BE PREPARED – Proverbs 31:18b
Tuesday, December 12th, 2006Proverbs 31:18b her candle goeth not out by night.
The ninth characteristic that Solomon was to look for in a woman he desired to marry was that she demonstrated her virtue by always being prepared. Jesus once told the story of ten virgins, five who were wise and five who were foolish. The five wise virgins took oil in their lamps and were prepared for the hour in which the bridegroom came whereas the foolish virgins were not prepared and thus were not permitted to take part in the marriage ceremony that took place that night.
Solomon was looking for a person who took the time to prepare her life to be ready for whatever God brought her way. She was not going to be caught unawares. Solomon did not want to marry a person who did not plan a head, an individual who allowed herself to get into bigger problems because she did not foresee simple delays or hindrances.
While you will never be able to anticipate every foreseeable hurdle that will be thrown into your path, by simply taking a little time in advance, one can prepare for many contingencies rather then waiting for the obvious to occur and then having to react to the situation. One can save a lot of headaches by taking the time to make preparations to ensure that they are ready for certain events in case they occur. A woman who never allowed her light to go out indicated she was ready at anytime to host a stranger who happened to pass through her community.
A person who adds virtue to their life puts on the mind of Christ. While this does not mean that all of a sudden they are able to foretell the future, and are able to change the future by always doing the right thing, it does mean that in order to redeem the time, they try to prevent as many obstacles from altering their life as possible.
You do not have to be virtuous in order to fill up your gas tank prior to setting off on a long trip. However, because you take the time to put on the mind of Christ, hopefully you will not allow yourself to demonstrate qualities of laziness by not taking certain precautions that would cause you to run out of gas halfway through your journey.
When you have virtue in your life, you will always have an answer for the hope that lies within you. Regardless of the circumstances, you will be prepared for God to use you and to allow HIS light to shine through you. Because you are ready to be prepared God will be able to use you in ways you never imagined.
You have an obligation to God to ensure that your spiritual light never goes out. You cannot hide your light under a bushel only to bring it out when you want to. Instead, the light must shine continually, ready always for God to bring people into your life to be ministered unto. Every thought, action and deed should be taken with consideration as to how it will affect your testimony for God.
Being a Christian does not mean that you are perfect. However, because you add virtue to your life, you understand that your life reflects the light of God upon this world; as such, you must take the time to ensure that you do not act foolishly and thus detract from your testimony. Be a wise servant of God by ensuring that your spiritual light never goes out, make sure that you are prepared always to be used of HIM as HE desires.