THE MISSING BROTHER
“When I came to
Any concept of devotion to God that does not send us in search of our
brother is minus an essential element. In our text above, the Apostle Paul
comes to
What a poignant statement, coming
from a man who displayed such great courage and strength. We have a fleeting glimpse of the
tenderness of the Apostle’s heart. He recognized that God had opened to
him a door of opportunity to preach the good news of Christ, yet his grief of
spirit in not finding Titus was so distressing to him that he abruptly left for
This
brief incident provides much food for thought. It brings into focus the fact
that true religion is both vertical and horizontal, for we have a responsibility
both to God and to our brothers and sisters.
James writes, “Pure religion and
undefiled before God…is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James
1:27). It is, as expressed by Jesus, in
stating the first two and the greatest commandments: to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind, and with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30, 31). Romans 13:10 adds: “Love
works no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the
law.”
As
one has written: “I sought my soul; my
soul I could not see. I sought my God, and He eluded me. I sought my brother, and I found all three.” There is a time to worship God, and there is
a time to seek our brother. As we walk in obedience to the Spirit, we will find
a balance in the two. It is the linking of devotion and service; of faith and
works. If we are sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit, we
may find ourselves experiencing similar feelings to those of the Apostle Paul
at
There
are moments of destiny when one life touches another life at a special place at
a special time with lasting effects. We should, therefore, never be so deeply
involved in what we are doing, even if it be preaching the gospel that we fail
to be available to the Spirit of God, if He chooses to use us somewhere else to
minister to some needy individual. For God is always concerned for the individual. It is our natural human instinct, born of
pride, no doubt to be impressed with the masses. Jesus preached to the multitudes on occasion,
but more frequently, we find Him touching
individuals.
Our
priorities and God’s priorities do not always appear to be the same, but as we
yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we will more and more find
ourselves in the place of His choosing, carrying out His will and purposes. The
secret is in maintaining a flow of communication between the Holy Spirit and
our spirit so that we catch the impulse. It may carry us next door, or miles
away, in person, or by phone or letter. However, it will always be fruitful,
and beyond that, nothing will suffer in having been laid aside due to our
obedience to His call.
And
what of the times we are burdened for another but may not be able for one
reason or another to write, call or go?
There is another avenue of outreach, often
the most effective, and that is PRAYER.
The briefest prayer of intercession on behalf of our brother or sister
in their time of need will be an instrument in God’s hand to lift the weight on
their soul, cover them with God’s protecting mercy, combat an onslaught from
the enemy, or ease the distress. The
healing virtue of the Lord Jesus Christ flows from one member to another of His
Church, by the unseen power of intercessory prayer. In answer to one of the first questions in
the Bible: Yes, we are truly our
brother’s keeper. In our willingness
to spend and be spent for one another, God’s love is shed abroad, and through faith, the powers of darkness are
put beneath our feet. There is sustaining power that flows through
prayer. God has the ability to do
everything Himself with no help from anyone, but He has chosen to allow His children to be channels of His blessing. What a wonderful privilege! How we should treasure this gift and
faithfully keep it in operation in our lives every day. Shall we not covenant together to spend more
time at the Throne of Grace, both for ourselves and for one another, that we may
guard against luke-warmness and indifference, selfishness and carelessness,
yes, and sin and rebellion? There is no quicker and more effective way
to generate joy and light in this dark world than by prayer, especially praise
and intercession.
Is
there a Titus in your life right now? Is
there one for whom your heart is grieved? Perhaps there are many,
which would not
be surprising, for the world is full of
suffering and struggles. Let us be
grateful for the awareness and commit ourselves to a prayerful response. There
is no time for procrastination. Only love and obedience will keep us in a
place where we can be touched by the feelings of the infirmities of others and
used as a channel of blessing.
Someone
visited a convalescent hospital and found one precious elderly saint in a
wheelchair, her face aglow with a radiance born of an inner peace. When asked her secret of maintaining a happy
spirit in such circumstances, she replied, “I
decided, having found myself in this situation, with no possible way of escape,
that I would spend my time here praying for all the other residents.” Small wonder she was able to rise above the
depressing surroundings and keep a happy face and contented heart. Let
us go and do likewise!
F. Roberts
“You may sit all alone in the great
James McConkey