Spiritual and Natural Ties
"Then one said unto Him, 'Behold, Thy mother and Thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with Thee.' But He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, 'Behold my mother and my brethren ! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother'." (Matthew 12:47, 49-50)
The circle of Thine own My heart must hold most dear,
The dwelling of the Holy One, Who represents Thee here.
But oh ! when this is past, "Far better" lies beyond
With Thee, who mad'st that circle loved, Who art Thyself its bond.
(pp. 189-192, Footprints for Pilgrims)
Whenever there is a work of grace in souls they are drawn together in the bonds of divine love.
How many of us fail to adjust the claims of God and of His people with family ties ! To be without natural affection is a given sign of the last and perilous times; but if it become absorbing, or if it be elevated beyond love to the brethren, and assume the supreme and governing motive of our lives, we could not be in the spirit of ... our blessed Lord.
Spiritual ties, if sometimes slighted, are never sundered.
I feel increasingly that the bond which knits our hearts together is indestructible because it is Christ. Human affection is beautiful in its place, and the heart gets at times very hungry for it, but Christ alone can satisfy.
Domestic happiness is sometimes a great barrier to waiting for the Lord. It may come between the soul and Christ, and thus the Lord strips some of us, and we wait, and are solitary while waiting, because He cannot trust us with too much affection in this world. He loves us so much that He is jealous over us, and wants us for Himself.
It is exceedingly dangerous to listen to the advice of a relative in the things of God ... relatives look through the medium of their claims, or their natural affection, and hence the eye not being single cannot judge aright in the presence of God.
I have long since learned (from Matthew 12:46-50) that spiritual ties are closer than the closest of natural ties, and that the state of the church today has largely resulted from the failure to recognize this truth.
"Love is of God." Does a saint love you, divinely love you ? Trace it back to the heart of God.
Of necessity those who are closest to Christ will be themselves drawn closer together.
It is only where divine affections for the people of God exist in the heart, as so markedly exemplified in Moses and in Paul, as well as in Daniel and Ezra, that there can be power in intercession on their behalf. And may it not be suggested that the urgent need of today is that of intercessors ? holy men and women who, divinely taught and filled with the Spirit, shall be enabled, like Epaphras, to labor fervently for the saints in prayer.
"The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul." The root of all discords in the church of God is the lack of the Spirit's power; where He works unhinderedly in any company of saints, because ungrieved, there must be unity ... The lack of enjoyed unity in any company is due to the absence of the power of the Holy Spirit.
--- E.D.
