Give Me Oil For My Lamp
This song asks a lot:
“Give me” – 12 times. “Keep me” – 8 times. “Make me” – 3.
It is as if the song writer believed the verse in Philippians 4:
“Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”.
By prayer and asking with thankfulness, let your requests be made known to God. WOW!
Elsewhere the Bible says, “Covet earnestly the best gifts.” In other words, we should WANT what God wants to give us. AND God urges us to ASK HIM!
Then the Bible goes on to explain something even BETTER than coveting the best gifts. Really! More on that in a moment, but first, a song about oil and gas and wax and surf boards and gumption — and singing hosanna! Please give it a listen, then come back to hear what’s better than coveting the best gifts.
Thou shall not covet, right?
You’ll recall the tenth commandment, “Thou shall not covet”. Then Corinthians says, “covet earnestly the best gifts.” Is this a Bible contradiction? Nope. No problem.
To “covet” is to earnestly desire. Some things should NOT be objects of our desire and other things SHOULD be. The “Cowboy’s 10 Commandments” puts it simply: “10. Don’t be hankerin’ for your pardner’s stuff.”
Corinthians says we SHOULD covet, we should earnestly desire, NOT “our pardner’s stuff” but God’s BEST for us. Simple. Powerful!
Context is the key to the covet of Corinthians
The difficult verse is I Corinthians 12:31 – “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” Read the verses leading up to this one and see that it is talking about what your ministry needs to thrive. Earnestly desire THOSE things.
What comes AFTER this verse is amazing. Do you want your ministry to thrive? The more excellent way to thrive is spelled out in the next chapter, I Corinthians 13 — the “LOVE” chapter!
Love lights up our lives and ministries
Read I Corinthians 13. Search for the lessons in it. The love of God — in our thoughts and actions — is described and defined in this chapter. It is a must read! Love is patient, kind, doesn’t envy or boast, isn’t proud or self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps NO RECORD OF WRONGS, rejoices in the truth …. and so much more. READ IT! READ IT!!!
Read it.
The love of God manifested in our lives is the better way for our needs and the needs of the ministry to be met. Lots to chew on here!
Sometimes the BEST thing to ask for is to be able to love bigger.
God bless you lots!
-Dale R.
LYRICS: Sing Hosanna!
Give me oil for my lamp Keep me burning, burning, burning;
Give me oil for my lamp I pray …. YEE HAH!!
Give me oil for my lamp Keep me burning, burning, burning;
Keep me burning till the break of day.
Chorus:
Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna!
Sing hosanna to the King of Kings! (HEY!)
Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna!
Sing hosanna to the King of Kings!
Give me gas for my Ford keep me trucking for the Lord
Give me gas for my Ford I pray …. YEE HAH!!
Give me gas for my Ford keep me trucking for the Lord
Or I might buy a Chevrolet
Give me wax for my board, keep me surfing for the Lord,
Give me wax for my board I pray …. YEE HAH!!
Give me wax for my board, keep me surfing for the Lord,
Keep me surfing till the break of day
Give me umption for my gumption,
Make me function, function, function;
Give me umption for my gumption I pray ..YEE HAH!!
Give me umption for my gumption,
Make me function, function, function;
Make me function till the break of day!
Your thoughts?
How has the love of God helped your life? Please jot a note in the “Leave a reply” spot below.
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Aaahhhhh well done singing all the parts in one breath! I was humming along right there with you. Loving the connections you made with this one, and the many ways to say it…the Cowboy 10 Commandments are fun! I Corinthians 13 gets better and better all the time. What a gift to know what love actually is, and to be able to filter our own feelings and behaviors through that standard. Great stuff!!!
Mr Dale……”AWESOME ” u asked, how has “THE LOVE OF OUR FATHER, Helped my life “? mr dale,…….MY FATHER JESUS IS MY LIFE……….MY FATHER JESUS DIED SO THAT I MAY LIVE IN HIM, So IF I Am l living in HIM, That make me , “HIS” , Remember, HE DIED SO THAT I May live, NOW THAT’S SOME AMAZING LOVE, I can’t help but love, HIM Back ,………..be careful for nothing, but in every thing by “PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION ” WITH THANKSGIVING”…let your request be made known to OUR FATHER JESUS, now that’s every thing, mr dale… thanks for that “sermon”, I needed that, to wake me up. Thanks again mr dale, may , OUR FATHER HOLY SPIRIT, continue to bless u ,always…Julia…
THAT SONG brings back some really great times – when life was simple and God’s presence was so easy to believe and enjoy!! Thanks for a delightful performance and interesting sermon to ponder.