Cain and Abel one perspective

Genesis 4 1 Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced a man!” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

There are many perspectives on the story of Cain and Abel. Many sermons have been preached on Cain's offering vs. Abel's offering. So, when I read this passage about a week ago I was surprised that a different perspective jumped off the pages of my Bible at me.

First off notice, in verse 3, Cain is the first to bring a offering to the Lord, then Abel. I also want to point out that at this point in scripture (reading front to back or chronologically) we are not told to the reason the Lord rejects Cain's offering. Except for this one point, we are told that Cain brings SOME of his crop, but Abel brings the BEST of this flock. This is were most teaching on this stops and jumps strait to Cain's murder of Abel. If we stop at this point though we have missed the rest of what the Lord wants to show us, the Lord also reveal to us a warning that is so pointed and relevant to today.

From the end of verse 5 - 7 we see what the Lord wants to deal with Cain's reaction to His rejection of the offering. Look at what the Lord tells him, "if you do what is right you will be accepted." Oh man, you mean it is possible that the sin was not just in what Cain brought as the offering but more so in his reaction to the Lord's rejection of that offering. I know this flies in the face of much church doctrine on this topic but bear with me for a moment. Cain's sin was not just the offering he brought but that he got mad at the Lord for rejecting it. After all he was a farmer and he brought a offering from what the Lord gave him to do. (Hang in there I am not focusing on why the Lord rejected Cain's offering in this post, in order to prove a different point.)

Has that happened to you brothers and sisters? Did an offering you brought before the Lord get rejected? You know He is a sovereign Lord and He has the right to reject anything He wants, and just because we think a offering should be accepted doesn't mean it has to be. I recently went through a period in my life where I knew that I knew I was doing the Lord's work. Work that He ask me to do and the way He asked me to do it. But as time passed the Lord rejected that work. The reason he rejected it is not the issue at this point and a topic for another time. He has the right to reject or accept anything He chooses He is the Lord, King of Kings. If He should decide he does not want to accept something who are we to tell Him that He has to?

Cain bigger problem was that he got offended by the rejection of his offering, sound familiar? Truth is rejection hurts and we don't like it, especially if think it was the best gift we had to offer. He still had a chance to be accepted by the lord if he would react correctly. How then are we to react when the Lord rejects our offerings to Him? How are we to react when the church or ministry rejects our offering, or help work prayer or even revelation knowledge? What would have been the correct response for Cain? What was the right thing for him to do and then be accepted by the Lord?

Might I propose that the right thing to do is also the hardest for us most of the time. Worship the Lord even if He rejects your offering. Later in Deuteronomy we read that the Lord does not really even want our burnt offerings any more but our hearts. So even the Abel type offering gets rejected by the Lord at some point. The offering the Lord really wants is you. All that you are.

Observing wounded Christians I see, this is what has happened to them. They got rejected by someone or for some reason by the Church body and now they are not doing the right thing. Dear friends if this is you, like God told Cain "sin will come your way and you must subdue it." I know this is a hard message and if you are currently in the position Cain found himself this message is not one you want to accept, but I urge you to come back to the Lord worship Him because He is Lord. Not because He accepted or rejected your gift but because He is the King who reigns on High.

- Lord I pray that if these words reach one, who like Cain, is angry with you because you exercised your sovereignty. Then send your Holy Spirit ahead of the words and prepare their heart to accept your love and fall at your feet and worship you. You rejected the offering not Cain himself. And though you sometimes reject our offering to you, you love us and are calling us back to you. Heal the wounds cause by rejection, strengthen us in your love, that we may come back to you and do what is right.

Amen.

Go With Nothing!

My dear readers as we were preparing for the missions trip a few weeks ago two verses spoke to me from the book of Luke in a way completely new to my understanding. Luke 9:1-6 and Luke 10:1-18. I like most of you am used to reading this passage and see only that Jesus tells the disciples go with no money; no extra clothing; no food; and no bag to carry stuff in. And as it reads that is what it says.

Luke 9

1When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. 4Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." 6So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

The other morning however while making coffee I believe the Lord showed me a deeper meaning to this passage. Here is what He asked me, "What do the staff, bag, bread, money, and tunic represent"? I thought of several things like provision, and trusting in our own ability to take care of ourselves. Then I thought that it may also represent who they were as individuals. You see each person when traveling takes things that will help them feel comfortable. Some even go to the extreme of taking things like the Coffee they like to drink or DVD's of the movies they like to watch. This things could also represent our culture and way of life. What if the Lord was telling them to leave that behind and go only with Him as a companion. We live in very different times they the disciples but the Word of the Lord is as true today as it was then. If the Lord asked you to go with nothing, could you? Could you trust the Lord enough to literally take nothing with you. What if that even meant your identity as an American or even as a missionary. What if He asked you to go with only Him. Accept whatever hospitality He provides, eat the things He provides, drink only what He provides. There are valid concerns about health and safety today whether it is traveling to another state or another country, but remember who called you out. Remember who is making the way for you to go. It is in Him name we should go when called. It is for His glory we go when we are called. It is His kingdom only that we should be worried about representing when we visit others. Lets read together Luke 10 and see how the Lord drives this point home.

Luke 10

1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don't take any money with you, nor a traveler's bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don't stop to greet anyone on the road.

5 "Whenever you enter someone's home, first say, 'May God's peace be on this house.' 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don't move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.

8 "If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, 'The Kingdom of God is near you now.' 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 'We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!' 12 I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment day.

13 "What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. 14 Yes, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you. 15 And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead."

16 Then he said to the disciples, "Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me."

17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, "Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!"

18 "Yes," he told them, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven."

If the timing of a mission trip is important, if the message that gets delivered during your trip is important, then going in the way the Lord instructs is also equally important. We must seek the Lord first each and every time we go out. To get His detailed plan of action right down to asking Him what you should take along. As missionaries we are ambassadors of the Lord. We represent His kingdom, we must follow the orders of our king or we will make a mockery of His authority and His reign. I pray that you would ask the Lord to prove this to your spirit. If it true then let this work itself out in your life. Go in peace and in the name of Jesus!

Psalm 73

OK so, I know I am not the only Christian out there who has felt this way. You know when it feels like all the "wicked" people have it easy and us Christians are getting the short end of the stick. Well during prayer earlier this week I opened up to this Psalm and man did it speak to me.

Psalm 73 is credited to the choir director Asaph, and I think it really shows us how to command our thoughts and take them captive. As the director he knew that if he got down in the spirit that he would take others with him. He shows us how to take our thought captive and what to do with them so we do not spread poison to our fellow brothers and sisters. The key is in verses 15-17

Psalm 73: 15If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.

First in verse 15, he reminds himself of his obligation as a believer to be a good witness. He recognizes that as a believer claiming the name of the Lord he must present the truth to the choir and not the rotten thought in this heart.

Second in verse 16, he acknowledges what thinking about such things is doing to his heart. Note that he says that it was wearisome and oppressive. That's what happens when we dwell on thoughts planted by the enemy. The thoughts of doubt and worry are planted to be stumbling block on our walk with Christ and a wall between us and our father.

Third in verse 17 he takes this thought with him to the sanctuary of God, where God can reveal the truth about such matters.

This is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 11:28-30, 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (NAS)

If you are like me you feel the least worthy of entering the Holy of Holies when you have thoughts like Asaph recorded in this Psalm. But friends that is when we need to go there the most. The Lord has invited you to be His bride and come into His most intimate sanctuary. It is there that He will reveal His will to you.

Please read this Psalm (Psalm 73 this link to the the Message version) and if the Holy Spirits speak to you through it like He did me you will find yourself on you knees thanking the Lord for His great mercy, love and correction. I know better understand what it means to be forced to the feet of Jesus because that is the only place anything makes since.

I hope you will read this Psalm and share with us what the Lord speaks to you. Until then be blessed.

Jonah 4

The book of Jonah is a short book stuck in the middle of the minor profits right before Micah. This book is most notable because of its first chapter where Jonah gets swallowed by a large fish (whale?) then spit out on shore 3 days later. But what I want to look at today is chapters 3 and 4.

Chapter 3:
Here we see that Jonah finally listens to the Lord and goes to Nineveh and delivers his message from the Lord. Much to Jonah 's chagrin they heed his warning and repent. Yes, that's right even the King declares fasting and praying in order to atone for whatever it was they had done that would cause God to want to destroy them in 40 days.

Chapter 4:
Now lets look at Jonah reaction when the peoples of Nineveh repent. "4:1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 4:2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.""
Now we understand why Jonah has not wanted to go to Nineveh in the first place. His heart was hard for the people of Nineveh and he hated the fact that if they repented God would be merciful on them and let them live. Yes, that is right. He wanted then to pay for there abominations before the Lord no matter what. And he knew that if they repented God would be merciful.

This is a powerful warning by dear brothers and sisters. How heard are your hearts to those who once they hear the truth of Christ repent. Will you be like Jonah and be angry with God for showing your new brother or sister in Christ the same love He has shown you? The same warning is true for brothers and sisters in Christ who fall away or "backslide" if God shows them mercy will you be okay with that?

So often when this story is presented we focus only on Jonah's running from God's direction for him and his subsequent voyage on the boat and in the fish. And we fail to recognize the warning that is so clear at the end. Why? do we not want to think of ourselves as having this same issue. Does this not preach from the pulpit? Dear readers when the final Harvest is upon us many will turn to Christ, and we must be accepting of them when they finally embrace the truth no matter their past.

A personal note on this word. This word came so clear to me through several unrelated conversations I had yesterday and when preparing to last nights youth group. When I opened my bible to read this book I could not believe what i had read and nearly fell off my bar stool. Since then the Lord has been revealing to me just how many times in my heart I have reacted the same way Jonah did (YIKES). As a good Christian we would never say we hate someone or with them ill, but I confess I have. I will not tell you who or when as that is not something that I wish to be made public. But the Holy Spirit is showing me those things and in turn I am bringing them be for Jesus and asking Him to forgive my sinful heart.

Should you be reading this and the Lord reveals to you something similar, now is the perfect time to humble yourself before the Lord and ask His forgiveness. He Loves YOU and He will show you the same compassion He showed the people of Nineveh.

John 14: 5-14

Friends,

I, like Thomas, have asked the Lord to just show me the way and I will gladly follow. I have sought and searched and strained to see the path to the next thing to do for the Lord. I have told myself that this walk must take me somewhere and I want to get there as soon as yesterday. I have asked the Lord as Thomas does,14:5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Now most of you understand what it means to know something and then one day finally get the meaning of it. Well it seems that only recently have I finally understood Jesus' answer to Thomas. 14:6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

Since I became a Christian I have "known" this verse. Only recently has it come to life with new meaning. This is what it means to be a Christian. We worry far too much about what the next knitting ministry will start and who is going to bring the pie for the pot-luck. I have come to realize that what the Lord wants from us is just us. That is the way to knowing the father and eternally communing with Him.

Shortly after this revelation I found myself asking what Philip asks. 14:8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." You see I like all others what it to be well with me. I long to serve the Lord with all my waking moments, even if serving the Lord today or tomorrow means just worshiping or sitting still and listing to Him. Bu like Philip I want this to be well with me, and I could not figure out (and I still think it is a bit fuzzy) how fully devoted life to Christ even if that means praying to him all day without other distractions is supposed to support my family financially and all the other things that my flesh worries about.

And then of course is Jesus style the answer is in the next verse. 14:9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

I know what you saying, "how is that the answer." Well it is. I am not 100% sure just how yet but I know deep in my heart that that is the answer. And my impression of Him is that when we finally stop for a moment and let Him tell us what He wants us to do He will also take care of our "other" needs. The Lord does ask for sacrifice but He also know and understands you. Some thoughts that I know to be true that have encouraged me through this:

He gave me my wife, and my son. I know this to be fact not faith or belief. Therefore He will also care for them. Now it is my duty, responsibility and privilege to seek the Lord daily to know what He wants from me and what I am to be doing.

I hope this encourages you, and you see through this His invitation to be with Him. He wants to be your first priority. Trust in the Lord seek His face and devote you whole life to Him and He will make your path straight. Proverbs 3.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may you learn to hear His still small voice as you rest yourself in His lap and lay your head on His chest. The Lord loves you and is calling you to Him won't you answer His call.

Isaiah 23

Tyre is what man has built. God destroyed it and caused that power to lay dormant for 70 years the life span of a King (represents man made authority) then it will be rebuilt but this time its money and power will be used for His purposes.

Explanation
Isaiah 23:1-3 You heard while you were out making money that your home (what you had built with that money and power) was destroyed but you did not trust or believe it until you returned and saw it for yourself.

4-7 You are shameful in the worlds sight because what your money and power has produced is now worthless. Morn all you who trust in the worlds economy. You will be mocked because you have nothing to show for your labor. What you built was once great but now lies in ruins.

8-12 This disaster is not from the enemy or other world power, The Lord caused it to destroy your Pride and show you His contempt for all human greatness. The Lord is shaking the kingdoms of the earth because they stole His Glory. The Lord says you will no longer be able to rejoice in the work of your hands (you will no longer get the glory).

13 You can see the evil and also the justice that came upon Babylon but you don't see it in yourself.

14-18 Morn, your old way of life is gone. Until man's authority is dead (until we give up our false authority) What once was by your authority and your building will be forgotten. But, I will allow things to be rebuilt by man and it will seem like nothing changed. However this time the Profit from these evil schemes you build will not go to nor will you be able to hold onto them. They will be unknowingly used to do my work.