KEEP YOUR LOVE GLOWING
RE-IGNITE YOUR LOVE (part 1)
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight, there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then, all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for you and us: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. Matthew 25:1-9
This passage has been used several times to preach and charge Christians to be ready for the coming of the Lord. But I was preparing to give a talk at a couples gathering, and this scripture just came to my mind to meditate on and apply a portion of this passage to marital relationships.
When we talk about burning lamps in the days when the Bible was written, it takes oil to make it glow. In the Bible, there are different types of oil depending on what it is meant for. For example, in a holy anointing oil, God gave a specification of the spices that must be part of the holy anointing oil Exodus 30:22 -25 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be a holy anointing oil.
The holy anointing oil is specifically for the consecration of the temple and the Priests. If I am to use this figuratively, the oil to be used in the lamp of your marriage must also be blended in with some five principal spices: Patience, Forgiveness, Kindness, Generosity, and Humour. The blend of these 5 spices will give you the oil that can sustain your marriage. Another point to note is that having the oil is not the main emphasis in the parable that is used as the text but carrying the extra oil. What differentiates the wise from the foolish is the level of preparation that you make before your change comes. Preparation is key here. The wise have foresight; the foolish do not. The wise do not live in mere assumption, but the foolish did. The wise paid the price of carrying extra responsibility; that was not the case with the fools.
There is a common ground for both the wise and the fools; they all slept, their oil burnt out and, they all trimmed their lamps. Unfortunately, the oil is not the type that can be shared. Your oil may not work in my lamp. It is like your biometrics, no two are the same. Your oil is designed for you and mine is designed for me. You have to go and get what suits your marriage. Do not depend on getting oil from your neighbor.
The first question is, how will someone embark on a journey and not make extra preparations in case of a delay or an unplanned event? Exactly, that is the situation with many couples, they enter into marriage without preparing ‘the extras’. The truth is, that marriage will make you burn all but you must keep adding to your oil of love to make your union interesting and lasting. The oil that keeps love burning in your lamp of love is a mixture of some virtues, taking extra of those virtues is the only way to show that you are wise. Proverbs 24:10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
In part two of this teaching, I will discuss those five virtues that keep marriage strong.