The love of a brother, in this case an actually sibling is a wonderful and complex relationship. One I believe was molded from God. Some are not lucky enough to have a sibling as being an only child, or perhaps wish they were an only child. But there is something there in that tie between people that share the same parentage that has the reflective qualities of heaven.
Not everyone likes their family, in this case siblings. Some may have founded, arguable reasons. But there is still an obligation. There is still an obligation, a necessity to love the person (sibling) due to this intangible tie. There may be rivalry. Not endorsed in the Bible- but definitely acknowledged, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" Proverbs 17:17 However God wants cohesiveness and cooperation- "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Psalm 133:1
I believe God wants unity. Siblings are the first exposure to people who are not parents. They are the beta testing for relationships in a peer setting. There is a lot of psychological (some even scripture based) that emphasize the first interactions with siblings help mold future relationships. We learn teamwork, encouragement, reasoning, and communication first from the people we dwell with. Parents and siblings are the first encounters before the world outside the four walls of the home comes into play.
With that said, how does this reflect God? There are so many dysfunctional, fractured and wounded sibling relationships existing in the still more messed up family dynamics of today. The original design is still there. Strengths and weaknesses, teamwork, encouragement, and communication are all from God who has a purpose. Almost everyone knows of the examples of sibling relationship gone bad to worse- Cain and Able the first to come to mind. But I believe many miss the framework and original design of God. Cain was the farmer of the fields and Able the farmer of the flocks. One needs the other to survive and maintain- harvests feeds the flocks and the flocks feed the farmer who is then able to work the fields, and the cycle continues. Teamwork was laid out with each strength to counter the others weakness. We don't get a day by day glimpse of Cain and Able- but we know how the story tragically ends. Sad- imagine if the teamwork came into play, the encouragement and communication that might have changed the whole scenario! But that rivalry, that sin of self killed it.
Now how does this reflect God? God is the strength for our weakness. We are so easy to see our shortcomings- not realizing some of them are designed for us to learn from God. God wants to work with us. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 He wants to encourage us "Have not I commanded you? be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the Lord your God is with you where ever you go." Joshua 1:9 God wants to give these to us. But to do so requires communication. It requires daily dwelling in His presence as we would if we lived with our brother. "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you..." James 4:8.
God wants to strengthen us. He desires to work with us, in us and through us. He can only give us the encouragement and strength is we communicate with Him. He's sent the invitation: "Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me." Revelations 3:23 All we have to do is let Him into our daily lives.
Lord, come and teach me to daily commune and live with you as I would a brother. Allow me to learn that you are my peerless encourager and giver of strengths to over come my weaknesses. Amen
Not everyone likes their family, in this case siblings. Some may have founded, arguable reasons. But there is still an obligation. There is still an obligation, a necessity to love the person (sibling) due to this intangible tie. There may be rivalry. Not endorsed in the Bible- but definitely acknowledged, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" Proverbs 17:17 However God wants cohesiveness and cooperation- "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Psalm 133:1
I believe God wants unity. Siblings are the first exposure to people who are not parents. They are the beta testing for relationships in a peer setting. There is a lot of psychological (some even scripture based) that emphasize the first interactions with siblings help mold future relationships. We learn teamwork, encouragement, reasoning, and communication first from the people we dwell with. Parents and siblings are the first encounters before the world outside the four walls of the home comes into play.
With that said, how does this reflect God? There are so many dysfunctional, fractured and wounded sibling relationships existing in the still more messed up family dynamics of today. The original design is still there. Strengths and weaknesses, teamwork, encouragement, and communication are all from God who has a purpose. Almost everyone knows of the examples of sibling relationship gone bad to worse- Cain and Able the first to come to mind. But I believe many miss the framework and original design of God. Cain was the farmer of the fields and Able the farmer of the flocks. One needs the other to survive and maintain- harvests feeds the flocks and the flocks feed the farmer who is then able to work the fields, and the cycle continues. Teamwork was laid out with each strength to counter the others weakness. We don't get a day by day glimpse of Cain and Able- but we know how the story tragically ends. Sad- imagine if the teamwork came into play, the encouragement and communication that might have changed the whole scenario! But that rivalry, that sin of self killed it.
Now how does this reflect God? God is the strength for our weakness. We are so easy to see our shortcomings- not realizing some of them are designed for us to learn from God. God wants to work with us. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 He wants to encourage us "Have not I commanded you? be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the Lord your God is with you where ever you go." Joshua 1:9 God wants to give these to us. But to do so requires communication. It requires daily dwelling in His presence as we would if we lived with our brother. "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you..." James 4:8.
God wants to strengthen us. He desires to work with us, in us and through us. He can only give us the encouragement and strength is we communicate with Him. He's sent the invitation: "Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me." Revelations 3:23 All we have to do is let Him into our daily lives.
Lord, come and teach me to daily commune and live with you as I would a brother. Allow me to learn that you are my peerless encourager and giver of strengths to over come my weaknesses. Amen
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