Adrift
Matthew 25:1–10 KJV
“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 us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”
Beloved,
Return to your first love. Know and remember the moment, when Christ made you His, at the Cross where He gave His life for you. He is your Bridegroom and you are His Bride. Remember the radical heart that beat in your chest, the moment He embraced you, held you, kissed you and restored you.
Like some of His disciples said at that moment, “Lord I will follow you wherever you go.”
Our hearts groan with expectation every time we fix our eyes on Him. We celebrate the day of our birth in Him, that eternal romance. We are like a river that can not be contained. It pours out from us, this Spirit of the Living God. We follow Him closely, wanting to know more.
Yes, at that time the hunger and thirst within us increased and we shouted, “I want more!”
We pressed in. Excited at His every approach, each time being transformed. We heard His words of love and righteousness, His hope and expectation for us.
But then, there was a day or a week that passed by, where we were caught up in some other activity, and we chose to do those other things instead of chasing hard after God. Yes, we spoke of God to others. We partnered with ministries working with children, or teens, or young adults, or adults all in the name of God. We visit the sick and prayed for them. We talked to fellow workers about Christ.
Even then, we were doing the right things, becoming part of groups that had common goals and hobbies in hopes of helping each other know God more. But, maybe at work, we fell back into old practices, starting the day with a coffee and jumping in with both feet without first having spent time with Jesus.
That lack followed us from work and into our personal lives. Those weeks stretched into months and years, and without realizing it, that first love, that radical heart began to become a distant memory. We came back to Him quickly, then not so much, and then randomly. The first romance of being carried over the threshold into the Kingdom to be with God became further away, we drifted.
Even pastors preach and others baptize, and still others sang their hearts out in praise, but still we drifted.
The definition of adrift: floating without control; drifting; not anchored or moored — lacking aim, direction, or stability.
Like those virgins without oil, having not spent time with Jesus, we forgot the ability to gain the necessary fuel to burn when the time was right. Even our wicks may not be prepared. And we just kept drifting further away from our true love, our authentic relationship with Christ, knowing Him intimately, and still wanting more.
The overflow out of our mouth, has to be anchored in our hearts which is the complete dwelling place of Christ.
Choose not to drift. Spend time with Jesus. Have deep discussions with Holy Spirit. Look to the Father, which is where our help comes from. Be excited again. Want the passion, and the fire, and the relationship — that costly relationship, where we die and He lives in us and through us.
