WHAT FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD CONSISTS OF
Many today have a most inadequate and defective idea of what fellowshipwith God consists of. They regard fellowship as a special luxury which is onlyenjoyed occasionally, whereas fellowship should be experienced regularly. Theyimagine fellowship is known only when their souls are ecstatically elevated by someuncommonly powerful sermon, during some season of unusual liberty in prayer, or when meditating on some precious portion of the Word. But that is more a time when the saint is aware of the Lord’s having drawn near to and lifted up the light of His countenance upon him, favoring him with a special love token.But we now have something else in mind. Intimate fellowship with Godcan be enjoyed not only by one in the monastery but by the housewife whileengaged in her domestic tasks and by her husband as he works for his dailybread. God graciously communes with each of His people while they areabout their secular duties as they are discharged in obedience to Him.
ONLY ONE WAY FOR A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD
What we particularly have in mind are these words:“He will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths”(Isaiah 2:3).God holds fellowship with us only in His ways, “the paths ofrighteousness.” We cannot walk with God in a way of self-will and self-pleasing,nor in the broad road trodden by the world. Every step we take inthe right way — the way of God’s revealed will — must be one ofobedience. But the moment we forsake the path of duty and wander intowhat Bunyan styles “By-path meadow,” we turn away from God, and leavethe only place where fellowship with Him may be had.
WISDOM FROM GOD REQUIRED FOR LIFE’S PATH
“In all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Those added words intimatenot only the sort of knowledge for which the Christian is to pray but alsowhat is necessary in order for him to employ such knowledge to advantage.In this superficial age, knowledge and wisdom are often confounded, yetthey are far from being synonymous. There are many learned fools in theworld. Frequently the almost illiterate exercise more natural intelligence
than does the average university graduate. “Wisdom” is the capacity tomake right and good use of knowledge. Even when we have considerableknowledge of God’s will, much wisdom and spiritual understanding arerequired in order to go in the path of His commandments. Sometimes it isthe Christian’s duty to admonish an erring brother, yet he is likely to dohim more harm than good unless he speaks discreetly. There is a time and aseason for everything, but good judgment and spiritual discernment are
requisite in order to recognize them. Much prudence is called for to rightlydistinguish between relative duties: to deliberately neglect secular duties inorder to feast upon spiritual things, to deprive my family of things whichthey urgently need in order to give more liberally to the Lord’s cause, toforsake my wife in the evenings to engage in religious activities, betrays anabsence of spiritual understanding.