Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Oil In my Lamp

I remember singing a song  from years ago when I went to Sunday school. It was a fun upbeat song. Did I ever think about the words which I was singing? Did I know that they are scriptural? No, not until now. This morning, I was reading  the gospel of Matthew as a continuation in my bible devotions. "The Parable of the Ten Virgins " As I read the parable, that song of old, popped back into my head. After all these years, I had to look up the words again. Here they are below.

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Keep me burning 'til the break of day
(Chorus)
Sing hosanna, sing hosanna
Sing hosanna to the King of Kings
Sing hosanna, sing hosanna
Sing hosanna to the King of Kings
Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising
Give me joy in my heart, I pray
Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising
Keep me praising 'til the break of day
Chorus
Give me peace in my heart, keep me resting
Give me peace in my heart, I pray
Give me peace in my heart, keep me resting
Keep me resting 'til the break of day
Chorus
Give me love in my heart, keep me serving
Give me love in my heart, I pray
Give me love in my heart, keep me serving
Keep me serving 'til the break of day

There are at least five very important messages in this song which could help us keep that oil in the lamp burning. Here is what I came up with:

1. The first message; is praying to God for Him to keep your lamp burning. The Holy Spirit fills your lamp. By praying, we are communicating with God. We need a relationship with God the Father which can only be found through the Son Christ Jesus. The song asks Jesus, to keep us burning until the break of day. (Until He returns) The message is taken from this parable which Jesus spoke of in Matthew 25. They are words written in red to stand out with great importance because Jesus is giving us a very important message through His words. (Jesus speaks of ten virgins. Five were wise and five were foolish. The wise took jars of oil with them. The foolish ran their lamps dry because they thought they had all the time in to world to run around, while wasting their oil away. The delay in the bridegroom coming made them think that the bridegroom (Jesus) would not return yet. When He returned, the five foolish ones were desperately trying to scrounge around and borrow oil so they could then fill their lamps. Sadly, it was too late. The Bridegroom took the wise virgins with him to the wedding banquet (to the new Kingdom with the Lord) because their lamps were full of oil The foolish ones were denied entrance, even though they pleaded to be let in. Jesus finishes the parable by saying "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

On a side note, there is another song from my childhood I remembered. That song was inspired from Psalm 120:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." That song is another prayer. The bible says John 8:12 "Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life." When we receive him as Saviour, He becomes that light in us. We are to be His light in the darkness.

2. The second message in the song is praying for the joy of the Lord. The bible says that the Joy of the Lord is our strength.

3. The third message in the song is praying for peace. The peace that passes all understanding.

4.  The forth message in the song is praying, for love in my heart to keep on serving the Lord)

5. The fifth message in the song is praising God (Hosanna) in the highest (giving God that place reserved for only Him the King of Kings (Christ Jesus).

When I meditated on this parable, again, I had to ask myself, "Am I like the foolish virgin or am I being like the wise virgin? Is my lamp full of oil and do I have my jars overflowing?

1. Do I pray to God everyday and have a relationship with Christ? (A relationship much like the kind you would have with your bridegroom to be?

2.  Do I have the joy of the Lord, His strength? or Do I go about my daily business doing what I want to do, in my own weakness?

3.  Do I have the peace of God? or do I go around burdened by the cares of this world rather than rejoicing in all that the Lord has given and offers to me? Do I fill my lamp with worldly treasures: (things like money or the pursuit of it, worldly pleasures like drugs, alcohol, worldly possessions, fame, fortune) rather than fill my lamp with the oil of joy, oil of peace, oil of love and service?

4.  Do I live for Christ, by seeking to know Him, serve Him, follow Him and live a life for Him? or Do I live for myself? Choosing (disobedience, deception, dishonest gain, delusion, denial, doubt) which all lead to death and deplete the oil from lamp?

God through His Grace, compassion, His mercy and His love, gave each one of us a lamp. God has given us plenty of oil. Because He loves us, He desires to fill our lamps to over flowing. He can't do that unless we lift up our lamps to Him and ask Him to pour in. We must be wise and knowledgeable in the way we use our gifts and talents. Are we serving God or serving ourselves (our own selfish ambitions?)

Perhaps this simple little song is a good start?

Oh Lord, Jesus,
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Keep me burning 'til the break of day

Jesus said,
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

Are you ready for the wedding banquet? Have you prepared yourself? If you would like to read Matthew Chapter 25 click the link to bible gateway just below.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:1-13&version=AMP

Friday, November 2, 2012

Matthew Chapter 24

I was at a women's retreat on the weekend. I heard a message given from the pulpit. The speaker moves in the gifts of the prophetic. She gave a message for these current times. It was a serious message.

We look all around us and we can see the signs of the end of the age. Whether it is scientific calculations, astronomers, Nostradamus followers or following the Myan calendar - people are watching and expecting something to happen to our planet. I follow the bible , I believe that "God" the Creator of the Universe, created everything and inspired the writings of the bible.  Old testament prophets, spoke of the day of the Lord, hundreds of years before the prophesied Messiah (Christ Jesus)  even came. It was prophesied that the Messiah would come and offer salvation and redemption from death. It is all documented in the Holy Bible. We have seen many of the prophesies come to pass. There is definitely more prophecies to be fulfilled. These are spoken of by the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and through the visions of John spoken of in the book of revelation. The signs are written out throughout the bible.

If you don't know what they are, Jesus himself spoke of some of these signs, found in the gospel of Matthew Chapter 24.

The speaker at the retreat got my attention. It was a wake-up call, again. Sometimes we need to be awakened. I don't want to come across as a doomsday fanatic, but I do want to be alert to what the bible teaches about the coming of the Lord (the day of the Lord). I want to be ready when the Messiah (Christ Jesus returns) That is why I'm writing this blog. If I believe the bible and say I believe in Jesus and do not share about Him and His second coming, I would be living in disobedience, by not fulfilling the great commission.

Matthew 24:14
Amplified Bible (AMP)
14 And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.) 
I believe, I have a responsibility to tell others. If a house was on fire, would I stand there and watch it burn, if I knew someone was inside? I think at the very least, I would call the fire department or dial 911. Well, I'm dialing 911 right now.  I can only present the biblical truth to others and give an opportunity to receive knowledge to biblical teaching. Whether you are interested or not, is the choice of each individual person.
For me, there is proof in the pudding. We have seen it. It has been written for centuries. Read Matthew chapter 24 to get started. Please don't stop there. Look around at the world news and consider the validity of the word of God.
Consider that the time of the Lord may be near. Hypothetically speaking, if there is a fifty percent chance that the bible is what it is claimed to be, by Christians, all over the world, is it worth investigating? If given a choice, would you gamble your eternal destiny on the other fifty percent? I'm 100% sure I would not play the odds against God.

Matthew Chapter 24 - tells of the end of the age, a time when Christ will return. There are many things Jesus tells His disciples will happen. Over this last century, we have seen many of these signs. Even today, if we turn on the news casts, we see an increase of activity. Lawlessness, hearts of believers growing cold, (people turning from the bible and toward modern beliefs) wars, rumours of wars, (war has become a national event in the last two centuries) the gospel will be preached in all the world (Internet, modern transportation) has made this possible. false prophets, teaching UN-biblical doctrines. Jesus warns us to be alert. We must know the bible so that we will not be deceived. Read further in Matthew 24. If you do not have a bible, a great bible reference is Bible gateway.com. See links belows.

Reference: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024&version=AMP;CEB

For more bible study, here is a great link.

http://www.thestreamtv1.com/PUT/bdtv_academy_002.htm