Love Tank

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Based on “The Cost of Love” by Pastor Dean Corns; 2/13-14/10,

Message #DC130; Daily Devotional #3 - “Love Tank”

Preparing the Soil (Introduction): The last few years have been brutal at the gas pump. Prices surged from an average of $2.55 per gallon to $4 per gallon. And why? The good ol’ supply and demand equation: when demand is high, supply falls and prices quickly rise. Of course, the opposite is also true. And why? Generally higher usage and various natural disasters like as hurricanes and earthquakes. No matter the reason, petroleum is the main ingredient for most of our personal items such as shoes, make-up, and even the ink used to print this page. Oil is a necessity of our lives. If our tanks are full we function properly but when we are empty we come to a stop. We have to go where the supply is available and we must pay whatever the cost in order to fill up and move forward.

Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): The parable of the ten virgins speaks about oil. There were five wise and five foolish virgins, each with a lamp. They were all awaiting a wedding and needed to be prepared for when the groom came for his bride. The wise virgins not only had their lamps but an extra supply of oil for when it ran out. The foolish virgins brought only their lamps, depending on the oil in it to last them. As night came, they all fell asleep and when the foolish ones awoke their lamps were dim. They frantically asked the wise one to give them some oil but told them instead to go buy some. And when they left for a refill, they returned to find the wise virgins celebrating at the wedding with the door closed, and they were not allowed in (Matthew 25:1-13). It’s just like us to be wise in our own eyes (Isaiah 5:21) yet not see the ditch we’re about to fall into. The wise virgins counted the cost in preparation to meet the groom and were prepared when their oil ran low. They were committed to meet the groom, no matter the cost. The foolish ones were truthfully told there was not enough oil to share, that they needed to find their own supply. And why? Because they failed to look ahead and then scrambled to find oil when their lamps became empty. Their lack of commitment and preparation caused them to miss out on meeting the groom and be included in the wedding party. Their demand was low and the supply was diminished, leaving them wondering what happened. We often don’t realize we are running on empty until it’s too late and then we find ourselves unable to find the resources to carry on. Jesus opened the door to the wise virgins because their hearts were open to come to Him.

Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): The wise virgins had both the demand (desire) and supply (resource). Their heart’s desire was to be in the presence of God and to be filled with His endless source of love, peace, and joy that comes by turning our eyes to Jesus and letting Him fill our hearts to overflowing. The oil speaks of us being filled with the Holy Spirit so we can live the abundant life Jesus died to give us (John 10:10). We all come to Jesus with hearts full of empty, worldly desires that cause our lives to stall, break down, and stop cold. Then we find ourselves stuck on a dark, deserted road with no resources to refill our tanks. He is the universal resource for anyone needing a refill. We simply cannot function properly without Him. At the cross, we receive enough grace and love for a lifetime. With Jesus, our love tank is always full.

Do you find yourself broken down with no resources? Where do you find your supply?
What are the true desires of your heart—to satisfy the flesh or serve the Lord?
Are you committed to living for Jesus? Will you pay whatever cost to be with Jesus?
Is your love tank full?