My heart, you need this reminder. Your lamp won't keep burning without oil. Without it, your light will fade, leaving smoke and offense. You don’t have an endless supply within yourself, so you must seek what you need or end up like the foolish virgins, lamenting, "My lamp has gone out." Even the lamps in the tabernacle needed oil to shine. They were sheltered, yet still required care, just like you.

Even under the best circumstances, you can't shine an hour longer without fresh grace. The Lord didn't accept any oil—only the finest olive oil was worthy for His service. Pretend grace from moral efforts or rituals won’t sustain a true believer. We must draw our grace from the true source, Jesus, who was crushed at Gethsemane.

The oil of gospel grace is pure and gives a clear, bright light. Our churches are meant to be Christ's lights in this dark world. They need ample holy oil to shine effectively. Let’s pray for ourselves, our pastors, and our churches that we never run out of this vital oil. Truth, holiness, joy, knowledge, and love are all beams of this sacred light. We can't share them unless we first receive them from the Holy Spirit.