“Be One Another’s Keeper!”

“Be One Another’s Keeper!”
There is this common expression often made when somebody shows appreciation. “…What are friends for?” We may add, “What are brothers/sisters for?” They are meant to be one another’s keeper.
To be one another’s keeper is well expressed in these words of Paul “to the church of the Thessalonians”:
“And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
Be joyful always; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (I Th.5:14-24).
What a beautiful message! There is nothing to emphasis on in this text because each verse is as important as the others.
Nevertheless, let us put in this punchline: These days in the land of my birth we have come to understand fully what it means to “live this day as if it was your last.” It is at the whim and caprices of somebody holding a gun to decide whether you should live or die.
Take this “stranger than fiction” story: Consider that an old man’s son who is a born fool is gunned down in his house. His junior brother goes to deposit the corpse in the mortuary. He is gunned down. The mother hears the news, collapses and dies. And you want the old man to be joyful always and to believe that it is the will of God in Christ Jesus for him? It is a hard pill to swallow, but that is what it means to “hold on to your faith!”
Things can be better if we “hold on to the good” and “avoid every kind of evil!” Lord help us! For only you “the God of peace” can keep our “whole spirit, soul and body” blameless.
Yes things can get better if we pray continually, and if we are truly one another’s keeper!
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit help me always be my brother’s keeper; holding on to the good and avoiding every kind of evil. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!