Cain & Abel - Consequence and OpportunitySample

East of Eden

The tale of Cain and Abel is quite sobering. If we seek approval from the wrong sources or with the wrong approach, there is a terrible consequence to pay. Our actions matter a lot. Every decision we make takes us down a pathway of sin or a path of righteousness.

Cain’s story finale provides an essential truth as a firm foundation upon which we can stand—God still accepts Cain. God still loves him and protects him. As Cain goes, he leaves with God’s mark of protection on him.

We cannot be good enough on our own to gain God’s acceptance. His acceptance comes by grace. His approval comes through our decisions, but acceptance comes through God’s grace alone.

Like Cain, we can live our lives “east of Eden,” outside the garden of perfection. We make mistakes, sometimes grave ones, and the Lord disapproves. There are consequences for our deeds and ample reason to strive to make good decisions. But those who have received the gift of salvation are always accepted. We are marked as His children. His acceptance follows us wherever we go.

As Cain moves on from this terrible episode, he moves with the mark of the Lord. So do each of us. It doesn’t matter what mess we are coming out of; the Lord watches over us. It doesn’t matter how ‘rough’ the ground is to work or how far we wander; the presence of the Lord is near.

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