(Proverbs 14:4) Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
When the kids were babies and my wife would complain about all the mess, I used to quote this verse to her while flexing my muscles. That was until I learned that a crib was a place of food storage and not a place for babies. Oh well! But the ox is a beast of power. So can we say that where there is no power, there is no corn in the crib? You need power to produce. Now we learned earlier that (Proverbs 12:11) He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread…
You must till your land. But there is going to be no tilling without an ox. You will till nothing unless you got some power. If Proverbs was written in this day and age the writer would no doubt have said that there much increase is by the strength of the John Deere tractor. Think about this for a moment. Spreading the gospel is likened to sowing the seed. We go day to day waiting for an opportunity to witness, to sow the seed. And that opportunity never seems to come. Or we forget. Or hindsight we see the opportunities slip by. Perhaps, instead of just sowing seed, we may consider tilling the ground first. And in order to till the ground, you need the ox; you need power.
Here’s your verse for today: (Acts 1:8) 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 in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Preacher Allen has always said, however, that the day of Pentecost has fully come. So don’t you go looking for another Pentecost. It has fully come. But Jesus also said (Luke 24:49) And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Now if you’ve spent any time around our circles, you’ll find taught this teaching of being filled with the Spirit. And with this teaching, if you believe it, comes a burden upon an individual to be filled with the Spirit. And all things accomplished without the aid of the Spirit of God, whether it be preaching, giving, loving, or labouring, will be done in vain and will burn like wood, hay, and stubble at the judgement seat of Christ. It is imperative that we be filled with the Spirit. There will be no real, abiding, God-ordained fruit if the Spirit of God does not aid in the work. No ox. No tilling. No corn. No bread.
Let me as you a question. Are you filled with the Spirit of God? Because all this truly begs the question: Do we wait or do we go? I mean if it’s vanity and futility to labour without the fullness of God, then why labour at all? I think that’s a legitimate question. I’ve read and heard many times dead preaching kills. So that being so, if a preacher cannot stand 100% of the time endued with power and every single word that comes out of his mouth soaked and saturated with the dew of heaven, then why even open your mouth?
Or maybe it’s better investigated in another sense other than preaching. How about husbands loving their wives? How about wives submitting themselves to their husbands? How about children obeying their parents in the Lord. How about praying? If we can’t do all that in the power of the Holy Spirit, then why do them at all? What’s the use of trying to till without the ox? Am I the only one that asks these questions?
Now just for the record, I don’t believe for one second that we sit on our haunch and do nothing until we have some Pentecostal experience. If that was so, we all should have quit this thing a long time ago. The day of Pentecost has fully come. I’m not looking for another one. Paul said (Galatians 2:20-21) The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God… 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God. He asked this question: (Galatians 3:2-3) This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? It’s faith that has saved us. It is faith that shall perfect us. We received the indwelling of the Spirit by faith. We shall receive the fullness of the Spirit by faith also. (Hebrews 10:38) Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Don’t draw back. Live by faith. I’ll never forget something Lester Roloff said about faith. He said Faith is stepping where there is no place to step. You may be saying to yourself God is never gonna use me. God is never gonna fill me. The Spirit-filled life is just not for me. You’re drawing back. That’s the flesh having dominion over your mind. That’s the devil talking. You are what you believe! If you don’t ever believe that you’re gonna be filled with the Spirit, then get ready! You’re never gonna be filled with the Spirit.
God said (Acts 2:18) And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit. Servants and handmaidens are not idle. Servants and handmaidens are busy in the work. I want to share something with you that was a real blessing to me from Meet the Holy Spirit by Dr. Jack Hyles.
There is a basic truth that needs to be examined concerning which of the workings of the Holy Spirit are obtained instantaneously by faith and which are obtained by sincere supplication. The answer is determined by whether a certain work of the Spirit is TO us and FOR us or whether it His working THROUGH us FOR others…
If a person would come to the First Baptist Church of Hammond to be ministered TO, he simply walks in and we minister to him. If that same person is being considered for a staff position whereby he MINISTERS TO OTHERS, we would take extra care by investigating his past record; we would want references concerning his credit, his service for God, his character, etc. When we minister TO him, he simply presents himself; when we minister WITH him, he must pay a price and be the object of intense scrutiny. When the Holy Spirit minister TO us (as in salvation) we must simply come to Him in faith. When He ministers TO us by teaching us the Word, by leading us, comforting us, etc., we simply come to Him by faith. If, however, we would desire to be used as an instrument OF His, there is a price that we must pay. This price , of course, includes personal separation and purity. It includes, among other things, a complete surrender to Christ. It also includes supplication, or begging for His power.
It is one thing for a son to ask his dad to drive him somewhere in the family care; it is another thing for that son to ask to USE the family care!
There is a difference between a sinner approaching the Savior and a son approaching the Father. The Father wants you out there in the fields tilling with the ox. There’s no doubt about that. But he is not going leave a five year old alone at the back end of that plow connected to that beast. The child is not ready yet. But he will never be ready unless he’s there with the ox working along side him, trying to till and wanting to till and asking to till. For what it’s worth, I’m a father of five boys, and I’ve been a foreman over workers for many years, and I can say this: Those that have an eager interest in more responsibility get my trust; but those that don’t will never learn or advance. It’s more than doing what you’re told. It’s that desire to not have to be bossed around like a child, but to be trusted like a man.
Now back to the question: What’s the use of trying to till without the ox? (Proverbs 14:4) Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. This is not a question of whether or not we have the ox. We’ve got the ox. And he’s gonna get the work done. The question is, are we prepared and willing to throw in with the ox. This is not a quest to obtain the ox; but rather an ambition, a determination, a longing to work with the ox. This farm is fully equipped. Jesus said (Matthew 9:37) But the labourers are few. Consider what Jesus said: (Matthew 25:21) Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things.
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