Brotherly Love

Luke 6:35  ...do good and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the unthankful and evil.6:36  Be full of compassion, even as your Father also is full of compassion.6:38  Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, they will give into your bosom. For with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you in return

These are the words of the Lord last night in my time with Him as I was praying and considering the giving of financial offering to a brother who is urgently in need. It was last week when he came to fellowship with me regarding his family situation. As he fellowshipped, deep within me the Lord gave me much joy and peace to extend a brotherly love in reality unconditionally and expecting nothing in return, though he promised to pay back on monthly installment. The leading of the Lord is supreme and the decision is already made at the throne; my duty is simply to execute it. After all, all that I have is all from the Lord and I am just a steward of the Lord's treasury. I only pray that I may find grace to be a faithful steward of the varied grace of God.

Two days later, the Lord provided me 10 times of the amount fellowshipped for the urgent need. It was a surprise shocked to me too; too true to believe! Praise the Lord, He is the source of every blessing. The way He provided was through a righteous channel that was formally owed to me since a year ago that has not been transacted yet. Yesterday being 31st March, the company abruptly decided to clear their book of account a day before the financial year ends so as not to carry forward debt.

Today morning as the brother came to collect his "loan" it was a surprise for him that it turned out to be an offering! The only thing I could tell him was, "it is from the Lord, praise the Lord!" He was speechless, and smiled. Praise the Lord!

Sometimes, the Lord's speaking are so direct that it really need more grace to take it in. Phrases like, "do good and lend, expecting nothing in return", "Be full of compassion" and "Give, and it will be given to you". Many may interpret these to mean "spiritually" even when the phrases are so direct and clear; the reason I apprehend is because of their love for money. Yet they cannot deny the plain truth so they try to invent a "different interpretation" to ease off their convicting conscience. Actually, no one can be such a person except the Lord Jesus Himself. But, now the Lord Jesus Christ is in us as the indwelling Spirit in our spirit; when we live and walk in the Spirit, the Lord can easily live Himself out against all odds. Where He leads, there He graces; for what He commands, He also supplies to fulfill it.  

This is no philanthropy, nor generosity, nor good Samaritan, nor anything a natural man may call it; it is just the grace of God being lived out day by day; the living of Christ as in Philippians 1:21 and not I but Christ in Galatians 2:20. This is a very normal Christian life as practiced in the book of Acts by the early believers. In fact, this is the Lord's heart's desire as stated in the church in Philadelphia, brotherly love. Perhaps, today's Christians must learn from our brethren who lived before us and follow their footsteps. Times, ages and fashions may change, but the principle of the Bible never and will never. Take God at His word, and He will take you at His word!

Lord, preserve us to live a normal Christian life full of brotherly love, caring for one another in You.