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!
Alto Pass chicago limos ..Taco Bell, the Mexican fast-food franchise, has a new ad... Read More
Heaven is a place of abundance and earth is a... Read More
Good morning Roy, good morning Joseth. (Channelled)From time to time... Read More
Ecclesiasts 5:18 Then I realized that it is good and... Read More
If you were Satan and your goal is to destroy... Read More
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my... Read More
If you're going to listen to anyone you're going to... Read More
Over the past few years I have watched the popularity... Read More
Limiting beliefs, just like positive, empowering thoughts, provide a foundation... Read More
Some of us might hear from time to time that... Read More
There is so much going on in the world around... Read More
There once was a man who wanted to teach himself... Read More
THE GNOSTICS, ESSENES AND THE 'OCCULT':Throughout this book I have... Read More
Five verses specify that we are to live by faith.... Read More
Mrs. Dixon the famous prognosticator and psychic to the stars... Read More
Water of Enlightenment, Angel of Peace and Harmony for Nature... Read More
I'm weary of saying No to my children. Not just... Read More
As a child growing up, whenever I was worried about... Read More
This article is a reply that deals with certain criticisms... Read More
If anyone says that his/her religion is the only path... Read More
Saturday I was hangin' ten on my Dell when I... Read More
In the make-believe world, too, fiction and films are filled... Read More
Back in 1992, Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise co-starred in... Read More
Want more peace and joy in your life? Daily stress... Read More
Billy Graham once said, "Being a Christian is more than... Read More
Alto Pass cool limo ..Stress is amazingly persistent, even seductive. We get used to... Read More
This statement sounds incredible. ASK and it shall be given.... Read More
The Apocalypse, or unveilling, is the name given to the... Read More
Sometimes trying to be spiritual holds us back from actually... Read More
Almost every spiritual and religious teaching exhorts its followers to... Read More
In the interest of mankind the Angels are delivering messages... Read More
One of the "loopholes" in my philosophical belief system when... Read More
I thought for sometime that I was hard done bye... Read More
In the movie "Forest Gump" we see Forest succeed in... Read More
Everyone is busy nowadays. It's hard to find time for... Read More
Those five words are from a song that I remember... Read More
In the golfing world, yesterday may have been one of... Read More
Hiking is gaining popularity within the African-American community. We're beginning... Read More
Your mind-body team is made up of your mind and... Read More
Not a Failure!Those of you who are unemployed, or desire... Read More
I would like to tell you the story of a... Read More
Every soul that is currently experiencing life on any level... Read More
We are the beneficiaries of the promise God made to... Read More
Is it not true that only after gaining Enlightenment (Self-Realization)... Read More
Life is just a journey. Princess DianaWhether we are... Read More
Jack Nicholson (Col. Jessup) (marine cornel) YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE... Read More
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the... Read More
Vanity - it's easy to mask, easy to forget, and... Read More
The fundamental aim of spiritual study is to get facts... Read More
One of the first things you will find that God... Read More
Spirituality |