🕯 Day 1 – The Oil Is Missing

📖 “The lamps of the foolish are going out.” – Matthew 25:8

🔍 Exegetical Teaching

In Matthew 25, Jesus delivers a stark parable—ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. All ten had lamps. All ten grew drowsy. But only five had enough oil when the moment came. The foolish cried out, “Our lamps are going out!”—not because they never had oil, but because they didn’t carry enough.

The Greek phrase used—σβέννυνται (sbe-nyn-tai)—implies a slow extinguishing, a dimming, a fading. Not an abrupt flame-out, but a slow leak.

This is where many believers find themselves: not faithless, but fading. Not rebellious, but unready. We still look like carriers of fire—but something vital is missing. Something only noticed when the darkness closes in and the cry rings out.

The foolish virgins were not villains in the story. They weren’t deceivers or mockers. They were simply unprepared.

🔁 Connection to the Week: Return to the Source

This week is not about judgment—it’s about recognition. The first call back is not to do more, but to notice what’s missing. Oil doesn’t just represent emotion or excitement. It represents intimacy. Proximity. Sustained relationship with the Source.

The lamp represents our outward witness. But oil… oil is what keeps it burning. You can build structures, launch ministries, raise children, serve faithfully—and still be leaking the very intimacy you once carried. It doesn’t go out all at once. It dims slowly—buried beneath distraction, bitterness, busyness, or pain.

“Return to the Source” means we stop pretending our lamps are fine—and start asking honest questions again: Where did I start burning out? When did the leak begin?

💡 Reconciling Moment

There is no shame in realizing your oil is low. The worst thing isn’t running out—it’s not realizing you are. Today is an invitation—not to strive, but to return. God doesn’t shame the fading lamp—He calls it back to the oil.

If your light has dimmed, the solution is not to perform, pretend, or push through. The solution is to pause… and refill.

Let this be the day you stop ignoring the flicker and start seeking the flame again.

✍ Prompt:
When did I last burn with love for Him—and what shifted?