A few weeks ago one of our smoke alarms started to "chirp".
You know, the chirping sound it makes when it's time to change the battery.
So, I changed the battery in that one, thinking, "I have plenty of time to change the others... I won't worry about it now..."
Thursday night, after a particularly rough week, 30 minutes after my wife and I went to bed, the alarm in the bedroom started to "chirp".
We both lay wide awake as I stared at the smoke alarm 15 feet in the air. We have high ceilings in the bedroom and no ladder.
Chirp!
Needless to say we both got a terrible night's sleep downstairs in the living room, her on the couch, me on the floor.
I'm far to old to sleep on the floor!
At six-thirty the next morning I headed to Home Depot and bought a ladder and batteries, this time replacing ALL the alarm batteries in the house.
I thought about that, how something as simple as taking care of the battery during the day time would have saved us a horrible night's sleep.
And how important it is to be prepared for the Lord's coming as well. To be living as we should.
Reading Matthew today,
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
"'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
"Later the others also came. 'Lord, Lord,' they said, 'open the door for us!'
"But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I don't know you.'
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. " Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV)
