The Parable of The Ten Bridesmaids is found in Matthew 25:1-13. Jesus sums up the parable's meaning for us clearly, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." The simple message of this parable is one that Jesus touched on again and again:

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:44, see also Luke 12:40).

What is interesting about this story is that all the virgins took their lamps to meet the bridegroom. If you looked at these virgins, they all looked the same. You would have assumed they were prepared for the arrival of the bridegroom. However, as you see having a lamp was not enough. With no oil the lamp was virtually useless. This leads to an important question. Are you focused on what the outside of the lamp looks like or do you care what’s inside the lamp? If the oil represents the Holy Spirit, the question of real importance is are you full of the Holy Spirit? Consider this verse in Romans.

“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” – Romans 8:9

If the Spirit of God does not dwell within you then you do not belong to God. The good news is that when God saved you, the Holy Spirit came to take up residence in your heart. This is the defining marker of a believer. Without the Holy Spirit or the oil as mentioned in this parable of the 10 virgins, you are just an empty lamp. It does not matter how good the lamp looks on the outside.