• It has been said that there is not a man or woman alive who could not retire comfortably in their old age if they could sell their experience for what it cost them.
• How sad that we spend our lives chasing after something fulfilling only to gain the perspective that a) we never got it, and b) look at what all it cost us.
• A poll was done recently among senior adults which discovered that the most important things in their life were not money, power, or even health. The most important things were faith, family, and friends.
• If we could gain the advantage of perspective that age brings we would see that the important things in life can't be attained but really just need to be embraced. All three things the senior's listed as important invovle fellowship.
• Through friends we fellowship, through family we fellowship, and through faith we fellowship with God. Today we want to talk about fellowship with God. The Bible tells us that in God's presence is fullness of joy! Let's take advantage of perspective and begin to see even now that fellowship particularly fellowship with God is what we need to be embracing.
• Read Psalm 16

Fellowship with God takes initiative on our part

• It takes us turning toward God with everything that we are
• It takes lining up our lives as one with His.
• The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia - which means to be in one accord, to commune with God.
• David says "there is no good beside You"(2b), the saints who walk with you are my heroes (lit. "holy ones", or "godly").
• We must take the initiative to line our lives up with God. 1 John 1:6 says if we say we have koinonia with God but walk in darkness we are liars. It's not words, it's our hearts, turning them toward God.
• To fellowship means to become one with, to commune with, today we need to commune or become one with God by turning our lives over to Him.
• David says he has seen those who turn toward something other than God and their names are not even worthy to be spoken, but in fellowship with God we are part of a glorious heritage.

Fellowship with God brings us protection and direction (7-11a)

• There is another advantage in being in fellowship with God - we walk in His protection and by His direction.
• He counsels us - helps us to make the right decisions
• He instructs us - shows us the way we should go
• He is at our right hand - nothing will shake us - no circumstance, no situation.
• He gives us security
• He shows us the path of life - notice not the path of my life - in fact the first half of this Psalm talks about the "my's" but then David gets to a point where he says, "all that is within me" and suddenly, it's just God's will that matters. the path of life, the path of God's will by using this life. In your presence is all joy.

Fellowship with God brings us full joy

• Ever wonder what absolute and complete joy feels like? Well there's one way to find out. Start walking wholly with God.
• John 17:13, Jesus says, "But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves."
• To experience full and complete joy we must experience fellowship with God.

conclusion

• The study done by Lifeway showed that senior adults cherish faith, family, and friends all which involve fellowship. When we fellowship with family and friends and minister to and with them our fellowship with God is made stronger. As our fellowship with God is made stronger our joy begins to become complete.
• Are you experiencing fellowship with God and the abundant joy that brings?