Matthew 25:3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them The cabin had no electricity so Joe lit an oil lamp and placed it on a wooden table. The glow of its warm light filled the room. Joe sat back in a cushioned chair and enjoyed its comfort. However, what Joe did not realise was how quickly the oil would burn. Soon the glow of the lamp dwindled and dark shadows crept in from every corner. Oblivious to the dwindling oil supply, Joe allowed the lamp to continue burning. Soon the room was enveloped in darkness. Striking a match, Joe examined his lamp only to find that, not only had the oil been consumed, but the wick had also burned out. With no fuel supply, the flame had consumed the wick.
How is your fuel supply? Is your fuel tank full or running dry? Beware burnout! The world we live in is relentless. Demands coming from every side and labour intensifying will soon burn you out. Burnout is a serious and overwhelming issue in this pacy twenty-first-century world, within the church and outside its confines. There are two major forms of burnout: physical burnout and emotional burnout. Both will strip you bear. Unless you maintain a steady oil supply for your lamp, your wick will soon burn out.
There is an old gospel chorus that goes, “Give me oil in my lamp, keeping burning, burning, burning.” The Holy Spirit is likened to oil in Scripture. It’s only by the steady infilling of the Holy Spirit that you and I will maintain a good oil supply for our lamps. So come to Jesus when the burdens of life overwhelm you. Yoke up with him under that heavy load. Cast your cares on him because he cares for you. If you rely on your power and might you will burn out.
— Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa Dudley Anderson began writing for radio in 1994. Dudley currently writes a weekly e-mail Christian motivational thought called GodTracker and has complied 2 devotional books based on GodTracker. More information at surereaity.net.