Silken Cords of Affection

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32.
The principle inculcated by the injunction, “Be kindly affectioned one to another” (Romans 12:10), lies at the very foundation of domestic happiness.
Unkindness, complaining, and anger shut Jesus from the dwelling. I saw that angels of God will flee from a house where there are unpleasant words, fretfulness, and strife.
Gentle manners, cheerful conversation, and loving acts will bind the hearts of children to their parents by the silken cords of affection and will do more to make home attractive than the rarest ornaments that can be bought for gold.
Tender affection should ever be cherished between husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters. Every hasty word should be checked, and there should not be even the appearance of the lack of love one for another…. Children are to respect and reverence their parents, and parents are to manifest patience, kindness, and affection for their children. Each one should seek in every possible way to please and make happy the members of the family circle.
Acts of kindness…. will bind hearts together, and will draw them closer to the heart of Him from whom every generous impulse springs. The little attentions, the small acts of love and self-sacrifice, that flow out from the life as quietly as the fragrance from a flower—these constitute no small share of the blessings and happiness of life.
Oh, what rays of softness and beauty shone forth in the daily life of our Saviour! What sweetness flowed from His very presence! The same spirit will be revealed in His children. Those with whom Christ dwells will be surrounded with a divine atmosphere. Their white robes of purity will be fragrant with perfume from the garden of the Lord. Their faces will reflect light from His, brightening the path for stumbling and weary feet.
The Faith I Live By p. 267
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my grandson Solomon that he will give his life to Jesus and also be protected from those who want to kill him. Connie
—-Please continue to keep my son in your prayers …! My son has Moderate Persistent Asthma and he has been waking up several times during the night with shortness of breath! Lissa
—-I need prayers on behalf of my sister Danielle and her son for their safety as things are coming to a head between her and her mentally abusive husband. David
—-We need God’s guidance. Buck
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Dear Friends,
Last evening, we went to a concert that one of the boys in our church was playing the violin in. We sat on the second row with his family. It reminded me of being at a concert some years ago where I sat on the second row so I could get pictures of Esther Marie when she sang her solos and also when she was singing with the Octet at Union College. Brian and I had gotten there early so we could get the good seat. Just before the performance began, I noticed that the guest conductor had a white string stuck to one of the long tails of his black tuxedo. Static electricity had caused it to stick fast in a looping, twisted pattern. He was very busy, and the church was filling, so we hesitated going up to him and telling him about that string. We thought that we could catch his attention to let him know of his plight. Unfortunately, we could not.
When the concert began, I was sure that I would forget about that string or that someone would have told him about the string while he was waiting in the hallway, but such was not the case. As soon as the guest conductor stood with his back to the audience, my eyes immediately drifted to the string about a foot above the back of his knee.
Try as I might not to do so, throughout the rest of the performance, that string distracted me. Only when Esther Marie was singing her solos, did I forget about that string. The rest of the time, I had this almost overpowering urge to run up and pull that offending string off from his tux.
How often, we get just as distracted in our Christian walk. How many times, we allow some small issue to take our focus off from Jesus. I have seen churches divided over some of the smallest things. Somewhere along the way, the members have begun focusing upon one another until all is confusion and distress. Paul warns, “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” “if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” Gal 5:26, 15 James adds, ” if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” James 3:14-18
James also says, “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” James 5:19, 20 Now, it is important to stand for what we believe is right, but this is to be done in a Christian way. If we try to “pick the white string off from our brother’s coat” in the wrong spirit, we will cause our brother to hold on tighter to it. How important to have the wisdom that comes from Above that we may know how to handle every situation in the spirit of love.
May we claim the promise, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5 May we be careful not to run ahead of the Lord in our dealings with others. May we treat others with love and kindness as did our Loving Saviour is my prayer.
Rose