FELLOWSHIP
WITH GOD: A HUMBLE RESPONSIBILITY!
Psalm
15
O
LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who
shall dwell on your holy hill?
He
who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and
speaks truth in his heart;
who
does not slander with his tongue
and
does no evil to his neighbor,
nor
takes up a reproach against his friend;
in
whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but
who honors those who fear the LORD;
who
swears to his own hurt and does not change;
who
does not put out his money at interest
and
does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He
who does these things shall never be moved.
As
I read these verses, which the psalmist wrote under the inspiration of God, many
thoughts stream through my mind.
We
see here a description of the walk of a righteous man, yet even in his
righteousness, he still humbly asks what kind of man can be in close fellowship
with the holy God. For man’s fallen nature affects his every motive and action,
causing division between man and God. So
no one could ever have communion with God by his own efforts. It is only God,
Himself, who can produce the ability, the desire, and the strength to live
righteously.
Romans
7:18
For
I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the
desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
Man,
in his flesh, cannot produce any kind of righteousness, even if he desires to
do what is right.
Philippians
3:12-16
Not
that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make
it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not
consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies
behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are
mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal
that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Striving toward godliness is not a one-time
event, but it is the continuous work of God in us, as we press (that is, work
hard) toward that goal.
1
Timothy 1:15-16
The
saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy
for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his
perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal
life.
Paul
knew very well that it was God’s mercy to him, a ‘foremost’ sinner, that
revealed the work of Christ in him as an
encouraging example for future sinners to also believe unto eternal life.
As
we read what David has written in this psalm, the humbling reality of God
working in us should flood our souls. At the same time, the responsibility to
walk in a worthy manner of our salvation is clearly conveyed.
A believer ought to do what is right, and this should be
visible to others. His thinking and the meditations of his heart should be
biblical. His speech should be pure.
Matthew
12:34-37
You
brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good
treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings
forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for
every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by
your words you will be condemned.”
The
fact that the mouth reveals what is in the heart is a concept repeated frequently
in the Scriptures. I so often tend to justify unkind, angry, derogatory,
critical, and complaining words. Our first reaction, however, when wrong words
come out of our mouths, should be to check our hearts! I need that reminder,
and am very thankful for the work that God is doing in my heart, through His
word.
David
goes on to describe a person who does not do evil and does not rejoice, or even
envy, the evil doers. He does not enjoy the company of the evil doers, but
takes pleasure in fellowship with the godly.
One of the check-ups we can do in our
own hearts is to ask ourselves whom we love to spend time with, and what kind of
conversations we have with them. As believers, we should love to spend time
with our fellow Christians, and our conversations should be Bible-driven. I am
afraid that, for many believers, friendships and conversations are often driven
by the same interests and goals that unbelievers have.
Ephesians
5:19-21
…addressing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
A believer is not driven by greed! He
is generous!
Hoarding wealth or personal gain are not what motivate him. He is willing to
suffer loss, rather than lose the integrity of his words and promises. Money is
not the principal motivation for what he does! We live in a very affluent
society, where it is easy not only to be driven by its same goals, but also to
be disappointed that we don’t have what others have. Any financial blessings
should drive us to generosity and not greed.
Ephesians
4:28
Let
the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his
own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
This
kind of living will produce peace and stability, and most of all, humble and
grateful communion with God.
What
a blessing, to know that Christ prayed for us, that we would live a life
pleasing to the Father. May this be our prayer, too!
John
17:11-19
And
I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.
Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be
one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which
you have given me. I have guarded
them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the
Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I
speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have
given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the
world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of
the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world,
just as I am not of the world. Sanctify
them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I
have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that
they also may be sanctified in truth.
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