Holy Spirit, last night in our men’s Bible study we read from Luke 14 and 15. It struck me as significant that, in the parable of the prodigal son, the dialogue between the father and the oldest son. The oldest was trying to distance himself through pride by calling his brother the father’s son, but the father quickly rebuked that when he returned the statement “your brother” to the eldest. It has taken me a long time to realize, in that simple statement, that you are our brother’s keeper, and to fulfill the law of Christ to love our neighbor as ourselves puts the responsibility on us to love them even when they do wrong. Paul wrote, and I take to heart and ask that this wisdom become a part of who I am: Beware lest any man spoils you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. [Colossians 2:8] I, as a follower of Christ, can not be so selfish as to not find a way to demonstrate mercy, grace, and love of Christ to all people. Does not mean I have to be a doormat to anyone, but it also does not allow or excuse me from helping them and offering them the hope of salvation. Help me to not be like the Pharisees, politically intolerant or selfish in how I live my life, as a believer I laid my life out to be a living sacrifice for God.