The Ten Virgins
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those young women got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the other young women came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Matthew 25:1-13
Part of Jesus' final teaching on his return. Wedding processions arrived at unpredictable hours, and bridesmaids lit the way. All ten believed, all ten waited, all ten slept. Only the oil differed.
Some things cannot be borrowed at midnight. Character, oil in the lamp, a real relationship with the Bridegroom, these are gathered drop by drop in ordinary days. The tragedy of the five is not wickedness but unreadiness.
Buy oil now. Daily prayer, daily scripture, daily obedience are how you fill the vessel, and no one else's walk with Jesus can light your lamp when the cry comes.