am I my brother's keeper?

Have you ever heard this phrase? “I am not my brother’s keeper.”

I have heard it. Heck, to be completely honest, I have said it. Yet I would beg to differ, in light of what God says, we are our brother and sister’s keeper. We are responsible to be builders, encouragers, lovers, helpers and keepers of others.

Our lives can hurt others or help them. The choice is yours and mine. I can live for myself or for others. I can waste my life and my time, or I can use my abilities to make others better and my life stronger with God’s help. Think about your choices. What are you actively doing?

Philippians 2:3-5 NASB

3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

That’s a command. It came from God. Kind of like the 10 Commandments. It is not a choice to put others first. This will change you and even change others. Might even change the world just by choosing to love, serve and share with the people we encounter.

Here are a few verses. Maybe choose one to hold to today or this week. May God shine so bright through what we do that others cannot miss how good our God is!!!

Romans 14:19 NLT

So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

Jude 1:20 NLT

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,

Ecclesiastes 4:9 NLT

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.

1 John 4:12 NLT

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

1 Peter 3:8 NLT

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.

Ephesians 4:15 NLT

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

Go on. Make a difference. Shine on.

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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