June 9 / Every Day God: Brothers and Sisters

Obadiah 1:8-14

Amplified Bible (AMP)

8 Will not I in that day, says the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom and [men of] understanding out of Mount Esau [Idumea, a mountainous region]?

9 And your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that everyone from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.

10 For the violence you did against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.

11 On the day that you stood aloof [from your brother Jacob]—on the day that strangers took captive his forces and carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem—you were even as one of them.

12 But you should not have gloated over your brother’s day, the day when his misfortune came and he was made a stranger; you should not have rejoiced over the sons of Judah in the day of their ruin; you should not have spoken arrogantly in the day of their distress.

13 You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity andruin; yes, you should not have looked [with delight] on their misery in the day of their calamity and ruin, and not have reached after their army and their possessions in the day of their calamity and ruin.

14 And you should not have stood at the crossway to cut off those of Judah who escaped, neither should you have delivered up those [of Judah] who remained in the day of distress.

Matthew 10:21

Amplified Bible (AMP)

21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children will take a stand against their parents and will have them put to death.

Luke 12:53

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53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

1 John 3:15

Amplified Bible (AMP)

15 Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (persevering) within him.

1 John 4:20

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20 If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother [in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen.

1 Timothy 5:8

Amplified Bible (AMP)

8 If anyone fails to provide for his relatives, and especially for those of his own family, he has disowned the faith [by failing to accompany it with fruits] and is worse than an unbeliever [who performs his obligation in these matters].

Leviticus 19:17

Amplified Bible (AMP)

17 You shall not hate your brother in your heart; but you shall surely rebuke your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.

Being betrayed by family is much more destructive than being betrayed by a casual acquaintance. The hurt goes so much deeper. Dirty laundry (family secrets) are aired far and wide and the damage is irreparable. And when you meet for family gatherings (Christmas, funerals, weddings), your gut literally hurts. Because you have to face the person ad pretend everything is okay. But it's not.

Being betrayed by a brother or sister in Christ is similar to that of a blood family member. Shocking and painful. And then you go to church and worship together. And you pretend. And your gut hurts. And when you try to worship, the yucky feelings toward the brother or sister get in the way!

What's really bad is when a brother or sister laughs at another brother or sister's calamity. 

Proverbs 24:17, 18

Amplified Bible (AMP)

17 Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles or is overthrown,

18 Lest the Lord see it and it be evil in His eyes and displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him [to expend it upon you, the worse offender].

We've all been in this type of trouble at one time or another in our lives.

God is watching this evil behavior. And our sins will NOT go unpunished. 

The good news is this: No matter what side of the situation we currently find ourselves on, we can find an altar of prayer and repent. Jesus will forgive us. Or Jesus will help us to endure our suffering. Either one. 

"Dear God, please give wisdom to that one who either has betrayed someone, or has been betrayed. Who has laughed, or who has been laughed at. Please show her in Your word exactly how to move forward now. All hope seems lost. The damage is simply too great. But You are the God of impossible, irreparable situations. You have ALL the answers. You leave us shaking our heads in disbelief! You are simply amazing. Please comfort the comfortless, O God. We know that You have forgiveness for the one who has sinned against her brother or sister. Thank You for the work You are doing. You do all things perfectly. In Your precious name we pray, AMEN."