Following Your Way To Fellowship

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1 John 1:6

Think of the last time you experienced tension in a relationship—perhaps with a family member or someone at work. Conversation is superficial, and you’re more comfortable apart than together. When something happens between people who are normally close, the first thing to vanish is the evidence of fellowship.

It’s the same way with the Lord. We think we can stop following Him without damaging our relationship. The conversation is surface (“Lord, please bless this food”), and we avoid spending time with Him (“I just don’t have time for my devotions”).

The main prerequisite for experiencing fellowship with Jesus is following Him and obeying His commands. It’s like when Peter and the disciples were fishing, and the Lord told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. When Peter obeyed, something greater than catching a boatload of fish happened—he saw Jesus. What followed was an intimate meal, a sweet time of fellowship with the Lord. Fellowship follows obedience.

If you’re feeling out of fellowship with Jesus, chances are good that you’ve either stopped following or started disobeying.