
Running on empty?
Does this sound familiar? It’s been a busy week. You’ve been rushing from one appointment to another. Zooming around trying to catchup with the days and hours that seem to be ten steps ahead of you. You are running late again but if you just stay a few kilometres above the speed limit you may just make it. Then you notice the light on the dashboard. It’s that warning light you have gotten so used to these days. You are running low on fuel.
For many Christians this is the story of their lives. I’m not talking about the fuel in their cars. I am more concerned about the condition of their inner lives. The hustle and bustle of everyday life is causing people to live their lives constantly running on empty. The parable of the ten virgins is a sobering message Jesus gave us to warn us about the danger of running on empty.
Matthew 25:1-10 (NLT) – “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came.
Three things to note in this parable:
Firstly – the ten virgins had a role to play
The parable depicted a familiar scene that the listeners would have understood easily. There were ten virgins chosen for the sole purpose of meeting the groom’s party and accompanying them to the home where the bride was awaiting them. Their distinct role in this event was to be light bearers. Their personality didn’t really matter. Neither did their beauty, nor the amazing outfits they would have carefully chosen for the occasion. None of these would matter as they would usually meet the bridegroom and his entourage in the still of the night. The only thing that really mattered was that they ensured their lamps were lit.
As Christians we can get so caught up with things that don’t really matter at the end of the day. Getting our doctrines perfectly in order. Ensuring our churches maintain relevance in this fast changing world. Making our Sunday services attractive to a wider audience. A ton of very urgent current issues that need to be addressed so that we don’t get run over by the barrage of anti-God ideas that keep smashing into our walls of defence. If we don’t stand up for God who will? We become so distracted doing church we forget the sole reason we exist on earth – to be light bearers.
Jesus knew his single most important task while on earth.
John 9:4-5 (NKJV) I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
He went on to tell us that this is equally the single most important task we have on earth.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV) “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
THE SOLE PURPOSE WE EXIST IS TO BE A LIGHT – TO BE AN AVENUE FOR SOMEONE TO SEE THE FATHER THROUGH US.
Our roles with our spouses, our children, our siblings; our roles as a friend, as church members, as leaders, as members of the community we live in – is to be a light. Without light there would be no sight. Light is what gives us the ability to see. We see because light from an object moves through space to our eyes and gives us sight. We are told that once light reaches our eyes, signals are sent to our brain, and our brain deciphers those signals into information. The entire complexed process is only possible with the presence of light. WITHOUT LIGHT THERE WOULD BE NO SIGHT.
Similarly, Jesus’ analogy of calling us lights of the world is to emphasise the importance of every believer as a light to enable others to see the Father. Without our light how will they see?
SECONDLY – All ten virgins fell asleep
The second thing to notice in the parable is that all ten of the virgins fell asleep. It would seem that falling asleep was inevitable and probably expected seeing that the bridegroom and his entourage comes at an unexpected time and usually in the dead of the night.
“When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.”
Scriptures are full of this warning that there is going to be a delay in Christ’s second coming. The warning is there because delay can lead to drowsiness. Spiritual drowsiness comes in various forms. Some of the more common causes of “drowsiness” can be disappointment, discouragement, offences, hurts etc. Sometimes as christians we just get tired of being nice all the time. Tired of turning the other cheek all the time. Tired of being the door mat all the time. Tired of doing the christian thing all the time.
Spiritual drowsiness can lead us to inactivity in the realm of faith. Jesus asked a very searching question to His followers in Luke 18:8 –
(NKJV) when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?
The context when Jesus said those words are important. It was in the midst of a story where a widow was experiencing the reality of social injustice for women during the time when Jesus was on earth. Women had no direct access to the legal system of the day and had to either access the courts through their husband or fathers. Widows had neither and therefore lost access to the courts. But Jesus tells a story of a persistent widow who wore out a judge and received justice in the end. Our Lord’s application of that story in the believer’s life is what triggered the statement.
Luke 18:6-8 (NLT) Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
GOD WILL COME THROUGH FOR US – THE QUESTION IS – WILL WE STILL HAVE ANY OIL LEFT IN OUR LAMPS TO KEEP THE LIGHT BURNING
THIRDLY – Five of the virgins ran out of oil
That brings us to our third and most important point. Five of them ran out of oil. Remember the only role these virgins had was to bear light with their lamps. To have light in your lamp you must have oil. Whatever these bridesmaids did to prepare themselves to meet the bridegroom, five of them obviously neglected the only important thing that mattered – make sure you have enough oil to keep the light burning.
That is the million dollar question for all of us – DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH OIL TO KEEP YOUR LIGHT BURNING?
I want to share two places where we can re-fuel on a regular basis to ensure we have enough oil no matter what the delay is in our waiting to see the Lord come through for us.
First fuel stop – a consistent, daily bible reading and study plan
Psalms 119:105 (NLT) Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
This year, set aside time for God’s word if you haven’t done so already. Embark on a reading plan. If you have never read the Bible cover to cover start doing that this year. Start with the Gospels first. Read all the Gospels. Then move on to the New Testament. Then the entire bible. Short devotionals are great but they aren’t enough to store up oil for the long journey.
Not only have a daily Bible reading plan, join a Bible study group and study the Bible together.
YOUR FIRST FUEL STOP – SET ASIDE TIME FOR THE READING AND STUDY OF GOD’S WORD
Second fuel stop – fellowship regularly with other believers.
Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT) Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
The Christian life cannot be done alone. Jesus didn’t teach us to pray “my Father”. It is our Father. The author to the Hebrews stresses the importance of meeting together as he notices the effects of the times he was living in and how it was causing believers to slacken in their spiritual vigour. Christian fellowship should cause one to be motivated towards “love and good works”.
1 John 1:7 (NLT) But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Not only does fellowship motivate and stirr one up to keep walking the Christian walk, Christian fellowship causes change and Transformation to occur in a believer’s life. The apostle John says that in the midst of fellowship believers are able to position ourselves in the direct cleansing stream of the blood of Jesus. John in fact goes on a few chapters later to say that this kind of fellowship keeps us honest in our relationship with others.
1 John 4:20 (NLT) If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION AND SPIRITUAL INTEGRITY OCCURS REGULARLY WHEN WE ARE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS.
SO TWO REGULAR PITSTOPS TO MAKE:
FIRSTLY, SET ASIDE TIME FOR THE READING AND STUDY OF GOD’S WORD
SECONDLY, SET ASIDE TIME TO GATHER FOR FELLOWSHIP, SO THAT TRUE TRANSFORMATION AND SPIRITUAL INTEGRITY CAN CONTINUE TO OCCUR
SO FUEL UP! IT’S GOING TO BE A LONG JOURNEY