My Brother's Keeper

Thursday 11/5/2015 4:39 AM

Today I read two portions of scripture. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 reads, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” Galatians 6:10 reads. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

The theme of my devotions this week is responsibility. John Mogabgab writes about the responsibility of believers in our world once they have been apprehended by the love of Christ and begin to view the world through the lens of love as expressed on the cross. “From all the fear, suspicion, anger, and terror that stalk the world, from all the empty hopes and overflowing sadness, all the sweet dreams and acid anguish, God has wrested a new creation. The human point of view – with its focus on looking out for ourselves, preoccupation with our own plans, fear of others’ scornful judgment, anxious anticipation of the future – has become an outmoded paradigm. It is not (and never was) capable of revealing what is most real and true about life. This reality and truth are wreathed in paradox. … What we glimpse is life woven together in love, all life interwoven in ways that do not smother and encumber but rather release and strengthen. Here is God’s desire and design for created life, for all brothers and sisters of the mineral, plant, animal, and human nations with whom it is good and pleasant to dwell in unity. Here too is the living matrix of responsibility. … No dimension of another’s life lies beyond the scope of the Christian’s concern and care. … Although this is certainly important within the community of faith as a compelling sign of radically rewoven relationships, the scope of Christian responsibility is as encompassing as the new creation itself. New life in Christ manifests itself in responsibility for the other.”

Too often I feel as if I, and most Christians, still live in the world as those overcome by fear, suspicion, anger, and anguish. We see ourselves as victims whose rights are being eroded away. We bemoan the fact that prayer is no longer tolerated in public, the Ten Commandments are no longer allowed in our courtrooms, and businesses whose owners are Christian are fined for standing up for what they believe. We feel threatened by groups like Black Lives Matter and insist that all lives matter. While there is truth in that statement it also minimizes the pain and frustration that minority groups often experience on a daily basis.

God’s call to me is to do good to all people. I quite naturally look out for my own interests. God calls me to look out for the interests of others with the same intensity. I need to remember that in order for humanity to live in shalom the needs of everyone need to be addressed. When one part of body of humanity suffers we all suffer and Christians should be on the front lines of alleviating the suffering, sacrificing our own rights and resources so that there can be justice and equity for all. God so loved the world that he gave. I need to do the same.