The story of Cain and Abel stands very close to 21st century man. For who cannot be exposed to the prevalence of murderous crimes existing in our society and world without occasionally reflecting back upon the first murder? The narrative of these brothers is symbolic of the relationship between God and man and between man and his brother. Read about the history of God's dealings with man in your Bible and you will notice that God always intervenes.
And I am not referring only to physical murder for we know that we can commit murder in subtler ways than the physical. Perhaps the mordant lines of Oscar Wilde make this point clearer.
Yet each man kills the thing he loves
From all let this be heard
Some does it with a bitter look
Some with a flattering word
The coward does it with a kiss
The brave man with the sword.
There are other ways of murder than the physical. We can kill others' joy, their spirit, their devotion, their will, their motivation. Whenever we commit a crime, in any of its many shapes, against our neighbor, God wants to know, "Where is your brother?"
To Adam and Eve, after they had eaten from the forbidden tree and attempted to hide, God asked, "Where are you?"
To Elijah, when he fled to Beer-sheba to escape Jezebel, God found him and asked, "What are you doing here?"
To Job, when he began to erratically question the sensibility of his existence, God asked, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?"
To Cain, after he killed Abel, God asked, "Where is your brother"
When Cain had done his worst to Abel, he could not get away from God and neither can you; neither can I. God always confronts us. He confronts us in our nakedness, in our ugliness, at our weakest point.
In spite of how it may seem, sooner or later man must recognize that any cruelty to any human being brings us face to face with the judgment of God. Even though it may seem that criminals are getting away, rest assured that when we reach the dead-end streets of our lives, God will meet us there and He will want to know, "Where is your brother?" The voice of God cannot be escaped.
Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available soon.
You are welcome to visit amen ministries: your soul's service station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification, browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall or review our recommended books you may want to add to your personal library.
Blessings to all!
best cleaning company Lincolnshire ..As Christians, we know we need God in every aspect... Read More
The word "gravity" is a word coined by Sir Isaac... Read More
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the... Read More
Yes, we are living in a world where we are... Read More
As we walk along our paths in life, we will... Read More
Heaven is a place of abundance and earth is a... Read More
As human beings it is inherent to want to self-actualize... Read More
One cannot make a decision in the moment of now.... Read More
Our church is infested with lobby lizards. They crawl around... Read More
Not a Failure!Those of you who are unemployed, or desire... Read More
He knew it was going to happen. He wasn't really... Read More
"If you can't dance with the devil You will never... Read More
What kind of foolishness is astrology? You read about Sun... Read More
It is within us to... Read More
One of the first steps toward understanding the Tarot lies... Read More
Our Creator is an infinitely loving and generous provider -... Read More
The more we worry about money, and who's asking for... Read More
(Channelled)Roy, what a marvellous job you are doing on your... Read More
Oxford dictionary defines PRAYER as "a request for help or... Read More
Though closely akin and sometimes used synonymously, John Rawls distinguish... Read More
I had the intention of writing about Soul Mates but... Read More
As soon as he saw me I saw him. It... Read More
Iktomi:Another and somewhat longer term correspondent of mine is a... Read More
An exam is a test that is given at the... Read More
Behold, a certain young maiden did often times and at... Read More
on demand house cleaning Lake Forest ..The essence of the Christian faith is the good news... Read More
I can see the cops coming! They're a good thousand... Read More
Divining Rods, also known as Dowsing Rods, have been used... Read More
Green Principles: SoulBestABeing aware here now My path is progressive.... Read More
Those of us, who are familiar with Apostle Paul's sermon... Read More
Listen to the sound of silence. Enjoy the peace and... Read More
If any man be in Christ, he is a new... Read More
I'm weary of saying No to my children. Not just... Read More
Yes, we are living in a world where we are... Read More
Far to many people have become "followers" rather than BEING... Read More
There is an old tradition song called, The Lighthouse and... Read More
Catch the express or the super fast bullet train. If... Read More
Christianity: White man's religion?Martin Luther King referred to Sunday as... Read More
In His graciousness, God has blessed us to enter a... Read More
Spending 'Quiet Time' with the LordFrom the beginning of my... Read More
About a month ago I opened up my bible in... Read More
I know God will not give me anything I can't... Read More
Did you ever get a feeling or gain notion of... Read More
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,... Read More
In Feng Shui, water symbolizes wealth. The word "fish" in... Read More
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken... Read More
"Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because... Read More
The fastest way to raise your frequency is to do... Read More
What really binds us to any negative emotional state in... Read More
When God first unveils a business or ministry vision that... Read More
Spirituality |