Keep it burning!

The other day I was reading one of my journals and thought this story worth relating:

In a book by John Maxwell- "Developing the Leader in You"- John relates a story about a lighthouse foreman.
This man ran and took care of the lighthouse- filling the light with the oil so that by night the ships would see and avert any danger of running aground.
Soon however, people in the town started to come to him needing help. They knew that the lighthouse had oil and they also knew that the man who ran it was a nice man, so he would help those who came and gave out oil to the people around the area as they one by one ran out.

Finally the foreman himself ran out of oil to run the lighthouse, and the light went out.
Many lives were lost because the lighthouse light was no longer able to burn! The ships could no longer see the lighthouse, the shores or even other ships.

When the man was brought up before the authorities, he gave excuses but their response to him was this: "Your only job was to keep that light burning!".

Wow, something to think on! I know for me that often times I don't spend the time I need to in order to keep my personal light burning! And that is what I am going to be responsible to God for! I think the rest, everything else, is what happens when our light shines!- "Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your God who is in heaven"