In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Genesis 4:3-7 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
The Bible does not tell us exactly why God rejected Cain's offering. Perhaps it was because of God's requirement for blood sacrifice, so Cain's grain offering was insufficient. Perhaps it was because Cain only brought "some of the fruits of the soil", while Abel brought the "fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock" -- much more valuable because it was Abel's best. And perhaps it was because of Cain's heart. God can see inside our hearts. He knows what our attitude is toward our service to Him. He knows if we're performing only for show -- doing things so that others will think well of us. Or if we're acting grudgingly, resentful of the time taken away from our other activities. Or if we think our actions are what will save us or earn us "brownie points" with God.
Whatever the reason for God's rejection of Cain's sacrifice, look at Cain's reaction. Instead of repenting of his wrongdoing, he got angry. The sad part is, God gave Cain a second chance. He said, "Cain, what's wrong with you? Why are you angry? Can't you see that if you do what I told you to do, you'll be blessed? Can't you see that if you don't, this sin will lead to even greater ones? Repent, Cain, and do what I told you, and everything will be all right."
And what did Cain do? He rejected God's offer of a second chance, and, becoming even more angry, committed the premeditated murder of his brother -- fulfilling God's prophetic warning of what would happen if Cain didn't admit his first sin and repent of it. It is often the most difficult thing in the world for some of us to admit our mistakes. Our pride won't let us. Our self-image won't let us. Somewhere in our hearts, we believe that if we ever admit to being wrong, it will have some devastating effect on us. But the reality is -- ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There's not one person - except Jesus Christ -- who has ever walked the earth who has never made a mistake, who has never committed a sin. Not one of us is perfect.
However, what Jesus wants is for each of us to become more and more like Him -- to emulate Him in everything we do or say or think. The way we achieve this walk is through spiritual growth. Spiritual growth begins when we can admit our mistakes, when we can admit that we're wrong, when we can admit that we're not perfect, when we can admit that we have sinned. It is only through recognizing and admitting to our own imperfection, humbling ourselves before Him and admitting our sins, that we can allow the Lord to change us, to help us to grow to be more and more like Him.
Do you have a problem admitting when you've made a mistake? Is it difficult for you to turn to the Lord and say that you have sinned against Him? If so, look at what happened to Cain. God's warning still stands. If you allow small sins to continue as an unrepentant part of your life, the bigger ones are waiting in the wings; crouched and ready to become a part of you.
And like Cain, your pride will lead you to destruction. Think about it.
Repeat of devotion sent on January 27, 2006
QUOTES:
"I have held many things in my hands, and have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." -- Martin Luther
"We don't love others when we find them beautiful, we find others beautiful when we love them." -- JoseiToda
"Great love and great achievements involve great risks." -- Tenzin Gyatso
