BE YOUR BROTHERS KEEPER

Okay, first of all, I apologize for being MIA. The spirit is sooo willing, but the flesh is weak. Lord have mercy on me#

Alright, so I have been thinking about what to post for a while now. I've had several topics come to mind but I have just not been able to articulate my thoughts. Anyway, I stumbled upon a video on Facebook today and that was all the ginger I needed.

Be your brothers keeper. What does this even mean to you? The phrase in my opinion,  is deeper than it seems. And it's a very dicey one as well. This is because sometimes we tend to mix being your brothers keeper up with being nosy and bossy. In short, it's a huge topic I think should be discussed at a bible study or something. There are several dimensions to it.

Today though, I'll just say what came to mind after watching the video. So about the video; there's this elderly man sharing his thoughts on some bad decisions he made earlier in life and peoples( his close family and friends) reactions to them. He explained that he just kept getting the " oh well, if you are okay with it and it makes you happy, then go ahead" kind of reactions. Looking back now, he's wondering why no one ever really told him the truth. About telling your defaulting friend or family the truth; wow! It is tough I must confess. However, I think we should stop patronizing. "Hey bro, what you are doing is wrong, I don't believe you should do it, the bible doesn't support it, even if it'll make you happy, I doubt you'll be happy for long. I'll keep praying for you"

Does that sound too harsh? Maybe, maybe not. The determining factor of how it will be perceived is nothing but GOD and GOD is LOVE. Hence, your driving force for expressing your belief or thoughts on a persons decision or action should be LOVE!!! This brings me to an inscription I saw somewhere 

"Our culture has accepted two huge lies, the first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. YOU DONT HAVE TO COMPROMISE CONVICTIONS TO BE COMPASSIONATE" - Phil Robertson

I have highlighted the last line. Please think on it. Taking a stand doesn't make you judgemental. Letting someone you love know your thoughts/beliefs regarding their actions isn't judgemental, so long as you are in tune with God yourself. Basically, the thing is before we speak, I think it is paramount for us to pray that God fills us up and takes charge.

Now, the other thing this man said in his video which I held on to is this;  I'm paraphrasing....."sometimes, we want to repent but the shame of being wrong won't let us, other times, we feel too far gone to be saved".

I'm sure we all can relate to this and have at one point or the other been in this situation either on spiritual matters or other matters. The good news as always though is this, the love of God is unending and his mercies endureth forever. In summary, life would be so much easier to deal with if we were all filled with God's spirit, all of Him and none of us. It'll be easier to be your brothers keeper and we'll understand that we are never too far gone to be saved among others.

I feel like I'm all over the place in this piece. I pray that somehow in this my incoherence, you find that one line or word that will make a difference and add value to you. Enjoy this beautiful song by Casey J - fill me up.