2 Kings 4:1-7
"4 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. 4 Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”"
The application of this story as a parable of the spiritual life is surely obvious, and we make mention of two points in particular among many that it has afforded Christians down the ages. The first is that God multiplies what we already possess. As believers, the oil of the Holy Spirit is our present possession, and we must count upon His presence in our lives and - we say it reverently: - 'use' Him, or rather (far more truly), allow ourselves to be used by Him. What Elijah counselled the woman to do was to pour out, expend, what oil she had, and it was in the doing that she found it miraculously multiplied, and it is when we venture out in faith and confidence of the Spirit's unfailing supply that we find Him more than sufficient for our needs. It is not that we receive more of Him (for, having Him we have all of Him; He is a Person!) but that He is allowed more scope and room in us for His mighty working.
Secondly, Elisha bade the woman bring all the empty vessels together to be filled with the oil. Likewise, there are empty vessels within us - empty hearts, minds, wills, affections, talents, - that need to be filled with the oil of the Spirit. This is what God undertakes to do for every blood-bought child of His. Why should any of us have less than He means us to enjoy?