| Starting in 1952, the day after Thanksgiving has been regarded as the beginning of the U.S. Christmas shopping season. Dubbed Black Friday by retailers and merchants, because of the positive financial gain, many stores offer sales and discounts on limited or exclusive merchandise. Today, while most of the best Black Friday deals can be found online, there was a time where the only way to get the best deals was to wait in line for hours. Some people who waited brought tents, food, and portable entertainment as they prepared to snag the best deals the moment the store opened. In Matthew 25:1-10,13 Jesus shares a story about the danger of being unprepared: At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” You can’t find a better deal than awaiting the return of Jesus. Prayer: Lord we praise You! Cleanse our hearts so that our anticipation of Your return is what we desire most. Action: Our God is a good God. While we await His return it’s ok to have a desire for certain things in our earthly lives to come to fruition. This week pray for a heart that celebrates His eternal goodness while you await the answer to your prayers. |
Frank Turner
Frank Turner is the founder of Break Bread, Break Chains and is the co-host of the following podcasts: Defund The Church, Relative Currency, Politically Entertaining, and Christ over Crypto. He is also the founder and creator of the op-ed site Fake News Syndicate.