The Extra Oil II

Wednesday 19 October
READ: Matt. 25: 1-13
MORE LESSON: Eccl. 9:8

I remember conducting a wedding in one of our churches and the bride delayed for so long. She was probably taking all the time to dress up. After a while, I told them to start the service and it started. The order of the service continued and this lady was still nowhere to be found. Close to the time allotted to the actual joining and exchange of marital vows, the lady arrived outside and sent to the ministerial seat that the processional hymn be sung for her to enter majestically with her train. I sent back to inform her that she should gather the flowing gown in her hands and run straight to the altar if she is still interested in the joining. She should come or else we would skip that item and close the service. Of course, she rushed and she sat quietly down beside her husband who had been troubled waiting.
I called them to the altar to be joined, she looked at my face and broke down in tears. It is not pleasant to see a bride being joined while crying, so I allowed her to finish all the crying. In fact, I was prepared to wait and allow her cry, finish crying, do her make-up and regain her composure before I continued the actual joining. However, she and everyone in that service had learnt the lesson that a wedding service before God should be approached with reverence. It is not a day to keep God and man waiting while you take all the time to dress and make up. I also discovered that the wedding day is a terrible day for a bride to cry.
In Matt. 25: 1-13, we also see five ladies that wept bitterly on their wedding day. Theirs was more terrible because their tears would last for eternity. The reason was that they were not prepared for the bridegroom and were careless about eternal things while they focused on less important things. Jesus is coming back and since we do not know the day of His arrival, it is imperative not be careless with the things of God. If any man misses the coming of the Lord, there will be no opportunity to reverse the damage. The five virgins who cried on their wedding day did so because they didn't have extra oil in their lamps.
The extra oil means going an extra mile in the things of God. The difference between the wise and the foolish virgins was the extra oil. It is the extra you do for God that stands for you and makes you an uncommon man in common situations. The coming of the Lord is so close you can't leave anything to chance. God is not only demanding your all, but the extra mile also. In all you do for God, go the extra mile, it shall not go unrewarded.

Prayer/Action
* Surrender your life to God afresh today.
* Receive grace to be faithful to the end, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God for grace to be able to warn others about Heaven and hell today, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Anything in me, spiritual or physical, attracting strange occurrences to my life or family, be exposed today, in Jesus' name.