My Brother's Keeper

"The Lord said to Cain, 'Where is your brother, Abel?' He answered, 'I don't know; am I my brother's keeper?'" - Genesis 4:9

The answer to Cain's question is yes, he is his brother's keeper.

In the story of Cain and his brother Abel, Cain was jealous of Abel and killed him. God immediately went over to Cain, holding him accountable for the death. In our everyday lives, we might not actually go as far as killing people, but we do get into arguments with others, we insult them, call them names, lose our patience with them, cut them off in traffic, anything to make them feel like the idiots we think they are. And the last thing we would ever consider would be to play nice with those we can't stand, or go out of our way to help them out with something. We can be very self-centered and other people's needs become a nuisance to us. But like in the story of Cain and Abel, despite the jealousy or resentment we feel towards others, God still calls us to be our brother's keeper. He will hold us responsible if something hurts them and we had the ability to do anything about it. This is so hard to accept and live out, especially if there are people who have hurt us and the last thing we care to do is help them, but Jesus calls us to go one step further and help a little more. Give a little more, because I've found that we always can give of ourselves more than we think we can. You'll be surprised at the good that can come out of our hearts towards those we hold things against… and at the end of the day, you will be redeemed for it.

Today's Prayer:
Father, the sin of Cain was evil before Your eyes, but my selfishness and refusal to take care of my brothers and sisters as You call me to is also evil. Please forgive me and give me Your Spirit so that I can follow Your will and not mine. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.