The most clear example that comes to mind
is the parable of the 10 virgins Matthew 25:1-13
The 5 wise virgins who kept their lamps filled with oil
and the 5 foolish who ran out of oil
The foolish virgins could not see well enough
to meet the Lord when He called for them
They could not use the lamps of the wise virgins
They had to have their own oil
The oil represents the things of God, the Holy Spirit,
our relationship with God and our ability to draw from His strength
This tells me there are times coming
when we will not find the Lord as easily as we can now
Now, we have the cares of this world, the pride of life,
and the flesh to deal with and overcome
If the times get so dark and we have not exercised our senses
to rely on the Lord, He might be much harder to find
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day:
the night cometh, when no man can work. John 9:4
Have you ever had a friend you haven’t seen in a while, maybe years?
And when you get together, you may still feel close to that friend,
but there is so much to catch up on
It would be impossible to completely get up to date
There would be no way to do that because so many things had happened
So many details get ignored or pushed aside
because it is simply not possible to remember and share
all of the significant events that have gone on since you last saw them
Jesus is to be first and foremost in our lives
so we never have to try to catch up
We should be frequent visitors to His throne of Grace
finding our help in times of need Hebrews 4:16
Developing our relationship with Jesus is something only we can do
That happens by spending time with Him,
learning about His character in His word,
praying and seeking His face Psalm 105:4
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,
call ye upon him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6
When Moses would go away to seek the Lord,
the Israelites seemed to do okay for a while,
then they needed to hear from Moses,
who was their representative of God
Many of the Israelites often forgot about God quickly
They built golden calves and forgot the wonders
God did right in front of their eyes,
like parting the Red Sea
Who could forget the miracles?
They could
They did not have access to God the same way Moses did
The Israelites did not have the Holy Spirit like we do now
If they had been as dedicated to God
and their relationship with God as was Moses,
they very well could have learned to know God and trust Him as Moses did
Joshua and Caleb were both recognized by God
They were dedicated to God
and had cultivated their relationships with God
We must be careful not to slip back
and make our relationship with God
less important than the number one spot in our lives,
even more so as the evil day approaches
Let us not forget God and all the wonderful works He has done
There is no other name by which men can be saved Acts 4:12
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins:
Who is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of every creature:
For by him were all things created,
that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones,
or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him:
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence. Colossians 1:13-18
If we forget God and refuse
to call on the name of the Lord while we don’t need Him,
He may be farther away when we do need Him
Stay close to God
Keep your lamps filled with oil
Fill your mind and heart with things that glorify the Lord,
with the truth of His word,
with the purity of His blood that cleanses us from all sin
With the power of the Holy Spirit that works through us
And with the gentleness of His love toward others who are perishing
If we are not solid, we cannot help others to be close to God
That is a main part of why we are here now, to help others in the Lord
To help each other to be strong and to help those
who are entering the Kingdom and who will be entering the Kingdom
that God puts in our lives to reach
We are each to invest in our relationship with God,
like you would with any relationship you care about
He stands at the door and knocks:
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
James 4:8a
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
Psalm 145:18