Love God Greatly: In the BeginningSample

Cain brought a sacrifice to God from his crops. Abel went out of his way to please God by bringing a sacrifice from the best of his flock. While we are not certain of Cain’s exact motivation for his sacrifice, it is clear that whatever it was, it did not please God. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice but rejected Cain’s. 

God warned Cain to check his heart and his motives, for if he continued to not do what was right, sin would dominate him. Cain wanted to give in to his sin. Instead of heading God’s warning, he went out and murdered his brother. 

God’s desire was not for Cain to bring the exact same sacrifice as Abel had brought. Even though God had not (as far as we know) yet spelled out the stipulations and requirements for sacrifices, like He did in Leviticus for the Israelites, He did desire that the hearts of His people be turned to Him in worship. 

When we stand before God in worship, He is not criticizing us for the exact details of what we lay before Him. Instead, He desires that we are faithful to Him, humble toward Him, and repentant to Him. God desires our hearts, not just our actions. Our lives are to be a sacrifice to Him. When our hearts are right with God we will go out of our way to please Him by offering our best. Ritual is not what God is after. He wants our hearts to be longing for Him, humbled by Him daily, and in awe of all He has given us. 

Prayer:

Father God, guard my life. Help me live my life as a living sacrifice to You, going out of my way to please You and bring my best to You. I long to bring an offering like Abel. Help me stay alert to the sin crouching at my door and remain humble and repentant to You. Amen.