“Do you have any oil
lamps?” the customer asked me, looking around the store where I work.
Unfortunately, at
the time, we didn’t.
I understand why he
wanted one. Oil lamps are great to have around when a storm knocks out the
electricity. However, they can be temperamental—flickering and smoking at
times.
As Christians—when it
comes to letting our light shine for Jesus—we may feel that way ourselves at
times. Our light can waver or grow a bit dim in the face of the challenges and
struggles of life. Perhaps a closer look at maintaining an oil lamp will help
us gain insight into brightening our spiritual light, too.
If an oil lamp gets
too much air it will flicker. An easy fix is to move it to a less drafty
location. When we feel like we are being tossed about spiritually, could the
culprit be too much “busyness”. What can we eliminate in order to have more quality
time for God?
If the wick on an
oil lamp is untrimmed, the lamp burns poorly. In like manner, the light of
Jesus cannot shine through us if we do not allow God to shape us according to
His design. (Romans 12:2)
When the oil in the
lamp is dirty, the impurities will cause the flame to burn unevenly. The old
adage is true: We reap what we sow. Does what we watch, read, and listen to fit
the parameters laid out in Philippians 4:8? “My friends, fill your minds with
those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true,
noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.”
Did you know that
if the level of the oil is too low, the wick itself begins to burn, causing it
to flicker and smoke? If we try to nourish our souls with a few lines of
Scripture read occasionally with a word or two of prayer squeezed in, it won’t
be long till we are spiritually starving. How can we shine God’s light on
others when we are barely allowing it to illuminate our own way?
Is the flame of
your faith burning brightly? Or, like me, do you need to ask God to do a little
maintenance to bring back its brilliance?
Be
encouraged!
Pam
©2016 Pamela D. Williams
