Week 28, Day 4: Doing Well…

Today’s Reading:  Genesis 4:1-26

Some thoughts from the reading…

In Genesis chapter 4, we have the well known account of Cain taking his brother’s life.  Cain became angry when his offering was not accepted by God.  There has been much discussion about what exactly Cain did that made his offering unacceptable, but it doesn’t really matter.  The important thing to notice is that God did not accept it because it was not what God commanded him to do!  When God spoke to Cain, He asked him (Genesis 4:7) the question:  “If you do well, will you not be accepted?”  God followed that with the statement, “And if you do well, sin lies at the door.”  This is the really the basis of all the instructions and commands of the Bible.  That which God commands or instructs constitutes that which is “doing well.”  If we will do what He has told us to do, then we will be accepted by Him!  But, if we do not do those things, then “sin lies at the door.”

People today seem to try to make as many excuses as they can to avoid what God has said to do.  They think they can come up with a better way, and that they don’t have to do just what God said to be pleasing to Him.  Like we mentioned yesterday, it is very clear that men in general have not changed!  This is exactly what Cain was doing.  He obviously thought that he didn’t have to do just what God told him to do.  We aren’t told why he came to that conclusion, but obviously he did, since his offering was not accepted by God.  So, whatever he changed, it was not acceptable, and therefore was not better than God’s original instructions to him.

We need to learn the lesson of Cain.  God gives instructions because He expects them to be followed.We have no right to change anything about His instructions.  We cannot think that He is just giving us some general suggestions.  We have to follow exactly what He has told us to do.  If we do that, then we will do well, and we will be accepted.  But if not, sin lies in wait for us.  When we stray away from what has been commanded, we enter into the realm of sin.  We end up serving Satan instead of God, and Satan is very happy to have us serve him when we think we are serving God.  He doesn’t need for us to declare allegiance to him!

So, do not allow sin to lie in wait for you.  Do well, so that you may be accepted by God!

Popularity: unranked [?]