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Written by Pastor Scott
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Sunday, 20 May 2012 13:03 |
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The first parent-child relationship was not a happy one. It ended in murder. Cain, the eldest of Adam and Eve, wanted to worship God on his own terms. Many parents since have felt the burden and sorrow of "raising Cain." Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to God. But only Abel's was acceptable. God accepted Abel's offering taken from the flock, but rejected Cain's from the field. The difference might be that one was a blood offering. If so, Cain and Abel received explicit instructions from God as far as what was acceptable. Another explanation is that the content of the offering was not important but faith in God made the difference. Hebrews 11:4 says, "By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous." Whether it was the content of the sacrifice or the attitude in which it was offered, Cain thought he could come on his own terms, in his own way, without a change of heart. Many think they know what is best. Many young people even dream of a church without boundaries. Yet the Word of God sets the boundaries and the limits. We must come the way God wants us to.
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2013