Daily devotion – Fellowship.
Psalm 89:7 “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”
After Sunday morning’s message, we gathered in prayer with a number of people. Some were committing their lives to Christ for the very first time, becoming born again. Others were facing illness, some were preparing to welcome a child, and still others were bracing for difficult circumstances in the week ahead and looking for prayer support.
Moments like these remind us how vital fellowship is. At different times, each of us will either be the one who has a need or the one God uses to meet a need. Making church fellowship a regular part of our walk with Christ cannot be overemphasized. The early church, we remember, met daily (Acts 2:46).
The writer of Hebrews exhorts believers who were slipping back into the world and neglecting fellowship:
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23–25)
Notice how verses 23 and 24 emphasize holding fast without wavering, and also gathering together so that we might encourage one another in love and good works.
In my younger years, while training to be a livestock buyer, I was required to study and know the behavior of sheep, cattle, and swine.
It struck me how often believers are compared to sheep in Scripture (John 10) being in the presence of the Good Shepherd with the other sheep of the flock. A sheep is healthy and safe when it remains with the flock, but once it becomes isolated, it quickly becomes vulnerable to danger.
We are living in the Last Days, and the importance of staying in fellowship cannot be overstated. Let us always remember that our Lord is present with His people:
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3)