Give Your Best

This is kind of deep, but God showed this to me this morning.

In Leviticus chapter 4 God gives His regulations for the sin offering. This is what God says about unintentional sin.   If the anointed priest sinned, he was to sacrifice a young bull.  If the whole congregation sinned, they were to sacrifice young bull.  If a ruler sinned, he is to sacrifice a male kid of the goats.  If anyone of the common people sinned, then his sacrifice was to be a female kid of the goats. Notice the digression from the priest to the common man.  In other words, God required what they had to give.  The more responsibility one had, the more expensive was the offering.  Chapter 5 verse 5-7 requires a lamb offering for one who hears an oath and does not make the matter known or touches something unclean, or swears.  But verse 7 says that if he is unable to provide a lamb, then two turtle doves or two young pigeons would be sufficient.  Again, they were to give what they could afford.  Later in chapters 6 and 7 we read that grain offerings were acceptable for some offenses as well.

I was taught, I believe falsely, that the reason Able’s offering was accepted and Cain’s was not was because Cain did not offer a blood sacrifice.  But as I read Genesis 4 about Cain and able, I read that it was not the offering, but the heart that was the problem.  First of all, this was before the law was given to Moses, but God actually was present and talked directly to Cain and Able.  Cain was a farmer and brought the first fruits.  Able was a herdsman and brought the first born of the flock.  Genesis says that God approved of Able and his offering.  He did not approve of Cain and his offering.  Cain’s reaction gives us a glimpse into his heart.  He was angry rather than repentant or broken.  God verbally warns him of sin crouching at the door.  And Cain kills able. 

I learn from this that I am to give my best. God accepts that as long as my giving is from a pure and right heart through the blood of Jesus.  My motives are to be or worship and joy and repentance.  I pray that you are giving your best time, money, and efforts to the Lord in what He has blessed you with.  Bloom where you are planted for the day and offer it all up to God with joy!