Grandma’s Last Night 祖母的最后一夜

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Dexu Xia

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Jul 5, 2025, 2:38:55 AM7/5/25

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The wise [virgins] . . . took oil in jars along with their lamps. Matthew 25:4

Today's Insights The scene in Matthew 25:1-13 is of a bridal wedding party. Traditionally, the bride with her bridesmaids would wait at her parents’ home for the groom, who’d typically arrive after dark to begin a celebratory procession to the wedding at his parents’ home. Because the timing could vary significantly, the bridal party needed to be prepared for an indefinite amount of time. In Jesus’ parable, the groom arrives even later than usual, and some bridesmaids didn’t bring enough oil for their lamps. The wise, prepared bridesmaids couldn’t share their oil reserves without risking also running out and ruining the wedding procession. This scene offered an ideal example of the need for believers in Christ to have a posture of constant faithfulness and readiness both to meet Jesus and to serve Him, even in unpredictable times.

Today's Devotional My grandmother had a routine on Saturday nights. Before she went to bed, she laid out all her clothing, including the shoes she planned to wear to church the next morning. She always attended the early service and wanted to be ready to get up and go the next morning without any delay. One Saturday night, she was suddenly hospitalized. Later, Jesus called her name, and she died. When my grandfather returned home from the hospital, he found her clothes laid out. She’d been prepared to go to church as well as to meet her God.

My grandmother’s ritual reminds me of the wisdom of the bridesmaids in the parable in Matthew 25. In the story, Christ tells His disciples to be ready for His coming: “Keep watch,” He said. No one knows “the day or the hour” He’ll return (v. 13), so it’s wise for us to be prepared. If we wait until the last minute to prepare, we could be like “the foolish ones” (v. 3). They ran out of oil because they hadn’t prepared well, and just after they left their posts to refill their lamps with oil, the bridegroom came.

We may not need to lay out our clothes like my grandmother, but her ritual demonstrated her desire to be ready for church as well as for her Savior. May we use her wisdom to be ready for the most important things in life, serving Jesus as He leads us and being ready for His return.

Reflect & Pray

How can you prepare for Christ’s coming? What wise choices can you make in serving Him today?

Dear Jesus, please show me how to be wise as I serve You and prepare for Your return. By Katara Patton

聪明的童女拿着灯,又预备油在器皿里。马太福音 25:4

今日经文: 马太福音 25章1-13 节

今日见解马太福音 25章1-13 节中的场景是一场婚礼。传统上，新娘会带着伴娘在娘家等候新郎。新郎通常会在天黑后到达，然后开始前往娘家参加婚礼的庆祝仪式。由于时间安排可能有很大差异，婚礼队伍需要准备很长时间。在耶稣的比喻中，新郎比平时来得更晚，而一些伴娘没有带足够的油来点亮她们的灯。聪明且准备充分的伴娘们不能分享她们的油，否则也会面临油用完的风险，从而破坏婚礼的秩序。这一幕提供了一个理想的例子，说明基督徒需要始终保持忠诚，随时准备迎接耶稣,并服侍祂，即使在不可预知的时代也是如此。

今日灵修我祖母在周六晚上有个习惯。睡觉前，她会把她要穿的衣服都摆出来，包括她计划第二天早上去教堂穿的鞋子。她总是参加早间礼拜，希望第二天早上能早点起床，毫不拖延地去教堂。一个周六晚上，她突然住院。后来，耶稣呼唤她的名字，她就死了。当我祖父从医院回家时，发现她的衣服都摆好了。她已经准备好去教堂，也准备好迎接她的上帝了。

祖母的仪式让我想起了马太福音25章中伴娘的寓言中的智慧。在这个故事中，基督告诉他的门徒要为他的到来做好准备：“警醒，”他说。没有人知道祂何时何地再来（13节），所以我们做好准备是明智之举。如果我们等到最后一刻才准备，就可能像那些“愚拙的人”（3节）一样。他们因为没有准备好，油用完了。他们刚离开岗位去给灯添油，新郎就来了。

我们或许不需要像祖母那样把衣服摆放整齐，但她的仪式表明了她渴望为教会和救主做好准备。愿我们运用她的智慧，为生命中最重要的事做好准备，按着耶稣的带领去服侍祂，并预备好迎接祂的再来。

反思与祷告你该如何预备迎接基督的再来？今天在服侍祂时，你可以做出哪些明智的选择？亲爱的耶稣，请教导我如何在服侍祢和预备迎接祢再来时，保持智慧。