Tuesday Reading: Genesis 4:3-7
Key Verse: Genesis 4:5
5 but He did not have respect to Cain and to his offering. And Cain glowed with anger, and his face fell.
Devotion:
One thing I could not figure out when I was younger was what I should be giving to the Lord. As I saw it He would give us things and we would give Him things; but what we should give Him was never explained until I was taught from these verses. When we think of getting gifts for others we do sometimes struggle, after all, what can you give to someone who has everything already! After much careful thinking we can normally work out something suitable to give to most people including giving something that you have personally made to people close to you where it would be warmly accepted. That is our human way of thinking and one which Cain surely followed.
His thinking was probably along the lines of “what could possibly be better than the best that I can make with my hands?” Normally that would be considered to be the best but it is not when seen through God’s eyes. No, it’s not a case of God thinking that we are all amateurs and that we cannot make anything good enough to be a gift – far from that because He has given to many of us the skills to do wonderful work with our hands. It’s more a case of what we should know is the best that we can give.
The best that we can give is going to be the best that we get. Think about that. The best that we receive is the best that we have because it is a gift and we have not had to work for it. That then must be the best that we could give because it would be our treasure. We must be willing to give back to God the best that we receive. The best that we receive is not actually the best that we can make but the best that we receive from Him. Giving back the best that we have is the uttermost ark of respect and that is what God was looking for in Cain and Abel’s offerings. So if you are wanting to know what to give to God, give Him something that He has designed for you not something that you have designed for Him.
Points to Ponder:
What is the best thing that God has given you?
Are you willing to let Him have that?
