Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to share something with you.
Up here in the woods, if you’re gonna decide to load up the truck and go camping for the weekend, you really need to prepare some things ahead of time. You will need to pack up all of the required camping equipment, some food, matches, and of course a flashlight. A lot of us keep flashlights in our closets at home, in our garages, and even in the fishing boat. I read that flashlights have been around for over 100 years, ever since they were first created back in the late 1800s. In 1896 the first dry cell battery was made, and the flashlight quickly followed suit, being created a few years later by the English inventor David Misell (me-cell) in 1899.
He actually used three large “d” batteries to form the handle of the light, and it had a switch, so you could turn it on to illuminate your surroundings. But the early versions of this invention showed that it was going to require a lot of improvement. They became commonly known as a flash – light, because of a temperamental reason. Apparently, The light would flicker on and off at times, causing quick bursts and flashes of light. When you were young, can you remember smacking a flashlight on your hand to try to get it to work?
Things sure have progressed since then, both with the advancement of his innovation, and with the storage capacity of batteries. Nowadays many of us go camping using a convenient light known as a headlamp. The headlamp was also created by David Misell (me-cell, )but the technology has come leaps and bounds since then. All you have to do is strap it on your head, or on your baseball cap and you’re ready to go. One thing is for sure, if we head out into the woods, we are going to need fresh batteries, if we are going to see where we are going.
How many of you have gone to sleep in your tent, only to find out that when you reached out for your headlight during the middle of the night, the batteries were completely dead. Nobody had even bothered to prepare beforehand to make sure it was charged and ready to go,which made it impossible for you to see as you stumbled around your campsite in the dark.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Our hearts are very much like batteries, but they need to be charged up routinely. Each one of us is like a flashlight in this world, but in order for us to shine, we need to be charged too, so that we can see, as we walk through the darkness of this place. We must be powered up with the Holy Spirit, filling up our hearts and our minds each and every day, preparing ourselves beforehand, so that we can find our way home.
Matthew 25:1-13 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Symbolically, to take oil in our lamp, is to fill up our hearts with the things of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are vessels that need to be burning brightly with spiritual fuel, so that we are ready and prepared to be with the Lord Jesus someday. The Apostle Paul refers to himself as a vessel.
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Each of us are vessels too.
1 Thessalonians 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
The wife is known as the weaker vessel.
1 Peter 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
The main thrust of this passage is that the wise virgins were prepared for what was coming. They had oil in their vessels because they had gotten themselves ready beforehand. Think of it like this.
How many of you have children who have missed the schoolbus because they didn’t get their backpack ready the night before? They kept putting it off, waiting until the very last minute. They didn’t prepare until the moment that the bus driver arrived in the driveway to pick them up. Only then, did they frantically run to their bedroom to quickly pack up their items, but by then, it was too late. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?
Some dictionaries define procrastination as the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the very last minute or past their deadline. Others clarify it as the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something, despite knowing that there will be negative consequences for doing so. I guess it all comes down to how important something really is in your life.
How important is it for you to get to work in the morning? Would you set your alarm clock the night before in order to get there on time? Think about the numerous excuses that employers have heard from employees who forgot to prepare beforehand. Think about how many bosses have explained to their tardy workers that they needed to decide if this was a job that was important enough for them to keep.
Granted, not all kids want to show up in school, and for them, the last thing that they are concerned about is getting their backpack ready. Some people could care less about keeping their job, so they don’t bother to be prompt, but this is the main point of this passage. This attitude might be displayed towards the things of this world, but never in regards to our salvation and our faith in Jesus Christ.
How important is it to you, to see in the middle of the night at a campground? Would you charge the batteries right now for the weekend? How important is eternal salvation to you? Are you preparing yourself right now for the judgment that is coming in the future?
Luke 12:35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to get ready for God’s coming Kingdom. Are you filling your heart and your mind each day with God’s Word? Are your batteries charged up and ready to go, in your……
…….Headlamp.
Let’s think about these things for today.
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tlkjbc.wordpress.com , or you can find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods.
Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 