Keeping My Brother - Martin Wiles

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 NKJV

The email said they’d like to help support our ministry—and they did.

As I do every few months, I talked to my long-time friend who is stationed in another state. For several years, he has followed my writing ministry and subscribed to my daily email devotions.

As friends do, we shared an update on our life situations. He and his family were doing well—apart from him being away from home. My wife and I, on the other hand, struggled because of my wife’s recent surgery and her inability to work. I asked for his prayers; he assured me he’d give them.

Moments later, the email came. “My wife and I would like to help you with your internet bill as a means to support your writing ministry.”

Our friendship had spanned forty years, but my friend had never given me as much as a penny that I could remember. Now he wanted to—and I gladly accepted. What he didn’t know was that our bill was delinquent. Why our server hadn’t disconnected our service, I’m not sure. He immediately put the money in our PayPal account, and we paid the bill—and thanked him and his wife.

My friend has a habit of keeping his brothers … and sisters. Unlike Cain. When God didn’t accept his sacrifice—but accepted his brother’s—he grew angry and killed his brother. When God questioned him about his brother’s whereabouts, he said he didn’t know and insinuated he wasn’t his brother’s keeper.

But we are. Our brother’s keeper. And our sister’s. It may have taken technology to connect the world, but God has always intended for the people living on earth to connect with each other. He fathers all, and He wants us to love and care for each other.

Granted, we can’t intervene in everyone’s life—or their challenges—but we can do something, as my friend did. What he did may seem negligible in the scheme of things, but who knows how many lives across the world his gift may affect because he kept my ministry going?

God is the master of creating opportunities for us to keep our brothers and sisters. Pray daily for Him to show you one way you can help someone.

Prayer: Father, help us never to forget that we are our brother and sister’s keepers.

Tweetable: Are you keeping your brother (or sister)?

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