Cain was Able and So are You

     Cain and Abel were born outside of the Garden of Eden and were the first children of Adam and Eve. Cain, the older brother, was a tiller of land and was in charge of the crops while Abel, the younger brother, cared for the livestock. Genesis 4 tells us that both young men brought offerings to the Lord, but the Lord rejected Cain’s offering while accepting Abel’s. This made Cain angry, and his anger showed on his face. The Lord questioned Cain about his anger and his fallen countenance. The Lord said that Cain should not let anger control him. Doing so allows sin to lie in wait (crouch) at his door. As a result of unchecked anger, Cain killed Abel.

Again, the Lord comes to Cain this time asking him about the brother he had slain: “Where is Abel thy brother?” Cain answered, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Cain gave in to anger, even after the Lord warned him. Even after Cain was told that sin lies at the door and its desire is for him, but he should not allow it (sin) to rule over him, he killed his brother anyway. Cain allowed his emotions to control his actions. Cain was angry with God for not accepting his offering, but Abel was an easier target. Cain’s anger was misdirected. Imagine, if Cain had taken heed to the Lord’s words after his sacrifice was rejected. Imagine if Cain had realized that he was able to turn things around.

Imagine if Cain had asked the Lord, “How can I do better? What must I do to be pleasing in your sight?” Just like Cain, we often get it wrong. We lash out at others when we fail to please God instead of listening to God. And just like Cain, the Lord directs us, allowing us to turn the situation around and learn from it. The Lord tells us how sin operates. He questions why we are angry when we failed to do well. He warns us about sin’s plan of attack (Gen 4: 6-7).

As believers we must remember that we are ABLE to resist sin, we are ABLE to do the right thing, and we are ABLE to please God even after we fail.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, forgive us for allowing sin to control us. Forgive us for presenting a poor sacrifice to you and then becoming angry when it isn’t accepted. Thank you for Your word that leads and directs us and forgive us, Father, for failing to take heed to it. Lord, be patient with us as we grow and learn to present better sacrifices to you. Thank you, Lord for Your Son, Jesus the Christ, who was the ultimate and perfect sacrifice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
By Sis. Patricia Towns