April 3, 2021 -- Psalm 16:1-4 -- Fellowship Up
/Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
Psalm 16:1-4 English Standard Version
Maybe you have heard this expression “fellowship up”? This expression is applied to those seeking to improve their lives, they are advised to find someone, or a group of people, whose walk with God is admirable, obvious, and spend time with such people. This is what the psalmist is advocating. He noted first of all that the LORD is His refuge and the source of every good in his life. That is exactly what the whole Bible teaches. God Himself is the fountain of life, the Lord governs of the storehouse of heaven which is poured out into the life of believers.
Next, the psalmist realized that other believers, who know the blessings of God and His refuge, these are the ones to spend time with. They are the excellent ones, they are holy, because they press deeper into knowing God and delighting in Him. One comic I listened to, speaking of his old life, humorously commented “Spend time with smart people. Dumb people are fun. To all my dumb friends, thank you. But when you spend time with smart people, you won’t get 2 AM calls asking to be picked up, quickly and don’t tell anyone where I am.” Or demands like “loan me $200 but don’t ask any questions”. Unwittingly, this secular comic is teaching “fellowship up”. He can see benefits accruing to himself in a life lived better. The Christian understands this truth which can be taken to oneself in the LORD our God and living among those who find Him their heart’s true satisfaction.
The psalmist noted those who abandon the One, True God, find their sorrows will multiply. Surely we see this in our world today. There is a profound sense of emptiness in the lives of people around us. Statistics from “Worldometers.com” from January 1 to March 25, 2020 worldwide show deaths break down this way:
249,904 deaths by suicide
581,599 deaths by alcohol
1,162,481 deaths by smoking
9,9913,702 deaths by abortion
Notice how sorrows multiply for hose who have abandoned the Living God. What a grievous list.
This Resurrection Weekend is the time when Christians around the world celebrate Jesus’ punishment in our place, His disarming the powers of Satan at the cross, making a mockery of Satan’s power, putting our old self and sins in the grave and in Him rising to new life. In Jesus Christ we have new, full, life. Jesus is the ultimate, only “fellowship-up”. All who cling to Him and delight in Him are all my delight.
Truth be told, it can be challenge to find Christians who are living and active in their faith. It is not merely a label or a thing they do most Sundays. Those who truly believe “apart from the LORD I have no good thing” are those who speak of God, find their greatest pleasure in Him and in His Name blessing others. Find a Christian whose walk you admire and fellowship up!
O LORD my God, in You I take refuge from all the sorrows and troubles of this world. You are my King, the One Who has claimed me in Christ, directing my life in all good through Your Spirit’s power. You are the Source of Light, You are the Giver of every good gift! God of all satisfaction and jubilation, let my life shine as a beacon of hope and encouragement to those who are finding this world is souring and increasingly bitter. Mighty God, by Your Word and Spirit, revive believers so that our life in Christ is not mere surface-level showing off, but may the glorious truth of life in Christ radiate from the core of who we are so that our lives are redolent with His sweetness. Spirit of the Living God, this Resurrection weekend, bring many sons and daughters to Christ, in Whom we have a Just and Merciful Father in heaven. Amen.
https://youtu.be/f26P1ftbCco
