Recently, I was having a conversation with my dear wife when I told her, “you won’t know the importance of an extra tire until you have a flat tire on a lonely road.” Successful people don’t live with the assumption that “extra tire” is not needed. They prepare for the unexpected.
Friend, life will always demand more than you think. This is why you need extra oil at every juncture of your life. You must not live life on assumption or sheer neglect of critical matters and skills. Life must be lived intentionally. You must be proactive, not reactive. If you are trying to be ready when you are supposed to be ready, you are already late.
“They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them” (Matthew 25:3). From the popular story of the 10 virgins, we see that in life, there would be people who live life preparing for the unexpected while others would just wait for things to happen and then enter into emergency mode. This is how the scriptures define wisdom; the ability to see and prepare ahead.
We can draw a few other lessons from the above story; first is that all of them were virgins, which can mean, holy, born again, Christians etc. This tells us that being born again is not enough. There is a wisdom dimension to our Christian living that positions us at a place of advantage; wisdom remains the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7).
The five foolish virgins knew where the oil was sold, they only refused to buy. This is how some people live their lives. They know what to do to succeed, they simply live in neglect or denial of the same. Don’t watch other people make significant investments into their tomorrow while you only coast along “believing God” that all will be well.
Getting extra oil is personal. The best someone can do is to encourage you but you have got to “go to those who sell and buy for yourself…” (Matthew 25:9). The foolish virgins were living with an entitlement mentality, thinking that other people’s success or blessing would automatically be there’s. Don’t live like that. Leverage relationships but take personal responsibility; pay the price. You will succeed!
© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria