The Family and the Lamp

UV 1164/10,000 The Family and the Lamp
You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

Amos 3 v 2

There is an aspect of faith that is quite bewildering. Why is it that the chosen suffer often more than those who are not chosen? The Lord reluctantly afflicts the chosen as a father who loves His children reprimands, chastises and punishes his children. We are His chosen jewels and therefore the Lord spends time and effort in polishing us and perfecting us. The church is God ‘s chosen family of faith. Recently, the Lord gave us a revelation of family- the husband is the oil of the lamp, the spouse is the lamp itself and the children are the wick that needs to soak and burn in the oil. Without the oil in the lamp, the wick will lie dead, cold and blackened in the lamp.

We are a special people unto the Lord. We are His greatest concern on earth. He is focussed on dealing with us and leading us. He desires to shape and groom us for His heavenly kingdom. His holiness prevents Him from glossing over our infirmities and weaknesses. The Holy Spirit furnishes the oil for our spiritual lives. We are the lamp or vessel in which He lights up. Our homes are expected to be Philadelphia or a place of brotherly love as well as a city of light. Our children are expected to soak up in the learning and instruction provided by the Lord and be the wick that constantly burns in a world whose mind is darkened by incomplete, incorrect and uninspiring knowledge.

We are a family or people set apart by God and for Him, to be a kingdom of kings and priests, a royal priesthood. His knowledge of us and our inner working is awesome and beyond our comprehension. We are called to be noble vessels or lamps of gold for the Lord to be used for special purposes- the worship of the Saviour and spreading the savour and flavour of the Saviour God. He purifies the dross and impurities in our faith and our profession of our faith through a process of direct revelation, teaching by godly mentors as well as by the process of affliction and correction of our character.

Prateep V Philip