The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4: 6-7 (ESV)
Do you remember the story of Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam in the Bible, Genesis 4:1-16? In the story, both worked, one with the land in bringing forth crops and the other with raising sheep. When the time came to give an offering back to God for the blessings He bestowed, Abel chose to give the best of his flock as a gift to God. However, when it came time for his gift, Cain did not seek to give his best. It is not specifically stated in the Bible but, one can infer from the story, that Cain decided to just give some crops, not the best he had to offer. As the story goes God accepted Abel’s offering but not Cain’s and as a result, Cain became very angry. God chastised Cain and stated if he looked to do right, then his gift as well would have been accepted. The difference between Cain and Abel is not about what was brought before God but, about their heart and attitude of giving their best to God.
In looking at this story, who do you identify with when giving your gifts to God? Are you Cain or are you Abel? I believe we all want to identify with being Abel but, are we? Do we have an attitude of giving our best as a sacrifice to God? In looking at our lives in modern times, what gifts/talents has God given to us that we bring forth to honor Him? God’s desire is for us to give our best for the uplifting of His world and His people. He wants our best and not our “whatever” or our leftovers. This also brings to mind the thought that many times to impress other people, we will bring our best selves or whatever we have to offer. However, if we take time to impress others, can we not do the same or even more when it comes time to praise and worship God?
Further on in the story another lesson one can learn is how not to allow our anger/jealousy to take hold and potentially cause further acts of disobedience. God warned Cain to check his attitude, as his anger/jealousy could lead to destruction. He did not listen and later, as a result, he killed his brother Abel. We all have two choices when we are upset, angry, and/or jealous like Cain in this story. We can choose to repent and turn away from our anger, hurt feelings, and destructive thoughts or, we can go further down sin’s path.
As we go forward in life may we have a grateful and humble attitude, acknowledging all the wonderful gifts God has given to us. May we eagerly seek to give God our best efforts toward uplifting His world and His people. May we not go around with an attitude of entitlement but, may we always model an attitude of gratitude, in everything we say and do.
Blessings,
Angélique
To contact: Angelique@21stcenturygodlyliving.com