Welcome to the feminine podcast. This is Nancy Wilson. Thanks so much for joining me today.

So my topic today is what is in your cupboards? Most of us, I assume, like to have our cupboards

full so that we have whatever we need when we need it. No one likes to find she's out of an important ingredient in the midst of

whipping up a recipe or out of toilet paper when guests are arriving or out of

laundry detergent on the big laundry day. We would all, I assume, prefer to be prepared for whatever comes up.

And of course, this takes diligence and planning. But this is not a talk about prepping for potentially hard times ahead.

And yet in a way it is. I'm going to be making a spiritual application here and not a physical one.

I'm sure when Jesus told the parable of the virgins with the oil lamps, he was not just talking about supplies of oil.

And so I'm talking about your spiritual cupboards here.

In Matthew 25, 1 through 4, Jesus is telling this

parable of the bridegroom coming and he says, then the kingdom of heaven shall be

likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Now five of them were wise and five were foolish.

Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took

oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Now we all know this story, some were prepared, some were not. Matthew Henry says in his commentary that the foolish have no principle within.

They have a lamp of profession in their hands, but have not in their hearts that stock of sound

knowledge rooted dispositions and settled resolutions which is necessary to

carry them through the services and trials of the present state.

In other words, to have your spiritual cupboards full,

you need to be prepared.

And he divides it into these three things, which I like very much.

...