Matthew 25: 1-4: “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten young women 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.

I don’t know if you remember the days when, if a family took a lengthy trip by car and had to stop for gas, they not only filled the tank: they also checked the oil. I asked my dad once why he was checking the oil when he had checked it three hours earlier and, as far as I knew, we hadn’t anointed the road with the contents of the engine. He replied, “You never know what might have happened. I just like to be sure.”

I might be wrong about this, but I don’t see many people checking their oil when they gas up now. I think engines have become more reliable and less likely to dump their oil on the interstate or maybe more people have instruments to keep them informed about their oil level.

Just when this began to change, I don’t remember. It might also have to do with the fast pace of life nowadays. Yeah, we might run the risk of cooking our engines, but it would be worth it if we got where we are going a little bit sooner.

My father was wise check the dip stick at every gas stop. Doing so told him that his engine was able to continue the trip. Similarly, the wise young women in the parable made sure they had plenty of olive oil so they could do what they were supposed to. And I think that we need to take measure of our lives by prayer, reflection, reading the Bible, acts of service, and fellowship with others. All these tell us how we measure up to God’s standards. And measuring up to those standards will insure that, with the sacrifice of the Son, the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of the Creator we will continue to grow in Christlikeness. Praise God for the Trinity, Three in One and all that it has done for us, all that it is doing for us, and all that it will do for us throughout eternity. Amen.