Daily Fellowship with God

1. The first and chief need of our Christian life is, Fellowship with God.

The Divine life within us comes from

God, and is entirely dependent upon Him.

As I need every moment afresh the air to breathe, as the sun every moment afresh sends down its light, so it is only in direct living communication with God that my soul can be strong.

The manna of one day was corrupt when the next day came. I must every day have

fresh grace from heaven, and I obtain it ‘only in direct waiting upon God Himself. Begin each day by tarrying before God, and letting Him touch you. T ake time to meet God.

2. To this end, let your first act in your devotions be a setting yourself still before God. In prayer, or worship, everything depends upon God taking the chief place. I must bow quietly before Him in humble faith and adoration, speaking thus within my heart: “Godis. Godisnear. God is love, longing to communicate Himself to me. God the Almighty One, Who worketh all in all,

is even now waiting to work in me, and make Himself known.” Take time, till you

know God is very near.

3. When you have given God His place i of honor, glory, and power, t take; your pl place of deepest lowliness, and seek to be filled with the Spirit of humility. As a creature it is your blessedness to be nothing, that God may be all in you. Asa sinner you are not worthy to look up to God; bow in self-abasement. Asa saint, let God’s love overwhelm you, and bow you still lower down. Sink down before Him in humility, meekness, patience, and surrender to His goodness and mercy. He will exalt you. Oh! take time, to get very low before God. ice’

4. Then accept and value your place in Christ Jesus. God delights in nothing but His beloved Son, and can be satisfied with nothing else in those who draw nigh to Him. Enter deep into God’s holy presence in the boldness which the blood gives, and in the assurance that in Christ you are most well-pleasing. In Christ you are within the veil. You have access into the very heart and love of the Father, This is the great object of fellowship with God, that I may have more of God in my life, and that God may see Christ formed in me. Be silent before God and let Him bless you.

5. This Christ is a living Person. He loves you with a personal love, and He looks

every. day r for th the personal response of your

love. Look into His face with trust, till His love really: shines into your heart. Make His heart glad by telling Him that you do love Him. He offers Himself to you as a personal Saviour and Keeper from the power of sin. Do not ask, can I be kept from sinning, if I keep close to Him? but ask, can I be kept from sinning, if He always keeps close to me? and you see at once how safe it is to trust Him.

6. We have not only Christ’s life in us” as a power, and His presence with us asa “person, but we have His likeness to be wrought into us. He is to be formed in us, so that His form or figure, His likeness, can be seen in us. Bow before God until you get some sense of the greatness and blessedness of the work to be carried on by God in

you this day. „n Say to God, “Father, here am I for Thee to give as much in me of Christ’s likeness as I can receive.” And wait to hear Him say, ‘My child, I give thee as much of Christ as thy heart is open to receive.” The God who revealed Jesus in the flesh and perfected Him, will reveal Him in thee and perfect thee in Him. The Father loves the Son, and delights to work

out His image and likeness in thee. Count

upon it that this blessed work will be done

in thee as thou waitest € on thy God, and holdest fellowship with Him. 7. The likeness to Christ consists chiefly

in two things — the likeness of His death and: resurrection, (Rom. 6: 5). The death of Christ was the consummation of His humility and obedience, the entire giving up of His life to God. In Him we are dead to sin. As we sink down in humility and dependence and entire surrender to God, the power of His death works in us, and we are made comformable to His death. And so we know ‘Him in the p power of His resurrection, in n the 1e victory over sin, and all the joy

and] power r of tl the risen life. Therefore every

TEURER morning, “‘ present yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead.” He will maintain the life He gave, and bestow the grace to live as risen ones.

8. All this can only be in the power of the Holy Spirit,, who dwells in you. Count upon Him to glorify Christ in you. Count upon Christ to increase in you the inflowing of His Spirit. As you wait before God to realize His presence, remember that the Spirit is in you to reveal the things of God. Seek in God’s presence to have the anoint-

“ing of the Spirit of ‘Christ so truly that your

whole Jife may every moment be ‘spiritual. g. As you “meditate on this wondrous salvation and seek full fellowship with the great and holy ‘God, and wait on Him to reveal Christ in you, you. will feel how needful the giving up of all is to receive Him. “Seek grace to know what it means to live as — wholly for God as Christ did. Only the

ne eR

Holy! Spirit “Himself c can teach you what an

entire ‘yielding of the whole life to God can

mean. Wait on God to shew you in this what you do not know. Let every approach

to God, and every request for fellowship

with E Him “be accompanied by = a 2 new, very

serena NIE OTS IE TEP definite, and entire surrender to Him to work in you.

to. “By faith” must here, as through all Scripture, and all the spiritual life, be

the keynote. As you tarry before God, let

it be in a deep quiet faith in Him, the Invisible One, who is so near, so holy, so

mighty, so loving. In a deep, restful faith

too, that all the blessings and powers of the

heavenly life are around you, and in you.

Just yield yourself in the faith of a perfect

trust to the Ever Blessed Holy Trinity to

work out all God’s purpose in you. Begin each day thus in fellowship with God, and

God will be alli in all to you.