prepared – La Vista Church of Christ

In Advance

Jeffrey Hamilton — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 15:41:40 +0000

by David Gibson

by Judy Baxter on Flickr.com

Some troubles are avoidable, some are not. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells of two builders (Matthew 7:24-27). Both build a house. A violent storm slams both houses. One house stands firm. The other falls. The difference? One had been founded on the rock, the other on sand.

Jesus’ point is that those who hear His words and do what He says are like the wise builder. Those who hear His words and don’t obey can expect disaster.

The wise builder faced one problem: the storm. The foolish builder had two problems: 1) the storm, and 2) the collapse of his house. The storm was unavoidable, but the collapse of his house could have been prevented. Had he done what the wise builder did, there would have been two houses standing instead of one.

In this powerful parable, Jesus issues both a warning and a promise. The warning is that if you don’t obey Him, you will lose everything. The promise is that if you obey Him, you will be safe and sound when the storm comes.

Preparation

What we do today or fail to do today can greatly affect our tomorrows. Each day we live, we are building on a rock or on sand. Time will test our efforts.

Those who have not become Christians need to take a hard look at this passage. Those who have fallen away from Christ need to do the same. Faithful Christians would do well to re-read this parable every once in a while to be reminded that it’s definitely worth the effort.

We can’t say we haven’t been warned.

Be Ready

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 18:44:40 +0000

by Zeke Flores

In Luke 12, Jesus stresses to His disciples their need for readiness in three parables. In the first, He tells of servants who await their master's return from a wedding feast. The Lord says, "Be like them" (Luke 12:36). In the second, He tells of a homeowner who is watchful for thieves who might break into his home. Finally, Jesus speaks of the "faithful and sensible steward" who is busy doing his tasks although he doesn't know when his absent master will return home. All of these share a couple of concepts - you can probably find more - that are helpful as we await the return of our Master.

There are lots of reasons why we have to wait. They usually have to do with someone else, whether a wife waiting for her husband to come home from work, a father waiting for his family in the car before church, or sitting in a doctor's office until your name pierces the air telling you your wait in the waiting room is over. You can go to the exam room where you'll wait longer.

I hate waiting, especially when there's nothing to do. And even more so when I don’t necessarily look forward to what I’m waiting for. I hate waiting even more when I’m really anxious for the thing to happen!

The parables Jesus told stress the need for watchfulness, either explicitly or implicitly. The servants watch for their master's return from the feast so they can be ready to let him in; the homeowner watches for thieves to protect his property; and the steward watches for his master so he'll find everything in order and running well when he returns.

Also, there's the faithfulness of the various men in the parables. Despite a master being gone, slaves and stewards are busy attending to their duties. No slackers here.

Those two principles - watchfulness and faithfulness - should mark the character of Christians as we busily anticipate the coming of the Master.

"You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect" (Luke 12:40).

You Can Only Live So Long

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 16:24:39 +0000

by Mike Johnson

“You can only live so long.” According to an AP article, these were the last words of a tenor as he performed at the Metropolitan Opera House during a production in New York City. The man was standing at the top of a ten-foot ladder when he suffered a heart attack. He fell to the stage below and died a short time later after singing the fatalistic line.

A few years ago, in Michigan, a bowler who had been bowling for 31 years died shortly after bowling his first 300 game at the age of 40. Fellow league members had cheered him on and had surrounded him as he rolled his final three strikes. Shortly after the game, the man seemed quiet; then, the color drained from his face, and within fifteen minutes, he suffered a fatal heart attack!

People die under a variety of circumstances and in many different ways. Most do not die under such unique circumstances as the two men mentioned above, although many die unexpectedly and suddenly as they did. However, despite how death comes and the conditions under which it happens, it comes to all.

The Bible teaches the inevitability of death and the fickleness of our life here on this earth. Hebrews 9:27 speaks of two certainties we face as it says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Job 14:1-2 says, “Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue.” James 4:14 points out that our life is a “vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

When a death occurs, people ask various questions. One might ask, “Did he leave a family behind?” Another may ask, “Did he have a lot of money?” Some may want to know the cause of the person’s death. Although these and similar questions are commonly asked, they pale compared to the most crucial question: “Was the person a faithful Christian?” When a person dies, this is the only question that matters.

At the most, life on this earth is short, and death can come at any time. So what are we doing with the time we have? Are we using our brief life here on this earth to faithfully serve God? Are we “redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:16), knowing that our death and the Judgment are swiftly approaching (Ecclesiastes 9:7, II Corinthians 5:10)?

People do die under unusual circumstances and at unexpected times. However, unless the Lord comes first, we all will die. Are we prepared for this inevitable event? If not, we need to make sure we prepare ourselves by obeying the Will of God.

The Ten Virgins

Jeffrey Hamilton — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 03:08:00 +0000

by Shawn Daniels

Jesus gives this parable of the kingdom of heaven:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 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. 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. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:1-13).

Let us understand this parable and benefit from what it can teach us.

First, we need to understand what this parable is made to represent. Who is it that Jesus is speaking of? Jesus said, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto…” Here, the phrase kingdom of heaven is a descriptive title for the church. It is speaking of this kingdom whose rule is in heaven. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36). His rule is in heaven. Jesus also says, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). Here, he’s saying that his kingdom can not be surveyed with physical instruments. It is a spiritual kingdom, one that is within us and ruled by Jesus from heaven. That is the meaning of the phrase kingdom of heaven. It was used to convey the idea to the Jews that God’s kingdom is not a physical, earthly kingdom, but a spiritual, heavenly kingdom. Jesus uses the two descriptive titles church and the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 16:18-19, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church… …And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” It speaks of the same institution as the church, which incidentally describes its called-out feature. The same idea is in the phrase ‘kingdom of God’ that Christ promised would come with power in the same generation as some that were there with him (Mark 9:1). The same is true of the phrase ’household of God.’ “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). That is descriptive of its family feature. We who were Gentiles now have this ability to be children of God. We are part of this family. Therefore, Jesus, in saying that the kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins, is also saying the church is like ten virgins.

Why ten virgins? Ten in the scripture represent whole or ‘all parts.’ So Jesus is speaking of the aggregate of the saved. He uses virgins for the simple reason that virgins represent one that is pure, and we who are in this kingdom are pure. Peter tells us, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (I Peter 1:22-23). When we have obeyed the truth, we have become virgins waiting for the bridegroom to come. Paul tells us, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (II Corinthians 11:2).

Jesus tells us that there were two groups: five virgins who were wise and five who were foolish. Notice he doesn’t say that one is good or the other is evil. He doesn’t say one sinned and the other never did. As a matter of fact, the scriptures teach us that all have sinned (Romans 3:23). However, both groups are virgins, pure, and children of God. One was wise, and the other was foolish. Why? One group was prepared, and the other was not. This parable is a warning to show us that even if we are children of God, we can live in such a way that we will be lost. We also learn that we can’t be prepared because of someone else's efforts. We must be watchful for our own selves. We must keep ourselves prepared and do the tasks God wants us to do. Verse 8 and 9 say, “And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 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” (Matthew 25:8-9). That is to say, complete the tasks that will make you prepared.

How about you? Are you one of the wise virgins or one of the foolish? Will you be found unprepared and hear Jesus say, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not” (Matthew 25:12), or will you be ready to enter? "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man will come!" (Matthew 25:13).