Life will always have friction. Like storms, it's ubiquitous, it will always be there. It’s part of being human. The key to a successful life is dealing with friction.
Not all friction is bad. It takes friction to make a match spark for a flame. And yet, it’s the overwhelming presence of friction that can wear down our hearts.
Like the brake rotors on an out-of-balance wheel, we can get worn down and misshapen. We can become a man we don’t want to be—headed in a direction we don't want to go. Bad rotors are said to be 'warped'.
Jesus said, “Put some oil on it.” That’s his presence, the person of the Holy Spirit. His presence empowers us to live a righteous life. We may mess up, but we are always coming back to his forgiveness, grace, and mercy.
Oil is mentioned more than 200 times in the Bible, almost always a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. When Samuel anointed David with oil to be the new king of Israel, it says, “And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.” (1 Sam 16:13 NLT).
In the same way Jesus was anointed - so are you. Jesus said his disciples (you and me) would do what he did (John 14:12). And here's the essence of his life on earth. "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." (Acts 10:38)
The oil of God’s presence guards our hearts – empowers us to do good. To become the man we desire to be. And the oil lessens the friction when life gets us out of shape.
Get some oil. Beat the friction.
Join me in talking about Jesus every week on the motivational series designed to grab the oil of his presence - it's call "The Visible Image". Every week on on the CMN YouTube and Facebook.
