Many years ago, there was a thoughtful old man who always carried an oil can wherever he went. Whenever he went through a door that squeaked, he poured oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the latch. He passed through his life lubricating things. It was said of him, "If we went around with our oil cans of thoughtfulness, like our friend, the corrosion of our hearts and minds would disappear."
A careful study of Christ's life reveals He spent a lot of time going around "doing good." He brought hope and happiness where once there was darkness and despair. Even in the short hours before His own death, Jesus took time for a passionate prayer for others (John 17). In this, perhaps the Bible's most beautiful prayer, Christ sought strength and blessing for all those who follow Him. While the prayer reveals flashes of His humanity, it forever exposes His eternal divinity.
It would be well to carefully study this prayer of our Lord. It is a guiding force, and how much richer and fuller our lives would be if we followed it. May we give ourselves to Him and to humanity. Then our lives will be like the man who carried the can of oil. We can make the rough places of earth smooth, the hard places easier, and be helpers of God and humanity.
“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.”
John 17:9 KJV
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