“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.” – Romans 12:1 (AMP)
Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 were two brothers who came from Adam and Eve. They were the first children given birth to by any human parents and since they must have known God and His ways through their parents, they decided to practice something their parents must have taught them, and that is giving an offering unto God. They both had good intention for their giving but the results were not the same for both persons (Genesis 4).
Cain, the elder, was the one who first brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord and his brother, Abel, did likewise and both received responses from God as a result of their gesture. But God was looking beyond what they were giving all the while they were laying down their offerings. God was looking at their hearts. The heart of one, Abel, was right with the Lord and iniquity was not found therein but the heart of the other, Cain, was not right for iniquity was found therein. The Lord judged their offerings based on the state of their hearts.
Verse 6 & 7 says of Cain after both he and his offering was rejected – “So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you no be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
This verse reveals the condition of the heart of Cain, and immediately in the next verse, he killed his Abel in the field where there was no one but God was there. God had revealed the sinful tendency of his heart to him but he didn’t pay attention to it. One who lives in sin or allows sin rule over him has not truly given himself to God. Giving yourself to God means living in righteousness daily. Righteousness is the lifestyle of the Kingdom and it must also be the lifestyle of those who are citizens of this Kingdom.
Dear believer, the Lord knows the evil tendencies of your heart and if the Lord is prompting you concerning a sin you have not even committed, you must pay attention and not ignore it. Cain ignored this warning and it landed him in trouble. For whatever you desire to give to God to be acceptable, you must pay attention to your life and how you live daily in His presence. If you do not live in righteousness, you will only be labouring like a fool, and labour of fools weary them.
Reflections: Is there any sinful tendency the Lord is calling my attention to? Am I submitted to the righteous lifestyle of the Kingdom as its citizen? How do I handle the warning of the Lord?
Confession: I am a child of God; my life reflects His holiness and righteousness. I do not yield nor give in to sinful tendencies. My spirit man is sensitive to identifying unrighteousness and ungodliness in every hidden form. I represent God in all my ways.
Related Scripture: Genesis 4:1-15
Bible Reading: John 2
