Blest Be The Tie

The first verse of one of my favorite hymns reads:
“Blest be the tie that binds, Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds, Is like to that above.”
The tie that binds us is the sweet communion that we have based on or relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are in fellowship with Him, then we can be in fellowship with one another. John summed it up, saying, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) Indeed it is a marvelous blessing to share with our brethren the “common salvation” that Jude spoke of in Jude 1:3. God’s children meditate upon what we have in common each Lord’s day as we take the Lord’s Supper, just like Christians have done since the days of the New Testament. Acts 2:42 records, “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Yes, we have a tie that binds us.
The next verse says,
“Before our Father’s throne, We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, Our comforts and our cares.”
Here we are reminded of the wonderful privilege that we have as God’s children to pray with assurance that he hears us. Paul told the Colossians that he did not cease to pray for them (Col. 1:9). He urged the Thessalonians, “Brethren, pray for us.”(1 Thes. 5:25). How encouraging it is to know that my brothers and sisters are praying for me, as I pray for them.
Then the song reminds us,
“We share each other’s woes, Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows, The sympathizing tear.”
What a joy to know that we do not bear our burdens alone, rather we bear one another’s burdens(Gal. 6:2). Many worldly people will rejoice with you, but concerned brethren “weep with those who weep.”(Romans 12:15).
The fourth verse brings to mind our common hope, as it says,
“When we asunder part, It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart, And hope to meet again.”
Even at death, saints are “joined in heart” with the hope that only God’s children enjoy. Paul says in 1 Thes. 4:13-14, “ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”
If you are my brother or sister, I love you. If not, why not come to Christ and enjoy the blessing of the tie that binds?