Blest Be The Tie That Binds

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2zd8rz

John Fawcett lived a very difficult life. He was orphaned at the age of 12 and was forced to work long hours in order to survive. But he always made the best of his circumstances. As he grew older he met and married a nice girl and then he became a preacher for a small Baptist church in Wainsgate, England.

As the young couple settled in they enjoyed their work and soon the Fawcett family began to grow. Unfortunately, his salary did not grow. He was living on less than $200 a year and that was partly paid in potatoes and wool. He desperately needed more money to support his growing family. But the small congregation of less than 100 people simply could not provide any more for him.

Agonizing over his choices, John and his wife decided they would have to move on to a larger church. Arrangements were made and John soon found another church. Following his farewell sermon at Wainsgate, the moving process began.

As the wagons were being filled with their belongings the church members all came to say their goodbyes. But the emotion of the moment soon overcame the Fawcett’s and John’s wife said, “Do you think we are doing the right thing? I do not know how to leave.”

John thought for a short while and then said, “unload the wagons, we are staying.” And they did. John never left that church. He remained until he died in 1817 having served that small church for 52 years.

A little while after the wagons were unloaded, John wrote the words of the song, “Blest Be The Tie That Binds.” Here is the first verse of that song.

Blest be the tie that binds,

Our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds,

Is like to that above.

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:8, “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous.” Being in God’s family is a great blessing. Knowing you are connected allows us to enjoy the benefits of fellowship with others in the family.

Fellowship to some is simply a meal after worship. But it is much more than that. Fellowship is sharing with one another. It is emotional, spiritual, and physical.

As Christians travel from city to city, state to state and country to country, we encounter others who are likeminded and in God’s family. Even though we may be strangers outwardly, that bond with God allows us to quickly form a bond between us as well.

A simple illustration demonstrates the power of God in our relationships. Consider a triangle with God as the top point of the triangle and you and me as the bottom points. As each of us draws closer to God the distance between our two points decreases. In other words, the key to our fellowship with one another resides with how close we are to God. The closer we are to God the closer we are to one another.

John Fawcett never did get the salary that he dreamed of receiving. But he and his wife discovered something of great value that day the wagons were loaded. They discovered the love and fellowship that had developed over time, not just for them, but for the fellowship they enjoyed with God through Jesus.

Blest be the tie that binds us together.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we take the time today to express our love and appreciation for others around us. May we speak, write or otherwise demonstrate to others the fellowship we hold dear that is made possible through our relationship with God’s family.

Our thought for the day: “To have money and friends is easy—to have friends and no money is an accomplishment.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.