Have You Checked Your Oil?

"Have you checked your oil lately?" My dad wrote in a text message to me. 

"Oops!" I said to myself. So I ran outside and checked it real quick before texting him back and letting him know it was all good. (Sorry, dad. I am sure you are finding this out as you read this...)

It's kind of like when you floss your teeth right before going to the dentist, and then the hygienist says, "Oh, I see you've been flossing! Great job!" Only she doesn't know that I only floss my teeth twice a year...once before each of my dental check-ups. 

Jesus encouraged his followers to "check their oil" in a parable that he told about ten young women. The ten women had lots of things in common: they were all waiting for a bridegroom, they all had lamps to keep them through the night, and they all eventually fell asleep waiting for him to come. Only one thing divided them into two groups. Five of the young women had enough oil, and five of them did not. When the bridegroom came in the middle of the night, the five with the oil were able to trim their lamps to burn brightly and then go away with the bridegroom. The five without enough oil begged the other five to share but they could not, so the bridegroom came and went without them. In the end, the ones who were prepared with enough oil were called "wise", and the ones who were unprepared and did not have enough oil were called "foolish". 

Jesus wanted to teach his disciples about being prepared for when he, the bridegroom, would return to claim his bride, the church. Jesus taught that some would be "ready" and "wise" while some would be "unprepared" and "foolish". The difference? The oil. 

Even the foolish young women were waiting for the bridegroom. Even the foolish young women had lamps, which represent knowledge of Jesus. But one essential thing they lacked: oil. Talk about essential oils! And something about that oil could not be shared. 

As my mom so beautifully taught me this week, "Only a Spirit-filled life gives proof of preparation for Christ's coming." The oil, representing the Holy Spirit, is what set the five wise young women apart from the five foolish. The Holy Spirit cannot be shared, but only given by God himself. And only the presence of the Holy Spirit and a true relationship with Jesus will allow us access into the kingdom of heaven at the end of time. 

We can wait all our lives for Christ's second coming and fill our heads with knowledge about the Bible, but without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we simply will not be ready for our bridegroom.

Have you checked your oil lately? 

The great news is this: God promises to give the Holy Spirit to those ask for it, to those who confess their faith in him and give their lives to him. Then the Holy Spirit comes to live inside the hearts of believers, marking their hearts like a seal that cannot be removed. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to know God and live for him, and he becomes an oil that makes our lights burn for Christ. 

And just like we have to monitor, check and refill the oil in our cars to ensure a safe and smooth engine, so we also have to monitor, check, and refill our souls with the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

What does that look like? It looks like starting each day with an awareness of our desperate need for the Spirit of God in our lives. Then it looks like getting on our knees and asking him for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit each day...or even multiple times each day. It looks like filling our spiritual engines with thing that will help us run stronger for God instead of filling our hearts and minds with things that draw us away from him. (For example, consider what impact our choices of media have on our spiritual engines. Are our media choices helping our spiritual engines run smoother toward the heart of God?) 

I once knew a person who burned up his engine and ruined his entire car because his oil ran dry. I am afraid I also know people who have let their spiritual oil run dry, and they are in danger of not being ready when the bridegroom returns. 

But this is not all doom and gloom. In fact, this parable has filled me with a sense of excitement and urgency this week. Excitement because I long for the Holy Spirit to fill me, and I have realized how much I need to check my oil daily. And urgency because as of right now, it is not too late to fill up on oil! The bridegroom has not yet come, but he is on his way! It is time to check our oil, trim our lamps, and get ready for Jesus' coming - not with knowledge only but also with the indwelling of the amazing Holy Spirit, whom God generously gives to those who ask and believe.