ISAIAH 66:1-2 – Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

THEME OF THE DAY:  GOD’S REQUIREMENTS TO FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM.   The Apostle John would open his first letter with profound words with practical application.  They are profound for what they offer – fellowship with God.  They are also practical for they define the Christian life – fellowship with God.  He penned – That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-3).  Yet fellowship with God doesn’t just happen.  We must meet the requirements if we are to enjoy a close and real spiritual communion with Him.  These requirements are found in today’s scripture; requirements the grace of God will produce in us should we be teachable and responsive to His work.

First, to have the Lord look upon us, which is the imagery of fellowship, we must be humble – This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble.  What does this mean?  It would take more space than a nugget to exhaust the trait of humility, but here is a good starting point.  To be humble or develop humility, cultivate a big view of God and low view of man.  Realize the greatness of God and smallness of man. A good place in the Word to see such a contrast is Psalm 8.

The second requirement to fellowship with God is to be contrite in spirit – But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit.  A contrite spirit is a smitten spirit; one who feels sorrow and it is toward one’s sin.  The parallel passage is the opening Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount – Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn (Matthew 5:3-4). To fellowship with a holy God demands a proper understanding of how unholy we are, not to create a morbid attitude and run from Him, but to magnify His grace that draws us near for fellowship.  Pray earnestly for the Lord to show us our sinfulness which creates true dependency on Him.

Finally, we meet the criteria to fellowship with God by trembling at His Word – But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.  To tremble is to fear and towards God’s Word it is to be in awe of, respect.  How do we get that heart?  Two things.  Pray for it, and then commit to every time we open the Bible, hold it and realize what we have – the eternal Word of God given so that we might know and fellowship with Him!  How awesome is that!

So, the Christian life – fellowship with God. He has granted this privilege to us because of the Lord Jesus.  He has also established the requirements to enjoy the privilege.  May we strive to meet them in the power of His grace

PRAYER: “Father, do the work in me that enables me to enjoy sweet fellowship with You.”

QUOTE: “The Christian life is about knowing God and walking through life with Him.”

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

Pastor Jim