Am I My Brother's Keeper?

In Genesis 4, Cain asked God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Cain had murdered his bother Abel and God had asked him where his brother was.  Now the reason Cain asked God the question was not that he didn't know the answer to where his brother was.  The reason he questioned God was because he knew that he was responsible for his brother's death.  Cain questioned God because he was trying to separate himself from not only his brother's life, but also his brother's death.  Cain was Abel's keeper and he had failed to keep his bother.  He failed to love, to guard and to protect his brother.

God asks us today, "Are you and I our brother's keeper?  Are you and I our spouse's keeper?  Are you and I our neighbor's keeper?"  Keeper can be defined as to watch over, to guard, to protect, to look out for someone's best interest.  God is our keeper.  God created us because of His great love and His desire to share His life and His love with us.  In Genesis 3:15, God announced the remedy for the trouble and the curse that fell upon mankind because of sin.  God promised that the offspring of the woman, Jesus, would crush satan's head.  That is why God sent Jesus to die for us, to redeem us from sin and death.  John 3:16-17 Jesus crushed satan's head at the cross and delivered us from the kingdom of darkness. 

God is our keeper.  He is our guardian, our protector and the lover of our souls.  God has our best interests at heart, and He is always looking out for us and our loved ones. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."   Psalm 121:5 says, "The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand."

God has set the example for us to be our brother's keeper and He has called us to love each other and to be our brother's keeper as well.  In John 15:9-13, Jesus tells us, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love.... my command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

God has called us to walk in love.  A major part of love is forgiveness.  Colossians 3:13 says, "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you." 1Peter 4:8 says, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins."  Ephesians 4:29-32 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

 1 Thessalonians 3:12 says, "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else..."  Let us love one another and be our brother's keeper as God has called us to do.  Shalom.

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