Weekly Devotional by Steve Craig

I have been following a theme about “motion” for several weeks now.  I wish that I was smart enough or wise enough to have done so with great forethought and planning, but I did not.  The theme sort of developed itself.  God’s people have always faced opposition from the world and the devil.  Disturbing and disruptive circumstances abound in every believer’s life.  That will never change until we see Jesus face to face.  In the meantime, or in the modern cultural euphemism of “real time”, Christians must be reminded, encouraged, and self-motivated by a personal walk with the Lord to stand in the gap and keep on the firing line.  However, with all the get-up and go, going as hinds’ feet, and faithful growth in the church there needs to be some lotion for all that motion.

     Many years ago, the pastor under whom I served at the time preached a message entitled “Motion Without Lotion.”  I have borrowed that title and principle for today’s devotion.  The main exhortation in that sermon was to not neglect the Holy Spirit’s role in the spiritual motions of the Christian life.  One can be doctrinally sound, strive for good works, and even faithful to the house of God; but without the enabling touch of the Holy Spirit in our lives, all the motion will remain unproductive.  The word, lotion, was used in the title because it rhymes with motion, and was easy to remember.  Lotion is a synonym for oil, ointment, salve or balm.  The Holy Spirit is often symbolized by anointing oil.  Olive oil was used to anoint kings of Israel (I Sam. 10:1, 16:13).  It says in I Samuel 16:13, “The spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.”  Olive oil was also mixed with medicinal herbs for treatment and healing.  The oil was the binding agent in the remedy.  The Holy Spirit is the binding agent in our walk with Christ.

     Before Jesus was crucified on the cross, He told the disciples, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).  After Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension the disciples were instructed to wait for the power that would enable them to spread the gospel.  “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  To be an effective witness for the Lord one must have the moving of the Holy Spirit in his/her life.  The Holy Spirit comes into the life of a believer upon salvation.  Paul said it is the Holy Spirit “whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).  In the same verse we are also instructed to “grieve not the holy Spirit of God.”  Anything that grieves the Holy Spirit will have an adverse effect on the motion endeavored for Christ.  In Romans 14:17, we are told that “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink” (the do’s and don’ts we hold to), “but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”  The Holy Spirit is the anointing oil that allows spiritual motion to succeed.  Do not grieve Him.

     Let’s finish with a practical illustration.  Do you ever get the oil changed in your car?  Why?  Oil is the life of the engine.  Anything mechanical has moving parts.  Those parts have to be lubricated.  If you do not believe me, drain your oil pan and then drive your car.  Be careful not to go too far, because soon your car will stop running, and you will be waiting for someone to come pick you up.  Motion without lotion (lubrication) will leave you stranded.  The fan belt on your auto goes around the air conditioner compressor, the water pump, and the alternator and the tension pulley.   Each of those has a shaft which rests in a bearing.   They are sealed with lubricating grease to enable them to spin.  All is well until the seal begins to leak, and the lubrication leaks out.  Ladies, you may not understand or care about mechanical stuff, but you will be sure to tell your husband, dad, or mechanic that there is an odd whirring/grinding noise coming from under the hood.  Odd sounds indicate trouble is coming.  Don’t wait too long to get it fixed.    

      Wherever there is motion there is resistance.  The flesh resists motion for God as does the devil and the world.  To overcome resistance there must be lubrication.  The Holy Spirit is the oil in our crankcase and the grease in our bearings.  He is the anointing oil of our calling and the balm for our healing.  He is the fragrant oil that makes our presence among the brethren desirable.  Without the power of the Holy Spirit, all we have is motion.  To be effective for Jesus, don’t have “motion without lotion.”   

     “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.  Amen.   II Cor. 13:14