Preparing....

Today has been a busy one. We have a storm headed our direction and by all accounts it may be a doozy. Mostly just really cold with really cold chill factors.

DH made his rounds turning off windmills and checking on the stock. DS and I took care of getting a lot of wood on the porch. I cleaned out the wood-stove and dumped the ash.Made sure there were enough groceries and the necessities of life, like toilet paper, just in case we get more snow then predicted. Our road is seldom bladed this far out, and we do have the potential to be stuck out here for a few days.

Extra feed will be poured out for the chickens and goats this evening. Gates will be opened for horses, should they want to head in under the barn in the corral. Mostly they like to line up on the south fence of my yard with their hindquarters facing the north. The dogs have had their bedding fluffed and heat lamps are in place, and I imagine a couple of them will be in the house in front of the fire before it is all said and done.

I have cleaned house and washed clothes... just in case the water freezes. Does not happen very often, but it is an aggravation when it does. And I wanted the day free tomorrow to quilt. What better day to sit and do something like that. With the chill factor in single digits working on a warm quilt sounds mighty nice.

The Lord kept bringing to my mind as I was preparing for this storm about being prepared. Prepared for what? For Him and for the things that may come upon our country in the future.

I know this storm is coming. I know what needs to be done. If DH waits till tomorrow night to turn off his windmills the sucker rods will most likely have already frozen and broke and then he will have a mess to contend with when it all thaws out. So he didn't tarry and put it off, he went today while the weather was good. If DS and I waited and said, "well I think we will just wait till tomorrow to get the wood hauled up to the porch," About midnight tonight when this arctic express is supposed to come blasting in here, it would be a little late. This old house would get very cold, we would be very cold and it would be miserable going and gathering in wood in 40 mile an hour winds. So..we did it while the sun was shining.

All this made me think about the story of the 10 virgins.It is in Matthew 25 if you want to read it. Basically 5 of the virgins were prudent and had their lamps trimmed and had them filled with oil, and 5 were foolish and their lamps were not ready for the coming of the Bridegroom. At midnight there was a shout that the Bridegroom was coming, and all the virgins rose and trimmed their lamps...But guess what? The foolish ones lamps were empty. They were not prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom. They even tried to get the prudent virgins to give them some of their lamp oil. To which the prudent virgins said "no" and told them to go and purchase some of their own. Verse 10 says" And while they were going away to make the purchase, the Bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.

The door was shut. They could not get in. As they found out later when they came in saying, "Lord Lord open up for us." And He answered them Saying" Truly I say to you, I do not know you." That verse just sends chills down my spine. To hear those words from the Lord..." I do not know you." Would there be anything worse then those 10 words?

I love the word of God. Everything we need to live this life is there. It is the ultimate 'how to book'. God never does anything with warning His people. And He has been sending out warnings since time began. All through the Old testament He warned the Hebrew children what would happen if they continued on the course they had set. He didn't warn in vain. He just didn't threaten them. His warnings were fulfilled. Great tragedies came upon them and they were scatted like the 4 winds.

Today we see the warning, or we should. All through the Bible there are warnings. Many warnings are in the New Testament of what will happen before the end of time. Man's love for the Lord and for each other will grow cold. Wars and rumors of wars. Earthquakes, famine, disease. Morals will plummet, sin will abound. Good will be called evil and evil will be called good. Kind of sounds like the headlines of Fox News doesn't it? And yes I know that people have been saying things like this for years and it hasn't happened yet. It is true we do not know the time or the hour of the Lords return. It could be today or a 100 years from now...but why take the chance?

I want my lamp to be full and my wick trimmed. When I lay down at night for sleep, I want to know that if my Bridegroom comes at midnight I am ready for Him. Being unprepared is a chance I just do not want to take. How about you? Are you ready for the Wedding feast? Is your lamp full of oil and its wick trimmed? I pray that it is. I leave you with this verse.

Matthew 25 verse 13

" Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day, nor the hour."

God Bless and Happy Trails
RanchWife