Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

  "Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother? "  

He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" Genesis 4:9

            You might ask yourself this question if anyone in your family is ill and needs help.  It may be inconvenient, you may feel you are too busy, or you just don’t want to take care of someone else.  Let me share this scripture with you:   “But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” 1 Timothy 5:8 (NLT)  ‘Relatives’ cover quite a wide group of people; not just parents, but grandparents, aunts & uncles, in-laws, and sisters and brothers.

           You may think you can’t do this, but you are missing the biggest blessing of your life to not try it.  There are some people I know who will immediately answer ‘Yes’ if you were to ask them if they felt they were there ‘brothers keeper’.  I admire them so much and I am going to tell a little of their response to this (no names).

            The first one is a woman who has worked hard her entire life, but has always had room to help those who couldn’t help themselves.  She has a sister who has been battling cancer for a long time.  She had retired from her last job and enjoyed visiting friends when her sister was diagnosed with cancer.  She dropped everything to be by her sister’s side.  For months, she has spent most days of the week taking care of her sister; taking her back and forth for treatments, boosting her spirits and encouraging her not to give up.  Giving up is not in this woman’s vocabulary. I’ve watched this woman unselfishly give her all to be there and nothing has moved her to do anything else.  What a woman; bless her greatly Lord.

            The second one still had a family at home, gave up her time for her mother-in-law.  She moved her into her home; made her bedroom a place of beauty and comfort.  She put all her mother-in-laws favorite things around her so she would feel at home.  She bathed her, brushed her teeth, took her for perms of her hair, dressed her nicely and made sure she had proper, delicious meals.  As her elderly in-law became weaker and needed more care, this woman did it all; doing things for her that not everyone would do.  She cared for her until her death.  Bless this woman of God the rest of her life.

            This man took care of his dying wife in ways I can’ imagine and never even complained about it.  He gave her his all; dressing her, combing her hair and even applying her make-up.  He took care of all her bathing, her bathroom needs and making her comfortable even when she called to him in the middle of the night.  Countless times he got her ready and hauled her wheelchair out to the car and lifting her in when she could no longer stand on her own.  He cooked all her food, did the washing, shopping and cleaning.  Yet – I never heard a word of complaint from him.  I’m sure there were times he struggled with so much care and I know she would become so frustrated it made her irritable, but he still didn’t complain.  I can only say, “You are one of the most caring men I ever met.  Thank you for your faithfulness and may God be with you and bring peace to your life.

            We may not have to give all this care to anyone like the women above, but perhaps we can share the burden of those amazing caregivers.  As we grow older, and we all do, we see so many of our family become ill or disabled and you may find yourself asking God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Is it just families we are to care for?  The Bible gives us the answer to that question.  “Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her, but if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God.” 1 Timothy 5:3-4 (NLT)

            This is not just a woman-thing, but is for men as well.  Not everything is ‘woman’s work’.  Men, you can do so many things to help others that a woman can’t do, such as lifting and transporting, reading and just sitting with them. Don’t lay it all on the wife’s lap.

            There is another verse that answers the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  “Share each other’s troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord’s command.”  Galatians 6:2 (TLB)

            As this holiday season approaches, let’s really look around us and see those who have need; old and young as well.  Helping someone else is the greatest gift you can give yourself.  We can’t always give of our self physically, but there are so many ways; a plate of cookies, a Christmas card that speaks of God’s love.  After all, we are God’s messenger to a restless, unhappy world, so let’s bring some “Joy to the World”.

 

 

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

Being Thankful in Hard Times

Being Thankful in Hard Times

 

            When I listen to people talk about their needs; sometimes serious and at times not so serious, I wonder why no one talks about being thankful for what they do have.  Not long ago I called a friend in Illinois and asked her how she was.  Her reply was, “Praise the Lord; I got out of bed today and had food to eat and a warm house.  What more can I say?”

            So I said, “How is your health?”  Her answer was, “Better off than many others.”  She never complained, but only talked about being thankful to God.  I hung up the phone and thought that I needed to think about what thankfulness really meant.

      I began looking up the words ‘give thanks’ which was listed 425 times in the Bible and ‘thankful’ was found 39 times, while ‘be thankful’ was written 33 times.  Not only were these words just used in the Bible, but many times were written to believers as a command.

            “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

                                                                                                         1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”  Colossians 3:15 (NKJV)

I noticed it does not say, “You probably should be thankful and give thanks”.  It wasn’t even a question, but was stated as ‘do this’.

            As I thought about it, I realized I talked more about what I needed and wanted, than how often I gave praise and thanksgiving for what the Lord has done for me and continues to do daily. 

            I must mention here about my mother who has gone to be with the Lord; she was the most grateful person I have ever known.  No matter how small the gift or how little the deed, she was filled with gratitude.  If she received a card in the mail or a phone call, it was precious to her.  She thanked God for everything; it was part of her character.  She truly fulfilled Ephesians 5:20 “Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [TLB]  She came from very humble beginnings and her family struggled to survive in the early 1900’s.  She never asked for much in life because in her eyes she had abundance.  Her greatest treasure was her family whom she loved so dearly.

           So many people today are only concerned about what they want and not what they have.  How can we praise God and not be grateful?  Today, give God thanks for what he is doing in our lives and give him praise.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”  Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)

The First Thanksgiving

            Here we are – a few days before Thanksgiving.  Many of us are busy shopping for turkeys, making pies, baking squash and whatever is needed for a great Thanksgiving dinner.  Family and friends gather around a sagging table; a short prayer is said to thank God for the food and then we dig in.  We all eat too much and that calls for a nap.  Why do we do this every year?

            Our kids know a little about it from school and the teacher explains about the Pilgrims and the Indians and somehow a turkey gets added to the picture.  I found this article on the web and it reminded me about our forefathers and their struggles so in the future people like us could sit around our tables and enjoy all the food.

            There is so much more we should think about and remember on Thanksgiving Day and be doubly grateful to the God who has provided for us.

   Many Americans think of Thanksgiving as a wonderful time to celebrate getting out of school for a long weekend, and eating a great dinner. Or, maybe they think it is the start of the Christmas holiday season. What is the real meaning behind Thanksgiving? Catherine Millard writes:  We can trace this historic American Christian tradition to the year 1623. After the harvest crops were gathered in November 1623, Governor William Bradford of the 1620 Pilgrim Colony, “Plymouth Plantation” in Plymouth, Massachusetts proclaimed: "All ye Pilgrims with your wives and little ones, do gather at the Meeting House, on the hill… there to listen to the pastor, and render Thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all His blessings."

     This is the origin of our annual Thanksgiving Day celebration. Congress of the United States has proclaimed National Days of Thanksgiving to Almighty God many times throughout the following years. On November 1, 1777, by order of Congress, the first National Thanksgiving Proclamation was proclaimed, and signed by Henry Laurens, President of Continental Congress. The third Thursday of December, 1777 was thus officially set aside:   for solemn thanksgiving and praise. That with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor;… and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them (their manifold sins) out of remembrance… That it may please Him… to take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety under His nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consists of 'righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost'…"

     Then again, on January 1, 1795, our first United States President, George Washington, wrote his famed National Thanksgiving Proclamation, in which he says that it is…our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue is… our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experienced…"

     Thursday, the 19th day of February, 1795 was thus set aside by George Washington as a National Day of Thanksgiving.

     Many years later, on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, by Act of Congress, an annual National Day of Thanksgiving "on the last Thursday of November, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in the heavens." In this Thanksgiving proclamation, our 16th President says that it is… announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord… But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, by the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own… It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people…"

 So it is that on Thanksgiving Day each year, Americans give thanks to Almighty God for all His blessings and mercies toward us throughout the year.  Let’s remember why we have the freedom today, to be blessed.

 

Grace is Not a Cover-up

Grace is Not a Cover-up

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”  John 1:17

            I once heard a man, who was leaving his wife for another woman, say that he would repent afterwards and God would forgive him.  He wasn’t the least bit concerned because he relied on God’s Grace for forgiveness.  Although it is true that divorce is not the unforgivable sin, God hates it because of the pain it brings not only to the couple, but also to the rest of their families.  However, regardless of what the sin is, with sin come consequences!

            The Grace of God is not a cover-up for sin.  Just like the man above whose sin was premeditated; he thought God wouldn’t even notice.  Let’s look at Numbers 32:23, “But if you do not do so (obey), then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.”  A born again believer knows what it means to sin and when you do, it is against God.  Yes, God forgives through his Grace, but his Grace does not cover up sin.  You cannot hide it from him. 

We all sin daily, but as true Believers, our goal is to change and to become more Christ-like as we grow in the faith.  Personally, I don’t know where I would be today without the Grace of God.  We have all done and said sinful things we have regretted even after we have been saved.  We need to repent of our sins and rest in the love of God. How wonderful is love like this. God's loving forgiveness grows out of His remarkable Grace. "Where sin increased, Grace increased all the more" (Romans 5:20).   “It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s Grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them.  And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s Grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.”  Romans 11:5-6 (NIV)

             Recently I heard an evangelist make the point that once you are saved you never have to account for sin again because of Grace.  Let’s follow up on that.  First, Roman’s 6:14-15 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.  What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!”  Being ‘saved’ doesn’t mean we can do anything we want, but we are still accountable.  Let’s continue on with Galatians 5:4 in the Message Bible, “I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of Grace.”

            What a warning this verse in Galatians gives to those who believe they can’t fall away from the Grace of God.  God loves you; he wants you to be happy, but you can never be totally happy if you take the freedom he has given you and once again become a prisoner of sin!  Grace goes a long way in God’s eyes, but has its limits. 

            I think about King David who misused God’s Grace – but when he admitted his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah, her husband, he said this.   “Then David confessed to Nathan, (the Prophet) "I've sinned against GOD." Nathan pronounced, "Yes, but that's not the last word. GOD forgives your sin. You won't die for it.” 2 Samuel 12:13 (MSG) God forgave David - after David repented! The rest of David’s life was filled with struggles and the sword as God’s punishment for the sin that had filled his life.

            Roman’s 11:5-6 [TLB], explains it in a way that shows us what God’s Grace is not: “ It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them.  And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.”

            Just remember this – by God’s Grace we are saved.  Then we are called to The Grace of God is beyond my understanding, but it must not be taken lightly. “For the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,  teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,  looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11-13 (NKJV)  However, it is obvious that we must keep our eyes on the path ahead of us, so we won’t wander off and fall from God’s Grace.