A Giving Heart

Another devotional for the book:

We were studying Cain and Abel in our Sunday school lesson yesterday. In Genesis chapter 4 both Cain and Abel brought an offering to God. They each brought the fruits of their labor. Cain brought “fruits of the soil” since he was a farmer. Abel brought “fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” (v.3)
The LORD favored Abel’s but not Cain’s. So, Cain was “very angry and his face was downcast.” (v.5) He was probably jealous. Maybe Cain had a problem before this even happened. I’m sure God saw something in Cain’s heart that made his offering unfavorable. Verse 3 says, “Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to God.” Verse 4 says, “But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.”
The implication here is that Abel gave God the best of his best – fat, not lean and first, not leftovers. Cain just brought some.
Abel chose to give to God with a thoughtful, appreciative heart. Cain just gave because he had to give. It was expected. It wasn’t in his heart.
So Abel’s gift was accepted by God, but Cain’s was not.

Do you understand what is going on here? Both men brought an offering. It looked the same from the outside. It was given to God in the same outward manner, just as we would outwardly drop money in the offering plate on Sunday morning. What was different was the attitude in which they gave. That is not outward and may not have been visible to anyone looking on. Attitude is a matter of the heart and only God can see directly into the heart.
God saw right through Cain’s greedy heart and he refused to accept what was not given in faith, with a right heart. He did not consume Cain’s offering. Imagine God spewing offering envelopes right out the plate on Sunday morning because someone didn’t give from the heart. That would be a sight. There might be envelopes flying everywhere.
The message here is not one of condemnation though. God told Cain, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” (v.7) God wants us to get it right. We have to be willing to let Him show us where our hearts are wrong. He can fix our hearts if we will let Him.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart.” How do we do that? It’s not easy to guard our giving hearts in this place we live in. There is too much floating around to tempt our desires. New clothes. New cars. Bigger houses. Better toys. Luxurious vacations. Propaganda catches us on every corner. How can we not be sucked into those ideas and still give to our LORD with a grateful heart? How can we be an Abel instead of a Cain?
I don’t think the answer lies with us. It lies with God. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The peace of God will guard your heart!

Cain’s problem was a heart issue, not an offering issue. Cain didn’t ask God to help him with it, either, and it led to many other disastrous things. The offering given without respect was only the beginning.
God wants us to have a right heart. He’s willing to help us. He promises to help us. All we must do is present our request for a heart make-over to God through prayer and petition and with thanksgiving and His peace will guard our hearts.

Let’s do this. Let’s ask for a heart like His.