The Place of Intimacy
Posted by: Asn <Asn@...>
who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was
locked. Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and
knocked on the door, saying, "Master, we're here. Let us in." Matthew
25:10-11 The Message
The story of the ten virgins has both intrigued and puzzled me for quite
some time, but never more than in the past few months. All ten were
chosen by the Bridegroom, all ten initially went out to greet Him, all
ten carried lamps with oil, and all ten fell asleep when the
Bridegroom's coming took longer than expected. The one distinguishing
factor was the "extra oil;" five had it, five didn't. Extra oil made
five ready to go in to the Bridegroom; an oil shortage kept five on the
other side of the door, unknown by the Bridegroom.
The five wise virgins seem to have been prepared for a
longer-than-expected wait. It was neither a mental preparation, nor a
last-minute one. Rather, it was a spiritual preparation - a heart
attitude fully and intentionally devoted to intimacy with their
Bridegroom. Nothing else took that place of priority. They lived to
please Him, and because of it, their light burned brightly through the
night.
How can you and I be like those wise virgins? First, examine your
heart. Is there anything hindering your love for Him? Has something
else taken His rightful place as your First Love? If so, repent; turn
away from it and back to Him. Second, commune with your Bridegroom.
Don't neglect Him or your time with Him. Get in the Word (the Bible) -
read, study, meditate on it. Pray all through the day. Speak your love
to Him. Worship Him from the depths of your spirit. Revisit the
passionate purpose for taking communion. Ask Him to reveal Himself to
you in a deeper way than you've ever known Him before. Lavish your love
on Him, and then allow Him to lavish His love on you. Pursue knowing
Him.
As the deer pants for water, so my soul thirsts for You, my Lord.
Father, please forgive me for neglecting my First Love in the pursuit of
this world's diversions. Lord, Your love is richer than wine, and being
in Your presence more precious than pure gold. I desire to know You and
be known by You. Father, I press on in the purposeful pursuit of
intimacy with You. Only then will my lamp shine bright in this dry and
barren world. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
(For further study, see Philippians 3:7-14; Revelation 12:11 (The
Message); Revelation 7:9-17; Matthew 23:37; Matthew 11:28; Isaiah
55:1-3)
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