1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
I have always loved this parable.
It is a powerful reminder that when we refuse to walk in the truth and get lazy about our responsibilities to be witnesses of God at all times and in all places, that the spirit of the Lord will not always strive with us.
Sometimes it is easy to think that we can just continue on living a lie, sticking our fingers in our ears and yelling when the truth is presented to us over and over again.
But when the Lord gives us opportunity after opportunity to embrace the truth and we pridefully march on thinking that we can just have it our own way, at times, some who profess to be followers of Christ, get left behind. And Heavenly Father does not expect those who have embraced the truth to always share with those who refuse to.
It makes me think of a talk that the Prophet President Ezra Taft Benson gave during General Conference…He said:
“To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is all-consuming and all-encompassing. It is no lukewarm endeavor. It is total commitment of our very being—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—to a love of the Lord.”
President Benson also quoted the Savior in Matthew chapter ten when he said that those who love Father or Mother more than the Savior are not worthy of him.
“The Lord said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37). One of the most difficult tests of all is when you have to choose between pleasing God or pleasing someone you love or respect—particularly a family member.”
A final scripture used in this talk was one from The Book of Mormon which talks about how it appears that the wicked have everything going for them for a time, but eventually the lies, sins, pain, agony, and rejection of the truth tellers will catch up with them and they will experience eternal torment for their choices during mortality.
“In the meantime the wicked think they are getting away with something. The Book of Mormon teaches that the wicked “have joy in their works for a season, [but] by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return” (3 Ne. 27:11).”
Click to read the whole talk: The Great Commandment-Love the Lord
It is my lifelong goal to always be walking in the truth, no matter what sort of pain in may bring into my life.
Natural Family Blog, an online journal written by Jenny Marie Hatch 