God, in His dealings with His froward children, shows the forbearance
of His love; but it is with the obedient that He walks in the
fellowship of His love. In both cases He gets glory to Himself.
Happy are they who live under His smile of approbation.
Fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ, and
the communion of the Spirit, should be the daily household bread
to our souls.
Unless the great truths of God's eternal purpose of grace, and
His electing love, occupy their due place in our hearts, we must
of necessity, more or less, misapprehend all truth: we can neither
fulfil our obligations to God nor even duly discern them.
If we come forth from the closet of communion, the atmosphere
of evil speaking will be to us as the tainted air of some great
city to one that has been breathing the pure air of a mountain-top,
or the fresh breezes of the seashore.
Unless our souls are living in communion with God, the scriptures
will not yield us their strength and nourishment.
There is nothing so teaching as _walking_ with God; nothing so
sifting to the heart and conscience as seeking in all things
to walk before Him; to hear, to speak, and to act for one great
end, namely, to please God, and to do His will from the heart.
The Lord guides us with His eye; that is, He will so guide us,
as to assure us of His guidance. He will deal with us as a tender
mother with her little ones, who suffers them not out of her
sight.
There is no fellowship with God, but through the blood of His
dear Son. It is by this He speaks to us, and calls us children;
and by it we cry, "Abba, Father," pouring out our hearts into
His bosom. And we can speak to Him as we cannot speak to human
ear, because the heart of man is not as the heart of God.
We can never thrive except we seek God in secret; and if we begin
in our closets we shall not end there, we shall also seek and
find Him in the assemblies of the saints.
It is one of the blessed fruits of the habit of walking with
God, that the soul knows what to do when it has displeased God.
"A wounded spirit who can bear?" Yet, even that burden God can
enable us to cast upon Him.
When Abraham first set foot on his pilgrimage, he knew not what
meetings with God were laid up for him: he ventured on the bidding
and promise of God, and his mercies multiplied on him as he advanced.
Whenever we are living _before man_ instead of walking _before
God_, there will be restlessness and disquietude.
It is impossible for God to meet His saints in the way of fellowship,
except in the path of obedience. When they are out of that path,
He meets them with correction, in order to bring them into fellowship
with Himself.
If we see the least trace of the mind of Christ in any one, we
should remember that in such the heart of God delights.
Carelessness about the friendship of Christ is the crying sin
of the church.
When we say, "Lord, bring us near to Thyself," we pray for many
things, which, when they come, will be bitter to our taste. At
such times it is well to remember our Forerunner: He asked to
be glorified; but before heaven was opened to Him and He received
therein, He had to pass through the garden of Gethsemane, and
on the cross to cry, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken
me?"
It ought to be a grievous thing to us to have a wish, however
slight, contrary to the mind of Christ.
As soon as it is our _settled purpose_ to please Christ, He takes
us for His bosom friends.
The more we have of Christ in our hearts, the less room for self.
How sweetly, how pleasantly, may a Christian beguile his way
to glory, by casting all his burden of sin and care upon Jesus,
and walking in love and fellowship with Him all the day long!
He who casts his burdens upon the Lord walks lightly and happily,
as one who has no burden at all.
Communion with Christ can only be kept up by constant watchfulness.
Where there is much love between friends, a cold look is matter
of complaint. Let us be very jealous over ourselves for the Lord;
watching against the least shyness between the soul and Christ.
Keep up constant intercourse with Him; be quick and dexterous
in taking small matters to Him; and the fruit will be growth
of communion.
Though in a season of temptation we may see nothing in ourselves
but what is vile and hateful, our very struggles of love after
Christ betoken His Spirit dwelling within us.
If we would have experience of the sympathy of the Lord Jesus,
we must be much at His cross, and be much occupied with the sorrows
of others.
There is a short road to comfort in affliction that few of God's
people tread; it is to be thinking much more of Christ's blessedness
than of our own sorrow; but, alas! sympathy is for the most part
all on one side. Christ has perfect sympathy with us. Oh that
we had fellowship with Him in His joy at the right hand of God!
Though Christ can be grieved at a thousand things in us that
no eye but His can see, yet none so easily pleased as He by our
little endeavours of love.
Our joy in Christ speaks a language that all hearts can understand,
and is a testimony for Him, such as mere knowledge and utterance
can never give.
It is but a small proof of love to visit a friend who lives next
door, but to go to a distance over hill and dale bespeaks love
indeed. Let us show our love to Christ, by sparing no pains,
no labour, in order to seek Him in prayer, in reading the word,
and in meditation thereon. Let us joyfully surmount all difficulties,
and joyful communion will be our recompense.
If we do anything without taking counsel of God, we—to speak
of Him after the manner of men—hide the matter from Him our
Father, and so grieve His Spirit. We do Him wrong, and ourselves
also, if in anything we have not fellowship with Him.
When it is whispered by the Spirit of God, that He who is at
God's right hand would be honoured if we do such a thing, or
if we do it not—if we disregard the still small voice, although
we may not be put to open shame, we shall miss the smile of approval
so precious to the obedient child.
The cause of lack of communion with God is summed up in this
-- disobedience. Another may take away my substance, or my life,
but cannot spoil me of my communion with God; if I lack this,
I am myself the thief and the robber.
We ought to be always happy in God, and in His ways; if we are
not, we mar the quality of our obedience.
We are never so well prepared for effectual service to man, as
when we are holding fellowship with God.
Let us be skilful to make God's matters ours: then shall we see
that He makes our matters His.
Those who know what it is to deal much with God, know that their
hopes and desires must, as it were, be buried, and that they
must leave it with Him to bring about a resurrection in His own
time and way.
God measures out His communion of love according to diligence
in seeking Him.
It is well for us to shut up our desires within the compass of
trusting and pleasing God.
If our fellowship be with the Father and His dear Son, we shall
know from the character of our Father what are His wishes. Errors
in judgment spring more or less from lack of fellowship with
Him. Acquaintance with His heart of love will enlarge ours.
We have access to God with boldness and confidence through Jesus,
the Son of the Father. Do we tell out our tale at the throne
of grace? Fellowship signifies the opening the heart on both
sides, and that without reserve.