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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.Eph 2:9 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Cain and Abel Bible Verse:Genesis 4:1-12 (ESV) "Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”" Message:
Just as it is often said that “Life is unfair,” God can be “unfair”. “Fairness” is a human concept that defies full explanation, because it has entitlement at its root. Something in our nature tells us that, if somebody else has something, we are entitled to have it, also.
The idea of fairness may be a good guide for us when we are called upon to judge something, but when used as a complaint against the acts of nature or God, it is tainted by pride and covetousness. Instead of accepting and learning, we want to impose our own ideas; and such an attitude leads to dire consequences. This is the lesson of Cain and Abel. And it occurs early in the Bible, because it is a lesson we need to learn early in life.
God did not look with favor Cain’s offering; we don’t know why. Some theologians have inferred that Abel brought the best of his flock, while Cain simply brought a middling quality from his harvest, but consider what these theologians are doing: changing the Bible, to harmonize it with their own concept of fairness. The Bible does not give God’s reason. God is, after all, God. He does not owe us an explanation. If we think God treated Cain unfairly, it is our concept of fairness that needs examination, not God’s actions.
Titian painting of Cain (Kain) and Abel, Bible story
But the reason for God’s favoritism is not the point of the story. Although God looked with more favor on Abel’s offering, He seemed at least neutral toward Cain. But Cain was filled with pride and jealousy. One can almost hear him say, “This isn’t fair and I’m not going to stand still for it.” And his self-righteousness led him to the terrible sin of murder, for which he was cast out of society and cursed in the sight of God.
Christ taught similar lessons, repeatedly. For example, in the parable of the laborers of the vineyard: “When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’” (Matthew 20:1-16) The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) might be even better-known.
The Bible tells us repeatedly that “fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,” e.g. Proverbs 9:10. It emphatically does not tell us that our personal concept of fairness is the beginning of wisdom. If we believe in God, it must occur to us that He knows something we don’t! We must always approach our study of the Bible with a desire to learn and become obedient to God’s will, because this is our only chance to overcome the sin and ignorance into which were born.
Meditation : Prayer : I dedicate this day to you, mighty God. I pray that your Spirit will lift me up this day, and that your face may shine upon me all the day long, that I might do your will and lead a new life in Christ, reborn in the Spirit...........Amen |
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