Reading
SAA Notes
Envy, jealousy, murder – and these are in the Church. Notice that Cain is not a disbeliever. He is like Satan in that he rejects the Lord and the Lord’s authority over his life and actions.
SJA Notes
* God Above, You know our hearts. Please remind us of our need for You today from Your word.
“And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.”
Here we see God making a distinction.
He chooses the offering of Abel and rejects that from Cain.
God knew the heart of each of them, the true inner workings, the motivations and desires.
From what God tells Cain afterward (vs 6-7) we can deduce that Cain’s heart was not true in his offering.
In the book of Malachi we see that God’s people are offering up blind animals, lame and sick – Offerings that show just how much they despise the table of the LORD (where we offer up to Him).
God continues to make distinction throughout His word when it comes to offerings, the sacrifices we choose to make.
In the book of Romans (ch 12) we read what it means to offer up a right sacrifice to our God – That we are to present our entire selves up to Him, not having the pattern of the world on us but instead being transformed toward Christ.
This is spiritual worship.
God makes a distinction.
Let us choose to worship and offer up ourselves as living sacrifices, to “do right” as God told Cain.
Because as we read in Malachi, God desires godly offspring – Those who know His will (an outworking of the transformation believers undergo) and go about it (obedience).
* Dear God,
Thank You for bringing us from death to life, breathing life into us and continuing to work in us, transforming us toward the likeness of Jesus.
Please teach us what Your will is for us, a little more today, as we read Your word and wrestle with what it means for us in our lives.
Amen.