Dinner Talk:

Oil in our Lamps

I. How do you feel about living in the last days? Is it kind of scary sometimes?
If we are prepared we shall not fear. The Savior’s parable about the ten virgins is about preparing for the Second Coming.
It is not about good and bad, not about righteous and wicked.
It is about wise and foolish.
It is about oil in our lamps. “Oil-filled lamps are symbolic of the Holy Spirit which lights the way before the saints.” So if we are wise we will have the Holy Ghost lighting the way before us every step of the way.

II. In biblical times constant effort was needed to ensure an adequate amount of oil was maintained in lamps. What can we do to put oil in our lamps?
Shepherding our flocks— (Hard to do, but keep trying.)

Scripture #1 Leviticus 24:2 (steadfastly keep trying, we are putting oil in our lamps)

III. In biblical times the destination of those who went forth to meet the bridegroom was the bridegroom’s home. Today, what would be the Bridegroom’s home?
In the parable the virgins were not able to enter the door without oil. In our day neither can we enter the door of the temple without a recommend. Olive oil is a symbol of purity and of the presence of the Holy Ghost. In modern times a temple recommend is an affirmation of a person’s purity or worthiness.

IV. About getting drops of oil. Scripture #2 Matthew 25:10
What does the closed door mean to you? TIME. The older you get, the more keenly you are aware of time. There is so much to do, less and less time for TV. Maybe the foolish virgins had no oil because they procrastinated.
I procrastinate when I feel overwhelmed.
1% of 24 hours = 15 minutes
What can you do in 15 minutes?
— clean out one drawer
— iron 2 shirts
— clean one shelf of one cupboard
— study scriptures
— make 1phone call to one person who needs cheering up, etc. (Are we squandering precious drops on things of lesser worth— too many computer games, TV programs that are unworthy of us)

V. Think of one drop of oil as 1% of your day or 15 minutes.
That way, everyone can get 1 drop a day, at least. But it takes many drops to keep the lamp burning. That’s why the foolish virgins could not dash out at 11:55 pm and buy a quart of oil and call it good. Sacred oil is bought with a price, but it is not found at convenience stores. That price is what Elaine Dalton calls “holy habits and righteous routines.”


VI. Fine linen of righteousness
Scripture #3 Revelation 19:7-8
We don’t just wear clothing once, do we?” We wear it every day. So it is with doing righteousness. It is a lifelong process. If you put it off, it’s very hard to catch up. We can’t recapture time lost in pursuing trivial matters.
Having a temple recommend may not be a guarantee, but worthily obtaining one would be a wise way to prepare for the kingdom of heaven.

VII. The Lord will come again in a dark “midnight” hour when the world is ripe in iniquity and when for the “elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” In such a dark time, what a truly stunning moment it will be when the Light of the World appears and darkness is banished.

Scripture #4 D&C 33:17