The term “your brother’s keeper” was first mentioned in the Bible in a dialogue between God and Cain after Cain killed his brother Abel.
It all started when the two gave sacrifices to God but God was pleased with the sacrifice of Abel, leaving Cain very angry and he decided to kill his brother. ((Genesis 4:8-10). This is registered as the first murder in the Bible.
What do we learn from this case;
This bible story/ case which off course was real, is simply calling us to learn to be responsible or that we should take care of the people around us. For purposes of this article, my main focus is pointed to committed Christians since these are the people I am mandated to teach. “And the things that thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, commit thou the same to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also”. (2 Timothy 2:2.)
How Can we be Our brother’s Keepers?
1.Share to your Christian neighbor with whom you attend together in a local church. (Galatians 6:2).
– Share food with them, finances, spiritual guidance, skills that can help them to work and be happy. Contribute to their daily needs but mostly teach them how to work and be a good example to them. Visit the sick and counsel and support them to grow spiritually and financially.
– support them to grow spiritually and when they sin help them to come out of it without attacking them.
The support, can cover capital to do business or a project, or business knowledge, skills and cash support.
- As a Christian, share your knowledge, skills, financial support (capital) to your physical neighbor to your home.
Share with them the gospel and attend to their physical needs where possible. Share that which you can, please do not throw food and clothes to garbage which is considered to you as left overs or un wanted goods/ foods when your neighbor is in need of it.
3.Share with a stranger love, financial support and other items to the needy and poor people that you can come across in the bus, train, on the road, plane, as the Spirit of God guides you. (Read the story of a good Samaritan – Luke 10:25–37
- Share love using your office as a manager, a leader in a public/ private office by administering and leading with justice and equity, and fairness to all. Do not use your office to solicit a bribe to favor the rich against the poor. Let us be submissive and good leaders and managers and serve the people diligently- Colossians 3:22.
For example, in Uganda, someone could have been irresponsible, as in out of negligence of duty causing a vehicle accident in which over 20 children died some days ago (King David School). It could have been due to a traffic error, mechanical error, administrative carelessness which later resulted into that fatal accident.
- Share your possession and love and to your family (blood) people or relatives. (1 Timothy 5:8:)
Know that God has blessed you so that he can turn you into a blessing to others to especially the poor and needy sisters and brothers in your family. It does not matter whether they mistreated you at some point in life or not; reach out to them with Gods love, contribute or pay school fees and give that which is in your hands and what you can afford to share to them.
You can also contribute to scholastic materials for poor relatives, whether they are Christians or not. Share and do it wisely, so that we express the love of God to them and make them love and feel the love of our God, who knows such good Christian acts can turn them to Christ Jesus?
- You can also share to good charitable organizations and Children orphanages. For example, in Uganda, we have Sanyu Babies Homes in Mengo run by the Church of Uganda and several good children support centres of children with disability run by the Catholic church in especially Kampala.
- You can give and support people in hospitals and prisons, you can also support the street kids and the prostitutes. They all need support. It is just a question of finding a proper structured system of taking the support to these vulnerable people.
Some scriptures related with supporting others and refusing to give;
Mark 12:31, Proverbs 3:27, Deuteronomy 15:7-8, Leviticus 19:9-10, 1 Samuel 25; 10-38, Luke 16;19-21.
Why Should we Share our Love to Others?
God is love and he demonstrated it when He gave Jesus to die for us to save us from sin.
God also gave the Holy Spirit to come and become a resident helper and he is our spiritual companion in the world, walking and working with Christians who welcome and love Him daily.
So, we as Christians ought to love others because God our Father is love. Love is best expressed through giving and serving others.
Do not give expecting to receive from that person you have supported;
Let’s not expect to receive in any way from the people we support. Do not give to a sister or brother and then use the giving to ask for sex in return or other favours. The Bible says when giving sometimes do not make it public.
We are giving to God’s people and we should always expect Him (God) to continually bless us. After all we have the physical possession, salvation and life all given to us by God – freely. Hallelujah!
Some churches in Uganda and abroad that have made good examples of brothers keeper ;
- Miracle centre cathedral and Pastor Robert Kayanja have done a great job in Karamoja fighting hunger, poverty and backwardness.
- Nsangi Christian fellowship church and Dr. Stephen Kayongo with his friends and organizations have built over 100 churches (physical buildings) freely in Uganda.
- California River of Life University and Dr. Jin Kim has supported pastors globally with free Christian education and theology and I Magara Darious I am a beneficiary.
- Wato church in Uganda has helped the poor needy children to study in Watoto homes across districts in Uganda.
- Compassion international has supported children education in Uganda and beyond.
So please Christian; brother and sister in the lord and any other good person do not keep a lot of idle money on your bank account. You can decide to support trusted churches and gospel ministries to expand the gospel of Jesus Christ.
My Friend’s Case:
A former friend of mine, Mugisha Ben, shared a story of his neighbors in Greater Bushenyi district who would help the poor, uneducated and needy youths in their area.
He told me it was a group of well employed, and educated and rich Bushenyi born professionals, self-employed and others working with Government in Kampala. He said they would collect the poor youths in their neighborhood in Bushenyi district and bring them to Kampala and employ them. Some they gave jobs in Kamapala and others in Bushenyi. He said they would open bank accounts so that they can deposit their salaries to their bank accounts, helping them to save and invest. This to me is a great example of a good brother’s Keeper, and how I pray that many of us can copy and replicate this in our areas.
He told me their mission was to empower the needy youth to make them financially stable and happy; they were not jealous to keep themselves alone rich and able but wished well to their neighbors.
Mugisha also said that they did this to make sure that their make good neighbors who are self-sustaining, why when you have poor neighbors sometimes, they are a source of some insecurity.
For example, the xenophobia fights in South Africa are partly a result of a ‘poor brother’s keeper’, the desperate poor south Africans, maybe were not supported and prepared by their leaders and government and maybe first attacked their fellow rich south Africans (black and white) and later scaled up their fights to foreigners to draw much attention. Our leaders in South Africa must wake up and address this economic imbalance and social challenge causing xenophobia fights in South Africa.
About the author;
Magara Darious is a student of California River of Life University – Uganda campus – Masters class and a Senior Pastor and team Leader of Antiokia Pentecostal Churches of Uganda.
Email address: dmagara2000@gmail.com
Matthew 25:35-40
“…For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat…”
