…olive oil for the light. Exodus 25:6

My soul, you greatly need this oil because your lamp will  not burn long without it. The wick will smoke offensively when its flame goes out, but it will not relight once the oil is gone. There is no oil well springing up from within your human nature, therefore you must go to Him who can supply you with oil or you will be like the foolish virgins, who cried out, “Our lamps are going out” (Matt. 25:8)! Even the consecrated oil lamps of the temple in Jerusalem could not give light without oil. Though they shone in that holy building, they needed a constant supply of oil, and though no strong winds blew on them, their wicks needed to be trimmed. your need is equally as great, for even under the happiest of circumstances you cannot give light for another hour unless the fresh oil of grace is given to you.

Yet not just any oil could be used in the Lord’s service in the temple — not the petroleum that flows so plentifully from the earth, oil from fish, nor the oil extracted from various nuts. Only olive oil was selected and it had to be the very best. Likewise, no counterfeit grace arising from natural goodness, nor imaginary grace from Go’s priest or his piritual ceremonies, will ever serve the true saint of God. He knows the Lord would not be pleased even with rivers of such oil. Instead, he must go to the olive press of Gethsemane and draw his supply from Him who was crushed in it.

The oil of true gospel grace is pure and free from dregs and other impurities; thus, the light it fuels is clear and bright. Our churches are the Savior’s golden candelabra and if they are to be bright lights in this dark world, they need a great supply of holy oil. May we pray for ourselves and our ministers and churches that they will never lack oil for their light. The beams of this sacred light are truth, holiness, joy, knowledge, and love, but we cannot shine them forth unless, through private devotion, we received the oil from God the Holy Spirit.

~ Charles Spurgeon

Below is a video that I saw recently that struck me. It’s very convicting. How often do I get lost in something, and place it consciously or subconsciously in front of Christ?

Christ is supposed to be central in my life…but all too often I find myself getting caught up in something of this world, and placing Christ on a lower shelf. Yesterday I chose a frivolous TV show instead of doing something I knew I should have been doing for the glory of God. Was the TV show sinful? No. Would it be okay for me to watch that show? Yes. But the reality is, I put that hour of entertainment before Christ. I pray that I would have a check in my spirit when I am faced with a choice. I desire to live in relationship with Christ, and to make the Father known.

What are you choosing today?