Oil in My Lamp

When a friend set up this blog site for me, I was pondering what I should name it. I began to flip through my Bible and ask God for His input. I found a verse in Psalm that I had underlined several years ago: "You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light." Psalm 18:28. That verse made me think about the parable Jesus told of the Ten Bridesmaids in Matthew 25. In the parable, Jesus shares that ten virgins took their lamps to go out and meet the bridegroom. Five of the bridesmaids brought oil in jars along with their lamps but the other five only brought their lamps. They all fell asleep and when the bridegroom arrived, all of the bridesmaids awoke and trimmed their lamps. The five virgins who had oil with them were able to keep their lamps burning and went to the wedding banquet. The five who were not prepared with additional oil had to go buy some and when they arrived at the wedding banquet, it was too late. The door was shut and they were not allowed inside. I was thinking about how the most important thing in my life is my relationship with God the Father through his son, Jesus Christ. Although I know my eternal salvation is secure, I want others to receive the same gift. I want others to know how to be prepared with the oil for their lamps. The life we are given on this earth is very short and we don't know when it will end. One thing that is certain is that the decisions we make here and now will affect our eternity. There is only one way to spend eternity with God and that is through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Because God is holy and our sin separates us from Him, He provided the only way for us to be able to come into his presence. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus, his only son, as a once and for all sacrifice for our sins. It is by accepting Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and Savior that we can be saved. We cannot attain salvation through being "good enough" or any other way. Jesus is the ONLY way. Accepting Jesus into your life does not mean that your life will all of the sudden become perfect...we live in a sinful world. It does mean, though, that you have the God of the universe watching over you and taking care of you as you follow Him. He knows you, He loves you and He will guide you down the best path for your life. Our purpose in life is to glorify Him and what an awesome privilege that is. Please don't wait to choose your eternity. When the bridegroom (Jesus Christ) returns, you must already be prepared!