“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. ”
1 John 3:1
Discussion
Relationship is God's gift to us, while fellowship is our gift to Him. Here's what I mean; when we got born again, we were born into a relationship with God (1John 3:1-2). Relationship with God isn't something you attain to, neither is it something you achieve, it's something you receive. God gave it to you as a gift, not a reward. You're His son by birth, not by merit, therefore you cannot do anything to be more than His Son. However, you can grow in fellowship with Him. When we say ‘fellowship’, we are referring to that living, active, regular interaction of a person with God. You fellowship with God in prayers with studying and meditating on His Word. Although your relationship with God cannot be improved on, your fellowship with God can be (and should be) improved.
Your relationship with God speaks of who you are, relative to God; you are His son, but your fellowship with God speaks of your knowledge of God as a result of your intimate interactions with Him. Your relationship with God has given you access to immense divine privileges, but your fellowshipping with Him gives you implementation of those privileges. By reason of your relationship with God you already have every spiritual blessing you'll ever need, but through your fellowshipping with God, the spiritual blessing translates into tangible realities such as; a happy marriage, a peaceful family, a prosperous career, a healthy body, etc. This is because what you are by relationship, becomes what you do by fellowship.
Meditation
— Your response to life's situations is directly proportional to the consistency of your fellowship with God. Stop trying to deal with your challenges by your strength, deal with them from the place of fellowship with God.