The Leverage devotional June 19: The Power of Offering

Genesis 4:3-5 “And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was wroth, and his countenance fell.”
Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

Today’s opening Scripture reveals how that Cain and Abel gave offerings to the Lord. It says in the process of time, Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord because he was into crop farming; and Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat of it, as an offering unto the Lord. At that ancient time, men still had the consciousness of offering things to the Lord. The spirit of man is conscious of some truth that the mind cannot explain.
Worship or reverence for God is rooted in the value we bestow on Him in offerings and in a willing, prompt and outright obedience of faith demonstrated towards Him. Deep within Cain and Abel, beyond what anyone else had done before, is the eternal longing to worship and honour God. There is no record in the Scriptures that Adam and Eve offered a burnt offering unto God. Evidently, it was their spirit crying out in worship and reverence for God. Offering unto God is part of worship of Him. Psalms 96:8 tells us, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering and come into his court.” This means that our offering must be consistent with the glory due unto God’s Name. Our offering unto the Lord is actually a reflection of how much glory God is worth in our eyes.
Now, by faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (Hebrews 11:4). Why? He gave to God the best of his livestock: the firstlings of his flock and the fat of it. But Cain gave unto God what he thought good enough in his eyes. God had respect unto Abel and unto his offering, but disregarded Cain and his offering. Both Cain and Abel couldn’t separate their offering from their worship of God; and in God’s assessment of their offerings, He couldn’t separate them from their offerings. In your worship of God, God sees you in the light of your offering unto Him, since it is the measure of your honour for Him. One would think that God would have had no respect for Cain’s offering, and not Cain. But with God, it is not so. In our worship of God, we must do it acceptably, for He will not take just anything from us. Beloved, begin to give unto God according to His worth and how much He has blessed you. Don’t give just anything to God. Don’t let Him lose respect for you because of your offering.

My Solid Front (Confession): In the Name of Jesus Christ, I declare that I am aware of the honour of God in my heart by the Spirit of the fear of the Lord, and I serve God acceptably in honour every day in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Meditation: Psalms 96:1-8; 2 Samuel 24:24.