David Boudreaux

What’s In Your Flask?

August 26, 2009 at 10:19 am (Uncategorized)

I have been meditating on the return of Christ lately… not in an eschatology sort of way(if you don’t know what that means..good or look it up! Haha!). As I have been dwelling on the His return, something strange, yet very good has happened to me. The more I focus on Christ’ coming, the more I have done soul searching within myself. What I have found has been very schizophrenic. While I realize my own short comings and failings, I also find a deep sense of renewed redemption so to speak.There is one thing however that has been ringing the loudest in my spiritual schizophrenic moments… “Am I Prepared?”

The following passage, I have heard/read as a call to salvation to the unbeliever over and over, and Yes… I agree!  But we as believers have neglected or categorized this passage for someone else, and totally missed the point. Please read this passage, but I encourage you to at least read the previous chapter as well. This will help with the context. After you have read the passage, look at some of my comments below. (These are the details of my schizophrenic meditation of “Am I Prepared?”)

Matt 25:1-13

1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.

4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 ” ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

• FYI – Jesus was talking to people that were loyal to Him
• All 10 were virgins
• All 10 had lamps (for a better frame of reference, think- flaming torch)
• All 10 heard the the cry, “The bridegroom is coming”
• 5 had oil, 5 didn’t
• The 5 with oil wouldn’t give what they had…. wasn’t enough
• The 5 without oil didn’t get into the wedding banquet

As I meditated on the passage… I read some historical commentary of the bridal procession as understood to take place back in Jesus’ day. Here goes the simple version: The wedding party had to wait for the bridegroom… they knew he was coming, but he may still need more money to pay or getting the home ready, etc. These 10 virgins or handmaidens were to be on the lookout for his coming. The had torches to light the way for the bridegrooms coming. Often, there would be several messengers sent ahead to tell them the bridegroom is coming. So the handmaidens had to be prepared at a moments notice to light the way.

You maybe asking what is the point… Ok,Ok!

In the passage I noticed 3 things:

1. The 5 with oil would not sacrifice their oil to the others.
2. The 5 with out oil- there torches went out.
3. If the 5 with oil would have sacrificed their oil… theirs would have went out too.

You starting to see my point…. I’m not gonna let my torch go out. I am going to keep the oil filled, and nobody is going to steal it. To many times, we let other people( I might add the foolish people)… suck our oil away.

What’s in your flask?

Or even better “ Who’s been getting in your flask?”

Keep the torch going at all cost! You can only do that for yourself, no one else!

Romans 8:34-39

Later,

David