The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 4:6-7,
"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 rule over it.'"
Cain was a farmer and Abel was a rancher. As such, Cain must have traded in fruits and vegetables and the like, while Abel must have brought those fantastic ribeye steaks to market. When it came time to bring an offering to God as thanksgiving in worship of the Lord and/or or to implore the Lord for a fruitful year, Cain brought the fruit of his labor and Abel did likewise.
We are told the Lord did not accept Cain's offering, but he did Abel's. The Lord clearly communicated to Cain that he could bring an an offering the Lord would accept if he did what was "right". However, rather than listen to the Lord, rather than deciding to do what the Lord wanted, Cain simply became angry. He took his brother, Abel, out in the field and murdered him. God had told Cain, "But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it." Unfortunately, rather than ruling over the sin in his life, sin ruled over his life.
Here is why God sent his Son to pay for our sins. We, like Cain, are defective and live our lives in defeat by the sin that indwells every last one of us!
"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 rule over it.'"
Cain was a farmer and Abel was a rancher. As such, Cain must have traded in fruits and vegetables and the like, while Abel must have brought those fantastic ribeye steaks to market. When it came time to bring an offering to God as thanksgiving in worship of the Lord and/or or to implore the Lord for a fruitful year, Cain brought the fruit of his labor and Abel did likewise.
We are told the Lord did not accept Cain's offering, but he did Abel's. The Lord clearly communicated to Cain that he could bring an an offering the Lord would accept if he did what was "right". However, rather than listen to the Lord, rather than deciding to do what the Lord wanted, Cain simply became angry. He took his brother, Abel, out in the field and murdered him. God had told Cain, "But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it." Unfortunately, rather than ruling over the sin in his life, sin ruled over his life.
It all sounds kind of insane, doesn't it? Just about as insane as a lot of the sin we see all around us today. This is that sinful nature all mankind inherits from one generation to the next due to that first rejection of God by Adam and Eve in the garden.
Paul makes an observation of this as we experience what we have inherited of it, "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me." Romans 7:14-23.Here is why God sent his Son to pay for our sins. We, like Cain, are defective and live our lives in defeat by the sin that indwells every last one of us!
If we embrace him in faith, God will forgive us our sins! This is the "good news"!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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