The fact that we are human beings is not something decided by us. We cannot choose to be human beings when we are happy and choose not to be human beings when we are unhappy. The fact that we are human beings was something decided by God. The authority is in God’s hands. God created us. It does not matter whether or not we like being human beings or whether or not we know how to live as human beings. If God wants us to be men, then we must be men. As men we are told by God through the gospel that we must repent and believe in the Lord Jesus or else we will perish. There is no point in arguing about this because the universe is not in our hands. We are not the Lord of the universe. The universe is under the authority and ordination of God. God made us as men, so we have to be men. Now, having made us as men, He wants us to believe in the Lord Jesus. If we protest against this, we are being foolish. There is no way to change God’s decision and selection. If we are wise, we will submit to Him and say, “Oh, God, this is good. If You want me to believe in Jesus, then I will believe in Jesus. Hallelujah.” Then we will have peace and joy.
We cannot argue with Him about this because the universe is His, and the authority is in His hands. After we become Christians, He says to us, “You have become a Christian, and you have a regenerated life, but you still have to prepare oil in your vessel.” This is simply a matter of His authority. If we prepare our vessels with the oil, we will be at peace and the result will be good. If we do not prepare our vessels with the oil and instead protest against Him, He will remain unchanged. We may give eight, ten, or even a hundred reasons in opposing Him, but we will not have the “amen” and the peace in the deepest part of our being. Our whole being will be inwardly upset. No matter how many reasons we present to God, the inward “amen” and the sense of peace will be withheld from us. We may have many excuses, but our inner being will not be at peace.
A Christian who is at peace and is joyful and whose inner being is in harmony with his outer being must be pursuing the infilling of the Spirit. If a person is not pursuing the infilling of the Spirit, he will surely have no peace within. He may have many reasons for not pursuing and may continually mention these reasons to God, but his innermost being will not be at ease and will have no peace. Because his inner being is in disharmony with his outer being, he will not have the boldness to kneel before the Lord and to pray. The Spirit who lives in the deepest part of his being will not say “amen.” He may try his best to deceive the Spirit or to bribe Him, but the Spirit can never be deceived or bribed. Because of his hardness and his many reasons, the Spirit may be silent for a while since the Spirit does not contend with man. After he has given up his reasons and finished his talking, the Spirit may come again and speak to him while he is sitting alone in the middle of the night. The words of the Spirit may be completely contrary to the reasons that he gave. Thus, he will be unable to do anything. No Christian can avoid this. As Christians, we have to mature, and we must be filled with the Spirit.
Whether or not we agree with God or whether or not we are submissive to Him, we can never change Him because the authority is in His hands. There are three facts that we cannot change: first, the fact that we are men; second, the fact that as men we must believe in Jesus; and third, the fact that as believers we must mature. The authority to change these things is not in our hands. Some people commit suicide because they are unhappy that they are men. Actually, to commit suicide is the most foolish thing to do because it only causes one to perish more quickly. God wants us to be men, so we must obediently be men. God wants us to believe in Jesus, so we must obediently believe in Jesus. Having believed in Jesus, God wants us to mature, to pursue the infilling of the Spirit, and to prepare oil in our vessels. We must submissively say, “Amen. Yes, God, I am willing to do this.” If we do this, we will be the prudent ones whom the Lord will praise.
Many people say that honest advice often grates on the ear. Although these words may be unpleasant to your ear, they are nevertheless important and faithful. I hope that we would receive these words. If we are Christians, we must be mature Christians, and we must prepare oil in our vessels. Never regard the parables given by the Lord Jesus as playful and insignificant stories. The Lord said that the prudent ones prepare oil in their vessels, whereas the foolish ones do not. He will come one day and these two kinds of people will have to meet Him. You and I will have to meet Him one day. How will you meet Him? This is a big question. We cannot guarantee how many years we will live on the earth, whether it will be ten, twenty, sixty, or a hundred years. No matter how many years we will be alive on the earth, we must prepare our vessels with the oil within the limited time. How do we prepare our vessels with the oil? We have to buy it. To buy the oil is to pay the price. We have to pay the price to prepare our vessels with the oil.