Cord of Three Strands

Aesop wrote a fable that clearly depicts the idea of "a three-fold cord is not quickly broken." A farmer who had a quarrelsome family called his sons and told them to lay a bunch of sticks before him. Then, after laying the esticks parallel to one another and binding them, he challenged his sons, one after another to pick the bundle and break it. They all tried but in vain. Then untying the bundle, he gave them the sticks to break one by one. This they did with the greatest ease. Then said the father,"Thus,my sons,as long as you remain untied,you are a match for anything, but differ and separate,and you are done."

A threefold cord is not easily broken (Eccl 4:12). We all acknowledge the value of having close friends. I once had someone say that "friendship is the cement that brings all the world together." It is true. But, I would like to add one significant point; that we must not forget how vital it is to incorporate Christ into those friendships. Yes, two is better than one, but when you add in the last element- the element of the third cord, which is Jesus - then that bond "is not quickly broken." He must be the third cord in the strand, the core, the central cord- the cord that keeps the others together. Such a relationship will withstand all destructive forces.

My dear reader, it is important to form relationships with those who seek to know Christ as we do. We must look for those who have the same goals and desires that He has placed in us.

"Oh God, I thank you for my friends. May you bind us with cords which can never be broken. Amen."

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