time, and oil

Dave and I are back from our road trip. There were many “God appointments” along the way. Equally as precious were the conversations of the Holy Spirit during the drive . . . those quiet times when He takes advantage of our inactivity to speak to our hearts. One of His comments was that those who value time learn wisdom. Or, you could say that those who do not see the value of time will not learn how to be wise.

Time is the division of the total of our lives. Since our lives are a gift, each time-component is also a gift. We speak about there being a “season” for learning, and a “space of time” for which something should be accomplished. In our temporal lives we see that projects are set on a “time-line” and goals are to be met by the “due date.” If we fit what we do into God’s time, He will bring the wisdom we need to accomplish what we do and have it finished “on time.”

Jesus gave us a parable in which we find that some people had good time management, and some did not. I am speaking about the parable of the 10 virgins who waited for the bridegroom (Mt 25:1-13). 5 had taken oil to trim their lamps with, and the other 5 had not. What is interesting about this story is that, when the bridegroom came, all the virgins had enough oil to trim their lamps. But the foolish virgins didn’t have enough to keep their lamps lit. The wise ones did not share their oil with the foolish ones, saying that “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.” The following is a prophecy from 9-1-06 concerning what oil is;

“Those virgins who have not defiled themselves with the world and sin are waking from their slumber to find that some are prepared to answer the call, whereas others are not. Some have obeyed My voice and therefore have the oil of holiness. Others have procrastinated and been in unbelief, therefore they did not obey My voice. If a man does not do the works of obedience, he avoids having his works tested. But he will also have no oil in his lamp when he awakes. This is foolishness. There is no more time to go out and do those works of obedience for past words I spoke. In other words, as the wise virgins told the foolish, there is not time to give them the words again that they might begin the process of works, and testing.

Oil is the by-product of olives, which are a fruit, being crushed. If a man will not bear fruit, he cannot have oil. If a man bears fruit but will not be crushed through the trials I bring on him, he will not have oil. Only those who trust Me with all their life, laying their fruit down before the crushing machine, will have oil. These value the things of God. Foolishness is not valuing the things of God, but keeping one’s life intact, though believing.”

You might say that oil is the result of good time management. Using the time we are given to listen to and obey what God is speaking will bring fruit from our lives. There will be trials also, and that will bring the oil. The oil is so precious that it keeps the flame of the Spirit burning, lighting our way. Can this be given to us by another person, such as a gifted speaker? Can an anointing be imparted to us so that we quickly have this oil, and a life close to God? The answer to both is “no.”

In the book of Revelation we find another example of time management. The Laodicean church felt content in who they were and the works they had done (See Rev 3:14-18). However, the Lord did not agree. Their use of time had not accomplished in them what was valuable; spiritual wealth, covering, and eyesight. Jesus’ advice to the Laodiceans was surprisingly similar to the advice of the wise virgins; “buy from Me . . .” The letter to the Laodiceans offers more hope than the parable of the foolish virgins in that Jesus, the Bridegroom, is speaking to the Laodiceans before His return. Since they have time before He comes back, He tells them what they need to do to get ready.

The first thing Jesus counsels them to do is to buy gold that has been refined in the fire. Gold represents our faith, which is proved genuine by the Refiner’s fire through trials (1 Pet 1:7). To have the gold, we must have the trials. If we submit to God during our trials instead of resisting them, we will have refined gold, or genuine faith as the end-product.

Jesus next asks the Laodiceans to buy from Him “white clothes to wear . . .” White robes represent keeping ourselves free from staining our garment by the corruption that lives in our flesh (Jude :23). When we walk in obedience to the Spirit, we do not walk in the flesh. Garments also represent our works (Rev 19:8). When we walk in faith (gold) and obey the Holy Spirit, we will become clothed in works that are “white”. The picture of the Bride which Jesus comes for is one who is clothed in “fine linen, bright and clean” (Rev 19:8).

Finally Jesus advised the Laodiceans to buy “salve to put on your eyes . . .“ Our spiritual eyesight is called the “eyes of your heart”, or, understanding (see Eph 1:18). We have true spiritual vision when we have spiritual understanding. This is the precursor to wisdom. When we become exercised by obedience to the Holy Spirit (which takes faith) then our understanding of God’s ways will bring us wisdom.

So, we can see that wisdom takes time to acquire. It takes “time management.” How do we manage our time? And, are we satisfied with who we are and what we’ve done, or is the Holy Spirit asking us for a deeper, more refining walk with Him? We have time to buy from Him. It will take management of the times and seasons of our lives. But He is worth it. Amen.