We are a new and different person and it’s all the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. A truly saved and born-again person WILL seek God FIRST in their life. The old life is no longer desirable. A born-again believer WANTS to change and be different. They WANT to please God. They WANT God to bring needed correction to their life. They WANT to seek Him first.
Again, it’s not about all the religious activities you do. It’s all about seeking God above all else and wanting Him to bring about REAL change in your life. Many people believe they are saved because they sit in a church on Sunday morning, but Monday through Saturday, and the rest of every Sunday, they are no different than they‘ve always been. They still talk the same way and participate in all the same ungodly activities as they always have. All they have done is add going to church on Sunday morning to their weekly routine.
This is not born again. There is no oil in their lamp. The Holy Spirit has no influence on how they operate on a daily basis. One day soon the door will close and these people will find themselves outside saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ Just as Jesus told us in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, But He answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
All those hours sitting in church will have been for naught. Don’t get me wrong, going to church is a VERY GOOD thing to do, but it will not guarantee that you have oil in your lamp. To have oil in your lamp you MUST seek God with all your heart and WANT Him to bring about real change in your life. You must be born again.
Pray for God to change you. He will. Only He can do this but He will not go against your free will. It’s a choice every person must make. Whom do you CHOOSE to put first and serve? God will change you if you invite Him to do so. Why not start today? The door could close today.
God can and will……..turn the tide
Jesus FIRST! Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
