Fellowship

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 1.3

John is inviting us into fellowship. This is koinonia – spiritual union of the believer with Christ. John had walked with Jesus. He knew Him. In fact, he was especially favoured by him. This qualifies him well to make this recommendation to us. This is encouraging but, wonderful as John’s relationship with the earthly Jesus might have been, it is not essential to our union with Christ. He Himself draws us to Him.

We each can know intimate relationship with the full Godhead – Father, Son and Spirit. And this leads on to fellowship with one another. We are the body of Christ. Individually, we can commune and participate in sweet relationship with Him. Collectively we can do this. We also join in relationship with each other, we enjoy one another.

John states his purpose in writing of fellowship with our wonderful God as:

 to make our joy complete (v4).

As I am reminded of the purity I have in Jesus, the fellowship that is mine with the Godhead, and the fellowship I can enjoy with all believers, I give thanks – glorious, grateful thanks. I want to partake of the best, and fullest, fellowship – all around,

Lord God,

I thank You for the fellowship I have with You, with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I thank You for this and ask that it might grow and deepen.

I thank You for the fellowship I enjoy with other Christians. I ask You to extend this, to take me to meet others, to enlarge the wonderful family circle that exists in You.

Draw me closer, please. Come close to me and bring me close to You. I yearn for deeper relationship with You. My relationship is with You. Bring me also into contact with more people that I might share this wonderful relationship with them.

Receive my love, precious Lord. Let us travel through this day together Lead me in Your way, in Jesus’ Name I ask.                                                           Amen.

His will

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”                                              John 6.38

This verse encapsulates fully the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ and explains, to me, the reason for his incarnation.

Jesus came down from heaven. This point is clearly made – in fact it is just about hammered home – in this discourse where it is mentioned six times (vv. 33,38,41,50,51,58). Jesus is of divine origin. He is God.

He is also man. He came down from heaven to earth where He lived in the fullness of humanity – but with a unique, sinless humanity.

He had a purpose in coming to earth which was to restore humanity to right relationship with God. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19.10). Throughout His earthly life His purpose was clear – to do the will of the Father who had sent Him. He was obedient from beginning to end, even to death. His obedience has rescued me and restored me to a loving, most precious relationship with the Father.

I am in awe of the divinity of Christ. I marvel at the sinless humanity of Jesus. And I rejoice in the salvation I have through His selfless act of obedience to the Father’s will.

Lord God,

How awesome you are. You came down from heaven, God in human form. You lived among us, wholly without sin. You gave Yourself, the ultimate sacrifice, in payment and absolution of our sin.

Holy, holy Lord, I bow before You in full adoration and praise. My heart spills over with thanks for You. I offer my deepest, sweetest worship to you. I bow down in humility, remembering Your act of love for me.

Thank You, Holy Lord, thank You, for all that You’ve done and continue to do, in and for me.                                                                                                                                        Amen.

Find rest

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honour depend on God;
 he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

                                                                                                            Psalm 62.5-8

Psalm 62 has long been one of my favourite psalms. I have chosen to reflect on the central passage where the psalmist speaks forth an exhortation to himself and then to the people.

The psalm begins with a declaration along similar lines to what the psalmist now exhorts. It is as if he is saying, “This is the truth. Now I exhort myself to receive and live in this truth. God is all I need. He is my very foundation and my life and this is how I must accept him.”

The words ‘find rest’ are suggestive of silence, silence in repose. I can rest silently and quietly in God’s full keeping. It reminds me of Paul’s rejoinder that I am to be anxious for nothing. Silent rest implies a deep and effective repose. There is no stress, strain, or striving. This psalm is one of the great expressions of simple trust in God. I’m pleased that God spoke to me through these words a long time ago. He spoke to me then, and He speaks to me now.

The significance of the psalmist exhorting himself before others is also applicable for me. I must know that I trust God before I can ever encourage others to do so. And that trust applies at all times, in any situation, whatever the visible circumstances suggest or yield. My God is greater than any diverse, threatening or simply unhelpful situation that I might find myself in. In God, alone, will I trust. He is surely and truly my refuge and my strength.

Lord God,

I am mindful that Your mercies are new every morning. I thank You for this as I come to You in renewed statement of my trust in You. I sense a move from reason and sight to faith and trust in the unseen. You are unseen, yet I know You are there. I rejoice in the relationship I have with you. I ask You also that our relationship might become even deeper. Hear my request to go further with You. My humble desire is to get so close to You that I might hear and feel Your heartbeat. And of course I wish to live fully in time with that beat. Your love amazes me. I receive Your love. I thank You deeply and sincerely for Your concern and care of me. I thank You for grace that receives me in Christ even though I am unacceptable in myself. In Christ I am alive, I am clean and I am able to go forward with You. Let me live for You – today and every day. Receive my further statement of trust in You. Increase that trust and faith in me, in Jesus’ Name I ask.                                                                  Amen.

Make music!

My heart is steadfast, O God;

I will sing and make music with all my soul.                     Psalm 108.1

How I wish I could truly say my heart is steadfast, and make music to God with all of my being. Certainly there are times when this is true, but there are also times when I feel anything but steadfast. Doubt assails me and self-questioning takes on a negative flavour. With help, sometimes from a friend, sometimes direct from God, I am able to journey through these times. And the number of instances I can attribute to the work of the enemy should have given me clear comfort long ago.

Yet, such is the cunning of the foe that I inevitably fall prey – not often and not always, but sufficient times for me to get cross about it. The answer, as I often tell others, is to turn to God first and not last. What a good idea!

Lord God,

Again I thank You for Your faithfulness. You are always there. You are with me. Indeed, who need I fear? Sometimes I think I need to be most wary of myself. I allow myself to get in the way of the fullness of living in You, in harmony and perfect peace. I ask You to forgive me.

I also ask, from another of the psalmist’s pleas to You, that You would restore the “joy” of my salvation. Let me not focus on the daily details of life. These do not constitute who I am. I am a child of God, much loved by my heavenly Father. O, how joyous is this!

Yes, Lord, may I know the joy of salvation, fresh every minute of every day. Create a steadfast heart in me, O my Father, and cause Your Holy Spirit to rise up in me to fullness and overflowing. May I sing and make music to You every day if my life.

Receive my love. Hear my prayer, and answer me, please, in Jesus’ Name I ask.          Amen.

The Eyes have it!

My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.                              Ps. 25.15

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.            Ps. 119.18

Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

 Ps. 119.37

I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?        Ps. 121.1

I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven.         Ps. 123.1

But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge – do not give me over to death.                   Ps. 141.8

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.          Prov. 4.25

Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar. Isa. 33.17

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.             Matt. 6.22          

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.                            2 Cor. 4.18

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.                                                 Heb. 12.2,3

Today the ‘eyes’ have it. During recent study I experienced some eye strain through concentrated reading, note-taking and computer work. I found out subsequently that the lens prescription in my specs needed updating. The eye tiredness has persisted. I am believing this is temporary and will pass as my eyes adjust to new lenses. In the meantime I decided to see what God’s Word said in respect to the eyes. The selection of verses I have noted is the outcome.

Interestingly, my selection begins (Ps. 25.15) and ends (Heb. 12.2, 3) with the same exhortation and encouragement. I am to look to God – intently fixing my eyes on Jesus – for my strength is in Him. He is all that I need. My healing is assured in Him.

I praise You, Lord. I sense Your touch right at this moment. I receive Your word of wholeness and health. Hallelujah! I praise You.

God will not only keep me safe, He will also lead and guide me into the fulfilment of His purposes for me. He has this extraordinary plan for my life. Even as I write this, I ‘hear’ a holy chuckle. It’s as if my wonderful, darling heavenly Father is saying, “Just you wait, my boy. Have I got some surprises for you!”

God will restore my eyes to the fullness of health, and the clearest of vision. He will also show me the most wonderful things in His Law (Ps. 110.18) and I know I shall see miraculous things as I willingly minister in Him.

I look to You, Lord, and You alone. I lift my eyes, to the hills and beyond. I lift my eyes to the highest heavens. I look to behold You, King Almighty, seated upon Your heavenly throne, breathtaking in Your beauty, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-loving and all-blessing.

Lord, let me look straight ahead, let me fix my gaze fully on You and Your ways for me. I take refuge in You. I receive life, life abundant from You. Let me gaze upon the unseen God. Make my eyes fully good, Lord. Let me see and embrace the eternal, the love of You, My Saviour, Lord, Father and Lover.                                                                                             Amen.