DIGGING DEEP NO. 1011 November 21, 2023 AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER? Gen.4: 1- 9.

We think of that passage every time we see or hear that statement.

Am I really my brother’s keeper or not? Who is my brother?  Mathew 12:50

In what ways can I be my brother’s keeper? Are we supposed to be everybody’s keeper?

The things we do affect our being our brother’s keeper. The way we live our lives, our daily activities, talking, thinking, planning, etc. truly affect not just us but also everyone around us. So how do we care for one another? Math 22:39 and Gal 6:2

Mathew 22:39 says to love your neighbors as ourselves, and Gal 6:2 talks about not thinking we don’t need help from each other or that we shouldn’t help others. The church functions better when the members consciously work together for the common good and that’s been our brother’s keeper.

In these times and seasons with everything going on in the world, everything we do affects our relationships, and if we know that, we will be more conscious of being our brother’s keeper.

If Cain was conscious of it, he would have realized that his actions on his sacrifice led to how he reacted when God rejected it and this led to killing his brother.

Carelessness in life also leads to certain decisions that affect not just us but others around us. In Judges 11:35, Jephthah vowed to God in his excitement without thinking it through. We do things or say things without thinking of the consequences. In 2^nd Samuel 11 same thing with David and Beersheba. That led to murder and a whole bunch of other stuff. Stepping out on marriage could lead to so much more, like another child or bringing illness home. Adults suffer and children suffer. So, thinking before doing truly goes a long way in being your brother’s keeper. And other stuff like Drinking and driving, speeding, texting the what-ifs that come with it have consequences we don’t think about before doing.

Ignorance: Proverbs 19:2 Our actions have reactions. Not praying about things before doing them for example:———

In Genesis, Abraham was instructed to leave his relatives and go. He left and took Lot and that was not part of the instruction. We sometimes in ignorance make decisions that affect so many other people, thereby not taking care of our brothers. We are sometimes ignorant of the influences we can have on other people’s lives good or bad.

Prayer: Jesus though God spent a lot of time fasting and praying. He came to save us; He came to be His brother’s keeper. Do you pray regularly for everything concerning you? Praying is part of being your brother’s keeper. Do you pray for the Pastor’s sermon or whoever is preaching, for the prayer team for strength to pray aright, the ushers to be a blessing to those they come in contact with, the choir for glorious voices to usher the congregation into God’s presence, technical to have all equipment in top shape, teachers for God to use them, today’s Bible study that we all will receive what we need from the lesson? That’s being your brother’s keeper and for all the people mentioned above do you pray that God uses you in your ministry to be a blessing to the congregation as you minister in your different seats? We all are each other’s keepers and we have to be intentional about it. We are so blessed in Praise Chapel that we should continuously lift all our families up in prayer.

Misuse and abuse: Do we abuse opportunities; do we misuse opportunities?

Everyone connected to you suffers when there is abuse of opportunities. Haman in the book of Esther was killed on the pole he had set up for Mordecai thereby depriving his sons and wife of their dad and husband. David’s actions throughout his life had consequences. When decisions go wrong, everyone around you suffers. So, as we live our lives, we should know that whatever we do is actually showing how good of our brother’s keeper we are.

In Conclusion, the question am I my brother’s keeper, shows us that truly we are each other’s keepers.  What do you think?