WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER?

Let Brotherly Love Continue (Heb 13:1 )

One of the most shocking accounts related to us in the Bible is the account of Cain’s
assassination of his brother Abel. Even though I first heard of it when I was only a child
without much spiritual understanding, the horror of this account so pierced my heart that it moved me to tears. Look at it:
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cainrose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? Andhe said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? (Gen 4:8,9 )
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 How could a man sink so low? How could he deteriorate to the point where he could murder his own brother? And to add insult to injury, have the effrontery to confront God with the question, “am I my brother’s keeper?” In other words, to Cain, and as far as he was concerned, the principle was; each one for himself, God for us all. But wait a minute! Where have I heard that idea before? Yes, I heard that from a believer in the Church. Oddly enough, there are some Christians in the Church who, even though are born again after Christ, still subscribe to Cain’s philosophy of ‘each one for himself, God for us all.’ They may not murder a brother yet, but they will also not mentor a brother because they hold on to the Cain principle like excess baggage. They will not invite a brother to church, they will not pray for a brother, they will not pay the taxi fare for a brother, they will not share their sermons with a brother et cetera, et cetera. But what if the Lord still asks us this question? What if He is actually asking you now: Where is your brother? Will you also say that you are not your brother’s keeper? Let everyone answer the Lord in his own heart.

The Lord already knew what Cain had done to Abel. The fact that He asked him all the same He wanted to draw Cain’s attention to the fact that he was supposed to be responsible for his brother. Indeed Cain was to be his brother’s keeper. He had slain the one whom he was to support and be there for.

The concept of Love in the kingdom is a reality that we ought to pay a lot of attention to.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 
(1Co 13:4-7 )
 
From the above Scripture, one cannot help but notice that walking in love has to be done
in community. It is evident that the qualities listed above which the lover must possess are qualities directed towards another. This means that the concept of love is made complete when there is one to whom it is directed. If one claims to walk in love, we ask, to whom is the love directed? Love which is not directed towards another is self-love which is selfishness. Real love is directed towards another.

Now the Bible says God is love. This means He must have an object towards whom the love is directed. We are the chief object of His love. This same love makes up the nature of the believer and he is expected to live as such. The walk of the believer is therefore to be love towards God and the brother. To love is to consider another other than yourself. This is the supreme demonstration of love by the Master. To lay down your love for another. This is the kind of love we ought to walk: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (cf. Joh 15:13).

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour (Eph 5:2 ). 
 
It says in the same manner that Christ loved us, we also ought to walk in love towards one
another: that is to give our lives for the good of others. To live not for ourselves but for others is the ultimate purpose: To live not for yourself but for God and as a result for others. Because  the believer is born again after the nature of God, he also has inherited the love nature.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world (1Jo 4:17 ).
 
This means that the very nature of the believer dictates that he lives not for himself but for the Lord and therefore for the brother. True joy emanates from living according to one’s nature. That is why the greatest fulfillment comes from being useful to another. Yes! The greatest fulfillment in life comes from living for the sake of another. Making your life count in that of another as the Lord has graced you.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God (1Jo 4:7 ).

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us (1Jo 4:11-12).
 
Love again binds together. Union is created when two separate entities pick up one identity. In love, one gives himself and is received through what he does for the benefit of the other. This means he belongs to that person. The other person also in his living gives himself and is received by the first. Such that now we have the ‘I belong to you and you belong to me concept’. That is how two people are united as one; when they each walk in love towards one another such that they belong one not to himself but to the other.
 
Love therefore is not only the principle of the Church on the earth but also of heaven. In
fact it is first the principle of heaven. When the Scripture says the Lord fills the heavens, He does so by the union of all in heaven through the love that emanates from Him towards them and from them towards Him and one another. This means to live without considering your brother is a violation of the basic nature of the believer (love). You were recreated to love. That is you. That is where your greatest joy comes from.

From infancy we were taught to live for ourselves. We were taught to progress and leave all others behind. We were taught to measure our success by how many fell behind us. By how many we are better than. It is such that even our worth depended on the worth of another. This is the way of the fallen world: to manipulate another for success. To destroy the one who seems to be succeeding ahead of you even though we could all be successful together. Success is not measured with another but with the purpose of God for your life. You are only as successful as you live out the plan of God for your life.
 
There are few who can even rejoice with another for a good fortune. They cannot but turn to themselves and begin to consider how theirs is not working out or even compare how theirs is better. Learn to celebrate the successes of others.This what Jesus said;
 
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another (John 13:34 ).
 
Jesus said we should love one another in the same manner which He loved us; to give our
lives for the sake of the other. So now the question is; if you are at the top, where is your
brother? Could you have carried others to the top with you or you took the journey alone. If you are sitting in church, look around you, where is that brother or sister. Where is that friend of yours? If you are eating, where is that friend or brother who may not have eaten? If you are studying the Scriptures why not share it with your brother afterwards? Wherever you find yourself, this question is still relevant; where is your brother? Do not answer in the manner of Cain for indeed you are your brother’s keeper.
 
We must learn to live for one another for in it the Lord is revealed unto all. To live for
ourselves is to live against the fundamental principle of heaven. From today, make it a habit to look around for your brother so that he may benefit from whatever good thing the Lord brings your way. Look around also for him that you may rejoice with him for the successes achieved. Let brotherly love continue.Amen.