The parables in Matthew 25 are ones of alarm: (1) the account of the five foolish and five virgins (2) the parable of the talents, and (3) the parable of the goats and the sheep. In the first parable, the foolish virgins did not go to God for their oil, but instead to their neighbors. Prayer is the key to seeking oil from God. In the second parable, we learn that we should fear to have a wrong concept of God. Reading God's Word will help us to know God and guard against false concepts. The key to serving God and showing love to God is to care for the disadvantaged among us. We need to realize that this is our day of alarm — we need to prepare ourselves.