"Olives, of themselves"

Oswald Chambers wrote My Utmost for His Highest  around 1935 and it continues to bless readers today!
Here is the Selection for September 2nd.

John 7:38 "He that believeth in Me ...out of him shall flow..."
Jesus did not say 'he that believeth in Me shall realize the blessing of the fulness of God," but - "he that believeth in Me out of him shall escape everything he receives." Our Lord's teaching is always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a man; His purpose is to make a man exactly like Himself, and the characteristic of the Son of God is self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what he pours through us that counts. It is not that God makes us beautifully rounded grapes, but that He squeezes the sweetness out of us. Spiritually, we cannot measure our life by success, but only by what God pours through us, and we cannot measure that at all."

Years ago (1985) on the radio show "Haven of Rest," I was so struck by what the narrator said I had to request a transcript of the show. "Olives, of themselves, have their greatest value in the press."

You see the greatest value of the olive tree is the rich, abundant oil which is expressed from its berry. One book says the best oil is made from the fruit gathered about November or December. Pressed oil is considered the best. And now, in Ohio in 2013, there are local stores for "oil snobs" that feature specialty olive oils that some chefs swear by.

So if you feel as if the Lord is squeezing you until you can barely stand any more, perhaps He is extracting that special essence from you that is like the oil from an olive. Olive oil is mentioned 200 times in the Bible. Unger's Bible Dictionary says: "It is a fitting symbol of the Spirit by virtue of its power to sustain and fortify the vital energy."

There were different kinds of olive oil in ancient Palestine, just as today. The "pure" oil is now known as virgin oil, extracted by pressure, without heat. There are times of pressure when I get heated up, but you get the meaning, I'm certain.