Genesis 4:8-9 God spoke to Cain after he had killed his brother, asking him, 'Where Is your brother?" Cain's Answer: "I don't know, Am I my brother's keeper" Besides the fact that the answer Cain gave was an outright lie, the implication of the question is that indeed we are our brother's keeper - we are responsible and accountable for each other. This is certainly a foundational truth behind the life and ministry of Jesus. The Apostle Paul refines the concept In Romans 12:4ff Verse 5 says, "So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." He goes on to say that each of us have been given gifts of different kinds in order to serve one an other. When there are services rendered, of course there are those who receive the services, in fact each one of us are to continually be recipients. When we lose sight of the "Brother's Keeper" principle we become "black holes" or "Dead Seas", always receiving and never giving out. We become stagnant and useless and miserable. As you read through the list of gifts that Paul mentions, several things become apparent. It is not an exhaustive list, i.e., there are many others. They are not all dependent upon material possessions - someone with none of this worlds goods, still has something he can give. Attitude and motivation play a large part in the value and the power of the gift. We each have something to give because God has furnished it through His grace. The program works best under these three principles. 1. Our gifts are received from and dispensed through the grace of God. 2. We dispense our gifts to the one or ones God places in front of us, not going around them because we would rather serve someone else. 3. We receive from those whom God puts in our way to serve us, not judging them inferior or not high ranking enough for us. Jesus sets the example for us. He heals a Roman Centurion's daughter and a Samaritan leper. He is ministered to by a tax collector who invites Him for a meal, He is anointed by a prostitute. These were all people He encountered as He went from place to place. Let us learn to do like wise.

We are Our Brothers Keeper