As a young Christian I was given a daily devotional by a friend, which I eventually read for almost twenty five years, along with its subsequent series. It was Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman; still one of my favorites to this day. The main reason I began to read this devotional is because of a caption on the back cover, that she had nursed her husband dying with cancer in the last years of his life. Her suffering so touched me that I felt she would have something to impart to my life to see me through my own; and so she did, and became one of my best friends in the Spirit, although we never met. In one of her devotionals, she shares a story about an older man in a village who keeps to himself, but goes about with his little oil can lubricating all the squeaky gates and doors around the neighborhood, making life so much nicer for all. What priceless gifts such people are who spend their lifetime imparting the oil of comfort and gladness to all they meet. What a goal to aspire towards! Ephesians 4: 1 – 3 + 23 – 25 + 32: says, “I (Paul) therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond…
