Jacob
2006-12-18 03:20:26 UTC
We know God loves us so much because He gave His Son to die for us
(Ro.5:8). But what does He want with us after we have repented from our
sins, placed our trust in Him and He has made us His children? Many
think that He needs labourers to work for Him. "Saved to serve," they
say. They say that now that we have been saved our duty is to go and
preach the gospel so that other people can also be saved (Mt.28:19,20).
Now it is true that the harvest is plenty and the labourers are few
(Mt.9:37). But is that the primary reason for His overtures towards us?
Let us go back to the time before Adam and Eve had sinned. Why did God
create man in the first place? Why did the three Persons in the trinity
of God decide, "Let Us make man in our image"? (Ge.1:26). God wanted
someone like Him to relate to, to have fellowship with. It appears that
He couldn't really have fellowship with angels for some reasons we
don't fully understand, and He had created them only as 'servants' who
could never be children (He.1:5,14).
How can God have fellowship with us? He has created us as body, soul,
and spirit, and He is Spirit (1Th.5:23;Jn.4:24). But when we are born
into this world we are 'dead' in sin (Ro.5:17;Ps.51:5). This means that
even though we have a spirit we are dead in our spirit and have no
connection with God. When we are born again God's Spirit comes into our
spirit and we are made 'alive' (Ep.2:5). Now we can have fellowship
with God.
We have 'fellowship' with someone when we share things in common - when
we are partners with him and participate with him in some common
values, interests, goals, activities, etc. Obviously fellowship can be
at very low levels, as when we are in the same class or office, to high
levels where we have become virtually 'one' with each other in our mind
and spirit.
So how can we have greater fellowship with God? It is by becoming more
and more like Him, when we share the same spirit - in our values, in
the things we like and hate, in the way we look at people and things,
in the choices we make, in the way we respond to situations, doing
things in partnership with Him, etc.
God has made it possible for all of us to have the highest levels of
fellowship with Him (He.8:11). It is not just for so-called 'servants
of God.' Don't we all have the opportunity to become more like God in
our attitudes and behaviour, and doing what He wants us to do?
It all depends on how much we want. God has given us the freedom to
choose either God or our own will. Because it is easier to give in to
our will than to deny it and do God's will, most of us actually never
get to have much fellowship with God. God's opinion of even some
"servants of God" was that they really sought only their own
(Php.2:19-21).
But let us understand what a great and glorious possibility God is
offering us, and respond to Him.
http://www.c-n-c.org
(Ro.5:8). But what does He want with us after we have repented from our
sins, placed our trust in Him and He has made us His children? Many
think that He needs labourers to work for Him. "Saved to serve," they
say. They say that now that we have been saved our duty is to go and
preach the gospel so that other people can also be saved (Mt.28:19,20).
Now it is true that the harvest is plenty and the labourers are few
(Mt.9:37). But is that the primary reason for His overtures towards us?
Let us go back to the time before Adam and Eve had sinned. Why did God
create man in the first place? Why did the three Persons in the trinity
of God decide, "Let Us make man in our image"? (Ge.1:26). God wanted
someone like Him to relate to, to have fellowship with. It appears that
He couldn't really have fellowship with angels for some reasons we
don't fully understand, and He had created them only as 'servants' who
could never be children (He.1:5,14).
How can God have fellowship with us? He has created us as body, soul,
and spirit, and He is Spirit (1Th.5:23;Jn.4:24). But when we are born
into this world we are 'dead' in sin (Ro.5:17;Ps.51:5). This means that
even though we have a spirit we are dead in our spirit and have no
connection with God. When we are born again God's Spirit comes into our
spirit and we are made 'alive' (Ep.2:5). Now we can have fellowship
with God.
We have 'fellowship' with someone when we share things in common - when
we are partners with him and participate with him in some common
values, interests, goals, activities, etc. Obviously fellowship can be
at very low levels, as when we are in the same class or office, to high
levels where we have become virtually 'one' with each other in our mind
and spirit.
So how can we have greater fellowship with God? It is by becoming more
and more like Him, when we share the same spirit - in our values, in
the things we like and hate, in the way we look at people and things,
in the choices we make, in the way we respond to situations, doing
things in partnership with Him, etc.
God has made it possible for all of us to have the highest levels of
fellowship with Him (He.8:11). It is not just for so-called 'servants
of God.' Don't we all have the opportunity to become more like God in
our attitudes and behaviour, and doing what He wants us to do?
It all depends on how much we want. God has given us the freedom to
choose either God or our own will. Because it is easier to give in to
our will than to deny it and do God's will, most of us actually never
get to have much fellowship with God. God's opinion of even some
"servants of God" was that they really sought only their own
(Php.2:19-21).
But let us understand what a great and glorious possibility God is
offering us, and respond to Him.
http://www.c-n-c.org