Category: Obedience

(Photo Credit: Katia Grimmer-Laversanne)

. . . And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. – Genesis 4:2-7

First, Cain was angry with God for not showing respect for his sacrifice. Then, God reminded Cain how to be accepted. Next, God warned Cain about not doing well, which invites sin. But Cain let his anger continue, and that led to him killing his brother Abel.

Selfishness and stubbornness leads to frustration, and can also lead us to be angry with the Lord. I recently went through a time when God showed me this. I was angry with God for not doing something I wanted. (Wow, I sound like a spoiled child when I put it that way!) But when I acknowledged my anger toward Him, He showed me that being selfish and stubborn were the root of my anger.

How was I selfish and stubborn? There have been many times that I have come up with my own “sacrifices” to offer the Lord. I did not always check with Him to see what He wanted. As Christians, we are certainly to sacrifice all to Jesus, who sacrificed all for our sins. But in my heart, there were times that I expected God to do something for me in a certain way, right away, based on what I offered Him. Although I really did not try to be this way, I ended up demanding things of God for myself, rather than waiting upon Him and serving Him. After all, God is God, and I’m just a man. Really, I should simply obey God.

But the selfish thinking and stubbornness I held in my heart reminds me of King Saul. After King Saul was commanded to destroy the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15), he didn’t. He saved some animals, which he said he could sacrifice to the LORD, and also spared King Agag. Samuel’s reply was simple:

Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. – 1 Samuel 15:22-23

No matter what I try to give to God, whether it is money, time, ministry, prayer, praise and worship, Bible reading, fasting, or anything else, I need to have an obedient heart and seek what is pleasing to Him. If I don’t, it is possible to pray for an hour and not be pleasing to the Lord. I can fast for a day and not gain much spiritually from it. So our heart must be right with God.  Do what He says to do, and offer what He says to offer. We can offer whatever we want to Jesus. But if it is not what He wants, it will lead to frustration and anger, and sin will be there waiting for us.

Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, help me to be pleasing to you today. Help me to hear your voice, and give me an obedient heart. I need you, and I cannot figure out what is pleasing to you without knowing you better. Show your heart to me, so I can truly know you and follow you. In your name, Lord Jesus, I pray.