TEXT: PROVERBS 17:17B

"...a brother is born for adversity."(#KJV)

"... in adversity a man shall know who is his
brother."(#MSTC)

"...let brethren be useful in distress; for on this
account are they born"(#LXXE)

"...and a brother is proved in distress."(#DRC)

When our text is considered contextually and literally, the duty owe to our fellow man would not be blur to us: this is because the text unequivocally spelt it out! One of the reasons why we are here is for the adversity or plight of humanity. We fail if under our watch her adverse situation advances. Why am I born? Our text says, "...for adversity." I am born for the days of my brother's adversity! On the account of my brother's trouble am I born.

So his adversity furthers the course of my brotherhood. The acid test for my brotherhood is his adversity, troubled time or the days of his trouble. I am only proved to be his brother by my attitude during his time of challenges. Whether am a brother to him indeed is known in his dark momments. If I turn my back on him in the days of his adversity, my brotherhood with him is weak. For if a man fails in the days of adversity, his strength is not much, so said the sages!

If I start enduring him instead of seeing him as my reason for living, a wrong spirit has set in; for he is the reason why I have existence: without him, I am pointless and have no serious consequences for living! He should not be heavy because he is my brother: my shoulder is fashioned and formed specifically to carry him! I trouble my very reason for existence if his trouble means nothing to me . I pray that a fine and smooth feeling for the woes of men may come upon us! Amen!

This ultimately answers why we are born again and are left on earth by God: we should have dropped dead the day we gave our lives to Christ and go to heaven immediately; but we did not. Why? For adversity sake! Some of us think we exist for ourselves. No! It is for the purpose of adversity-the adversity of our brothers!

Originally, all men sprang from one man, Adam: so, technically speaking, all human race have one father, making them brothers. As long as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men! It is wrong to see a fellow man in pain on the high way and not assist same. We should be seeing helping out during outbreak of fire, calamity and abnormality of any kind, this is part of our reason for existing

But when we make humanity weeps and descends into more depression, we fail in our very essence of existence. To be seeing quarreling and fighting with men is a very serious confussion. It is better they defraud us than we defrauding them. To proceed against them in wounding them and confiscating their belongings in the exercise of our "rights" may be lawful but not always expedient.

When our Lord and saviour was on earth, He fed them, healed their diseases and brought joy to them. He "broke" the law of Moses when it violated the state of their health. All that laboured and were heavily burdened were invited by Him. He received sinners and ate with them. He told the guilty due to be stoned, "Neither do I condemn you, but go and sin no more." He encouraged the rich to invite the poor, blind, lame and any that cannot repay them to their feasts. This man came not only to show us the way but He is the only way. He is the patern brother-all brotherhood must take cue from Him and His. Amen!

Our shoulders are fashioned and fortified with strong senew and bones solely and intentionally to carry the anxieties of humanity! To be born is a grave matter! We should be men, "who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well: filling the pools with rain." Valley of Baca means, the valley of weeping. Yes, "Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings."(#Amp) psalm84:6 "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth..." psalm 48:2a&b This is us in prophesy! By aligning ourselves with this admonision, we fulfil prophesy.

By way of extension of our text, What does it mean to be born? To be continued!

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Emeka Joe Uzosike