SELAH Daily Devotions!
And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. Genesis 4: 6-8
From the human perspective, favor ain’t always what we expect it to be! #ijs #CANIGETAWITNESS?
However, as we acknowledge the Sovereignty of our Heavenly Father, Who does all things well, we can only rightly conclude that Father knows best! While, the frailness of our frame limits our capacity to see, speculate and judge one another by appearances and actions, “the spirit of man is the candle to The Lord.” (Proverbs 20:27) Hence, The Omniscient Creator knows the hearts of each and everyone of us! OMG!!!
God saw crouched within the heart of Cain a spirit of resentment and jealousy which lead to anger and ultimately sin and death! God asked Cain, “Why are you angry?”
Down thru the years, many Biblical Scholars and Theologians have offered many alternative explanations to clarify the disparity between what was an acceptable offering and why one was rejected while the other preferred. Now, I’m not necessarily suggesting that I’ve conclusively determined the answer, k? Nevertheless, may I submit for your momentary consideration that perhaps, it’s not that God despised Cain’s gift per se’, but could it possibly have been the intent that motivated his giving that caused God’s response? UUUMMMM???
God saw the worship-filled sincerity within Abel’s offering to Him! Apparently, Abel knew that everything that He had came from and belonged to God and trusting that whatever he relinquished to God, God was well able and willing to restore unto him exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond anything he’d dared ask or imagine! #Didjaseedat?
On the other hand, it appears that Cain was quite pleased with himself; having tilled the ground, planted seeds and painstakingly kept them watered until it yielded the fruit of his labor. Naturally, he would expect that God would favor his sacrifice over that which his brother had presented, right?
But before we start throwing rocks at Cain, how many times have we seen the favor of God on someone’s life and instead of rejoicing and celebrating The Goodness of God with them, we secretly accused God of being unfair, considering all that we’ve done for the sake of The Kingdom, not to mention how faithfully we’ve strived to follow His teachings, huh? SERIOUSLY? #BOOM #NUFFSAID!
Precious ones, God being a Master Economist, distributes heaven’s treasures according to our personal capacity and potential to produce and to be good stewards over all what He gives us, assuring our highest good and His Greatest Glory!
Don’t get it twisted! None of us like waiting, YET! In the Ingenious Sovereignty of His Own Will, Purpose always trumps pain and disappointments! God has Divinely orchestrated the terrains of our life journey to perfect in us the same Radiant Glory of our Kinsmen Redeemer Jesus Christ!
*For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11 Nonetheless, His Ways continue to supersede our severely limited intellectual capacity to comprehend the length, width and depth and wonder of His Omnipotent Omniscient Benevolence!
“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:3-4
Beloved, God has not forgotten you, a delay is not a denial and GRACE IS UNDESERVED FAVOR! TRUST2KNO, Saints, it’s not about what’s in your hands, but what’s in your hearts that pleases God! Secure your VICTORY with a thankful heart!
SELAH!
Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!
Ann E. Caffee