Acceptance

(Genesis 4:7) “If you do well, will you not be accepted?”

When we give to God or to anyone else in need I believe there is a great lesson to be learnt from the story of Cain and Abel. It is obvious that God needs nothing and yet He delights in so many wonderful graces, for instance when we give with a heart of generosity it pleases Him. But if we give reluctantly or with reservation then we do not please him. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted but Cain’s was not.

It is supposedly easier to give when we have, as opposed to when we are struggling to make ends meet, but this is where we are truly tested, and it reveals exactly who we are. It strips us of the layers of our guise. Who does not want to be honoured amongst friends and peers? God examines our heart and He tests us through the trials of life, teaching us so many truths about ourselves, if only we would sit up and take note.

What can we learn from the very first offering presented to God? There is a suggestion from the book of Jasher that fire came down from heaven and consumed the lamb that Abel brought to God. A sign affirming God’s acceptance; I can easily reconcile this in my mind’s eye as it is consistent with the pattern of scripture as we move forward into the Old Testament.

If both brought a sacrifice to God who is righteous in character; why did He only accept one sacrifice and reject the other? By the grace of God I believe I understand this. This is how I see it; Abel brought his prized Lamb, the best of the firstlings, whilst Cain brought that which was ready to be discarded to the manure pile. It was not the best of his crop, the power rested with him to bring his best, he didn’t! And this is why God then said to him, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?”

Can I prove this train of thought from the minds of other teachers in God’s Word? If not it is a simple assumption that we needn’t take note of, but if I can justify it from other examples, then we must learn from it!

When we see a person going the extra mile for God at their own expense, we see God taking note and reminding us of such accounts; “And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her. But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."” (Mark 14:3-19)  - And when there are those who do things to be noticed by others but inside are rotten to the core God also exposes their error; "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew 23:25)

God sees beyond any facade and He gently reveals our own hearts to us, helping us understand how deceitful they can be. It is only once exposed to certain predicaments that we will understand the gravity of this lesson, may God help us to be honest with ourselves.

How often do I give begrudgingly or give from a platform of surplus and what about giving to be noticed by others? It is never about quantity with God but rather quality, He requires our best and why would we even look to shirk that responsibility. Wretched sinners like us were loved as the enemies of God, but now we are classed amongst the saints, let us then act accordingly. God give us eyes to see what needs to be seen in any given situation. Make us more like those whom you hold in high regard, make us more like Jesus Christ our Lord, this then is my prayer my glorious heavenly Father, Amen!

I will leave you with a proverb that is ingrained in my brain, I only wish I could act on its full potential as I should; “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” (Proverbs 3:27) 

Signing off

Tyrone