We need God and each other
May 31, 2008 (Saturday)
Fellowship is extremely important in the church, and among Christians in general. God created us as beings He could get to know and love, although He has an existence rich within Himself, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We need God. We naturally long to know Him (Psalm 42:1*). We also need to know and love others. We need to encourage worship in a local place, with people we can get to know well. The local church gives us the opportunity of finding support and affirmation.
We must, at any cost, avoid breaking that fellowship. Sin works against openness and honesty with others. Life’s circumstances sometimes work against close relationships. Negative emotions work against spiritual intimacy, and the inner pain can render a person helpless and unable to reach out to others. When depressed, we need to fight against the urge to avoid worship; we need to spend time with God and others even when we think we don’t.
If a Believer loses contact with his/her Christian family, he/she needs restoration. The spiritual wanderer can begin by going to church, first as an observer and gradually becoming a participant. If love in the church is strong, the one who was absent and returned can become a strong member, thereby becoming happier and stronger.
If we have drifted away from the Lord, we can find forgiveness and acceptance in Him and once again have sweet fellowship with our Christian family. Our greatest need is the Lord. Long ago Augustine said, “We were made for God and we shall never rest until we find our rest in Him.”
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*As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1 NIV).