GENESIS 4:8-9 – Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

THEME OF THE DAY. ACTUALLY, WE ARE. In today’s scripture, the question Cain offered to the Lord, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”, is one that needs to be answered and addressed by us as believers in the body of Christ. The simple answer is, “Yes, we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We are privileged and responsible to be active participants and contributors to the spiritual well-being, protection, and growth of other Christians.”

Now would be a good time to find out if we truly believe that truth as evidenced by us truly living that truth. Do a mental list of those Christians who, right now, are being actively invested in by us for their spiritual good. I am not referring to a quick hour or so on a Sunday morning in a class or worship service. These are important times, but they are not deeply investing times. They are not designed to be so. They cannot be so. To rightly do what Jesus commands, “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19), it is going to take more sacrifice from us than a “Hello, how you doing?” on a Sunday or even just sitting in a classroom or sanctuary together. To be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, as God commands, we must purposefully, intentionally, and sacrificially reach out to care for one another, pray for one another, pray with one another, be in the Word with one another, and simply be willing to do true Christianity together, not when it is convenient and fits into our schedules, but in a Biblical manner that will be inconvenient and determines our schedule. So that is the long answer to Cain’s question – “Yes, we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.” Now let’s address what I believe is a growing lack of this practice in the church of Jesus Christ today.

Let’s face it. For the most part, we are too private and too prone to want comfort and ease in our lives. All of us, to some extent, want a discipleship with the Lord and an investment in discipleship of others for the Lord on our terms. We do want Jesus. We do want to grow in Him. We do want to be used by Him, but I am afraid sometimes we want all of those without much inconvenience and sacrifice. I am not trying to be difficult. Yet in reality, how often have we not attended a time of study with other believers, seized an opportunity to pray with other believers, or said “no” to a service opportunity with another believer because we would have to go out in an evening after a long day; get up early on a weekend day; or simply just have to put aside personal comfort, desires and schedules to do any of those? And here is the bottom line. If we truly want to enjoy the Lord to the level He would have us; if we want to be used by Him in the lives of others as He would have us; then we must do three things that is the direction to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. It is found in Jesus’ Words contained in all three of the synoptic gospels, and here is Luke’s version . . . “And He said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” (Luke 9:23)

Friends, if we have any hope of God sending revival to us; any hope of recovering true Biblical Christianity and discipleship among us, then we must do exactly what Jesus commands – Say “no” to self-interests (deny himself); embrace a daily dying to ourselves for the sake of others (take up his cross daily), and uncompromisingly obey what He says which means putting others ahead of ourselves (follow me). And that is what it will take to fulfill His command and desire that we practice being our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to see I am privileged and responsible to contribute to the spiritual welfare of Your family.”

QUOTE: “If you are living absent of sacrificial time in the Word and prayer with Christians, you are in spiritual danger.”