Oil

Psalm 23:5b,  "You anoint my head with oil"

    Insects of all kinds can become extremely annoying and upsetting to sheep during the summer time.  There is a particular insect called a nasal fly which aggravates sheep most of all.  These flies buzz around sheep's heads and try to deposit their eggs in the soft mucous membranes of the sheep's noses.  If they are successful, the eggs hatch into worm-like larvae which cause much irritation and inflammation.  Sheep will beat their heads against trees or rocks and rub then in the dirt in an effort to rid themselves of their pain.  They may try to run away from their torment or shake their heads up and down over and over in a futile effort to find relief.  The antidote is for the shepherd to rub the sheep's heads with a specially prepared oil mixture at the first sign of flies and to continue to make applications of this mixture as long as flies are around.
    We have lots of "life's little frustrations."  There are many aggravations and irritations that buzz around us and upset us, that cause us to lose our peace and joy and become ill-tempered.  Phillip Keller says,  "Just as with the sheep, there must be continuous and renewed application of oil to forestall the "flies" in my life; there must be a continuous anointing of God's gracious Spirit to counteract the ever-present aggravations of personality conflicts" and other frustrations and irritations that rub our personalities raw.  When God's Holy Spirit is in control of our lives, He enables God's children to react to the daily  problems of life calmly, with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

Father, thank You that Your Holy Spirit will produce this kind of fruit in our lives, that we can experience this kind of Christian life as long as we allow Your Spirit to be in control.  Amen.