p. 10 | Fellowship with God

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 30, 1902

Fellowship with God

EVERYTHING in the spiritual life depends upon the quality of our fellowship with God. All real life comes from God, and is dependent upon him for its sustenance. The air and the light of the sun are not more necessary to the healthful life of any one than is this vital communication between God and myself to the life of my soul. The air of yesterday will not do for to-day. The manna of yesterday becomes corrupt. Fresh infusions of life must be secured for the soul by a daily waiting upon God. Take time to meet God.

In all successful fellowship with God two things are necessary: I must set God in his proper place, and I must take my own proper place. Everything depends upon my humbly giving God his proper place. He is the chief, the only one. He is the excluder of all else. Let the heart say to itself that God is. God is near. God is longing to communicate himself to me. He longs to make himself known to me. The soul must take time to realize this precious fact. This being assured, the attitude of the suppliant’s heart becomes clear. Blessedness for the creature consists in a recognition of his nothingness. This is only emphasized by the consciousness that we are all sinful creatures. Self-abasement is the attitude of victory.

Having given God his place and taken our own, we are in a position to accept and appreciate the standing we have in Jesus. The only begotten Son of the Father is his chiefest delight, and he must be our chief delight also. In him dwells all fullness. Through him we are emboldened to enter the very presence of the Father. To do this is the great object of fellowship, and from it comes every good and perfect spiritual gift. In this way Christ is formed within us. And God, seeing Christ in us, and us covered with Christ, finds his delight in us.

Christ thus is in us as a power, his presence is with us as a person, and, mystery of mysteries, his likeness becomes wrought in us. He becomes formed in us in such a way that we partake of his nature, and his image begins to shine out in us. This is the great and blessed work that results from fellowship, and by means of fellowship is carried on day by day. So certain is this that it is worthy of all acceptance. God loves the image of his Son. He longs to see it everywhere. He delights to reproduce it in us. And this gracious work may be counted on so far as we wait on God and have fellowship with him.

This is the special work of the Holy Spirit. He loves to take the things of Christ and make them known to us. He does not speak of himself. He glorifies Jesus. As we wait before God, the Spirit takes these things of Christ, and ministers them unto us. Let every approach to God be marked by the definite attitude of self-surrender and a worshipful exalting of the Heavenly Father, and to the confidence of faith will be given the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, taking the things and the image of Christ and revealing them to and in us.—Selected.