Oil was needed for the lamp of the tabernacle to burn continually. However, there was one condition: the oil had to be pure. It had to be clean and free of any form of impurity. Because it was holy, there could be no blemish or defect in it. It had to be of the highest quality. In the past, people used oil to keep their lamps burning. We see this in the parable of the ten virgins. Just as the oil of the sanctuary had to be clean and pure, so too must the oil we carry in the vessels of our bodies be clean and pure, if we wish to burn brightly amidst a crooked and perverse generation. We contaminate or dilute the quality of the oil in our lives by what we allow our minds to dwell on, what we allow our speech to be seasoned with, and what we choose to partake in. The Bible says in Titus “To the pure, all things are pure”. Everything about us should be pure: our thoughts, our speech, our conduct. We are to cleanse ourselves from the filth that is in the world and present ourselves as clean vessels to the Master. The level of purity we carry will determine the level of brightness we will shine. The purer the oil, the brighter the light. Let us offer our bodies as living sacrifices and strive to live pure and clean lives so that we can be prepared for every good work!