Refills
For today’s devotional, I was led to revisit a parable in the Bible I had preached about last year. It is the parable of the Ten Virgins who waited for the bridegroom to come. Five of them are described as wise because of their actions, while the other five are described as foolish. The Greek word behind the word "foolish" is "morai", from which is derived in later linguistic development the derogatory word "moron". A word that was coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard, which meant "dull" and was used to describe a person with a mental age in adulthood between 7-10 on the Binet scale - in other words, immature. The body grew older, but the mind and maturity did not.
Without reading this later meaning back into the biblical text, it is interesting to note that the Lord uses this word and this parable to teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven, when He said:
1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” (Matthew 25:1-2 ESV)
The question is, who are we in this parable? Are we like the foolish virgins or the wise? What determines this is where it gets interesting. See, the wise and the foolish virgins all had much in common. They all loved the bridegroom, a symbol for the Lord Himself, as do we. They were all excited for that great day of the wedding, as we are also in that we look forward to when the Lord our Savior will come for His bride. In addition, they all prepared for the wait by having their lamps with them that provided light and comfort in the surrounding darkness, as do we who have the presence of the Lord and His Holy Spirit in us to guide and comfort us in this present darkness. But there was one major difference. Whereas the ones described as “wise” brought extra oil with their flasks, the agent that keeps the fire burning, the ones described as “foolish” brought only the minimum of what they thought was necessary. Let’s look at the story:
3"For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” (Matthew 25:3-10 ESV)
It is a sobering moment to pause and think about the implications here. This parable was meant to teach us that many of us live our lives with the Lord with only the minimum requirement. We have accepted the Lord as Savior into our lives, but somehow never grew beyond that to a fuller maturity. When the storms of life hit, we waiver, and when the road gets long, we run out of what keeps us going with the Lord. The parable also teaches us that as much as we love each other in Christ, the stuff that keeps us going cannot be shared among each other. It can be inspired to have and get more, but it cannot be passed on from one to the other. Oh, how I wish we could, to see someone in need and infuse them with our faith and confidence. But that is not how it works. Every believer must grow and gain that “fuel” for themselves, we cannot live off another one’s faith.
Every time I think about this parable, it makes me wonder if I have enough fuel to keep me going, when the wait is long and the period of darkness feels all the longer. Do we have enough to draw from when circumstances hit? Or when failures and disappointments happen?
Take a moment today to think about this parable. Consider the spiritual fuel you have and let me encourage you, if your tank is empty, don’t wait! Don’t keep on driving, look of the gas station, look for the “free refill” the Lord will provide in abundance if we are taking our time with Him. Surrender all things to Him and invite His presence to light the fire again.
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1 ESV)
Without reading this later meaning back into the biblical text, it is interesting to note that the Lord uses this word and this parable to teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven, when He said:
1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” (Matthew 25:1-2 ESV)
The question is, who are we in this parable? Are we like the foolish virgins or the wise? What determines this is where it gets interesting. See, the wise and the foolish virgins all had much in common. They all loved the bridegroom, a symbol for the Lord Himself, as do we. They were all excited for that great day of the wedding, as we are also in that we look forward to when the Lord our Savior will come for His bride. In addition, they all prepared for the wait by having their lamps with them that provided light and comfort in the surrounding darkness, as do we who have the presence of the Lord and His Holy Spirit in us to guide and comfort us in this present darkness. But there was one major difference. Whereas the ones described as “wise” brought extra oil with their flasks, the agent that keeps the fire burning, the ones described as “foolish” brought only the minimum of what they thought was necessary. Let’s look at the story:
3"For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” (Matthew 25:3-10 ESV)
It is a sobering moment to pause and think about the implications here. This parable was meant to teach us that many of us live our lives with the Lord with only the minimum requirement. We have accepted the Lord as Savior into our lives, but somehow never grew beyond that to a fuller maturity. When the storms of life hit, we waiver, and when the road gets long, we run out of what keeps us going with the Lord. The parable also teaches us that as much as we love each other in Christ, the stuff that keeps us going cannot be shared among each other. It can be inspired to have and get more, but it cannot be passed on from one to the other. Oh, how I wish we could, to see someone in need and infuse them with our faith and confidence. But that is not how it works. Every believer must grow and gain that “fuel” for themselves, we cannot live off another one’s faith.
Every time I think about this parable, it makes me wonder if I have enough fuel to keep me going, when the wait is long and the period of darkness feels all the longer. Do we have enough to draw from when circumstances hit? Or when failures and disappointments happen?
Take a moment today to think about this parable. Consider the spiritual fuel you have and let me encourage you, if your tank is empty, don’t wait! Don’t keep on driving, look of the gas station, look for the “free refill” the Lord will provide in abundance if we are taking our time with Him. Surrender all things to Him and invite His presence to light the fire again.
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1 ESV)
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