Lessons From The World's First Sibling Rivalry

I've been doing a lot of studying in the Bible lately, and I have been taking lots of notes. I wanted to take my notes from a couple weeks back and do a little post talking about what I learned. Sometimes when you open up God's Word, you don't know where it's going to take you or what it is going to reveal to you. This is one of those unexpected lessons.

I remember trying to decide what I was going to study, and somehow I ended up in the book of Genesis reading the following verses:

At harvesttime Cain brought to the Lord a gift of his farm produce, while Abel
brought several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The Lord accepted Abel
and his offering, but he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain
very angry and dejected. Genesis 4:3-5 (NLT)

After reading this, I asked myself why Cain's offering would be rejected. After all, Cain was a farmer, so giving produce seemed like a valid offering. Able was the shepherd, so naturally you would expect him to give a sheep. Of course when you read these scriptures closely, you notice that it says that Abel gave the best of what he had, and no where does it say that Cain gave his best. I wanted to probe further though to see if there was more to this. Perhaps it is the Sherlock Holmes in me that wants deeper answers to the simple clues given to me. Some of those answers came by reading the following scriptures:

It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain
did. God accepted Abel's offering to show that he was a righteous man. And
although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us because of his faith.
Hebrews 11:4 (NLT)

This verse shed some new light on the whole Cain and Abel sibling rivalry. Faith...what did faith have to do with bringing a more acceptable offering to God? Suddenly I had more questions than I had answers, but that didn't stop me from pondering this thought and digging deeper. I realized what God was beginning to show me. Could it be that it wasn't Abel's offering as much as it was his belief in God that made him acceptable to the Father? No where does it say in Genesis that these two men had sinned, therefore I don't believe that a blood sacrifice was required. These were offerings of worship. Perhaps this wasn't a debate of vegetables vs. meat. Perhaps it was a debate of belief in God vs. unbelief, reverence vs. lack of reverence. Where was Cain's heart when he gave his sacrifice? Was it in a place that was acceptable to God? I think the following scripture continues to reveal to us what really took place between these two brothers.

We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother.
And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his
brother had been doing what was right. 1 John 3:12 (NLT)

Apparently Cain had a history of evil that was not talked about in Genesis. But we get little hints. I mean the fact that his offering was unacceptable to God tells us that this was more than just God not wanting to eat his veggies. God penetrated the heart of Cain. He saw the evil inside him. He saw what he was capable of doing and what he was going to do. Murder was in his heart. Hatred and jealousy consumed him. This was not just a humble farmer who didn't have an acceptable offering to give. This was a man who made a choice to not serve the one true God, and therefore had no faith in the one who had breathed life into him and allowed him to walk on the Earth. Just as his parents Adam and Eve had chose to listen to the serpent's hiss, so did Cain choose to listen to the lies of the Enemy. God tried to warn Cain if we look back at Genesis:

Why are you so angry?" the Lord asked him. "Why do you look so dejected? You
will be accepted if you respond in the right way. But if you refuse to
respond correctly, then watch out! Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you,
and you must subdue it." Genesis 4:6-7 (NLT)

It would have been nice if Cain had heeded this warning from God and fought back against the evil that prodded at his heart. Unfortunately, we know that this story ends with the bloodshed of an innocent man who loved God.

Thankfully, Abel's death was not in vain. Digging into this story has taught me some important lessons. God wants our very best, and the best of what we have to offer Him can only come directly from our hearts. If we do not have a personal relationship with God and do not give what we have out of faith, then what we have to offer is no more acceptable than anything the rest of the world might give. It's all about our heart and where it is directed. Abel gave from his heart with love and reverence for the God who had created him. Cain gave but with evil in his heart and no true relationship with the Father. This is what caused his offering to be rejected.

Heavenly Father, my prayer today is that you guide each one of your people to make sacrifices that are acceptable and holy in your sight. I ask that you cleanse each one of us and take away any evil junk that might be in our hearts. Let us give out of reverence and faith. Let us show you through our decisions that we make that we do love you and care about your laws and commandments. Bless each one who takes the time to read this blog and grab hold of your Word that you so graciously give to us. Let us absorb your truth and carry it with us each and every day. I ask this in your most precious name, Amen.

Ultimate Freedom

For you have been called to live in freedom - not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 (NLT)

After scraping an inch of ice off my car earlier and driving back home, I began praising and thanking God. Tears of joy ran down my cheeks and I began laughing a deep belly laugh. It was the joy of the Lord overtaking me, and it's an amazing feeling that I hope everyone gets to experience over and over in their lives.

Once I got home and sat my stuff down, I decided that I needed to open my Bible and see what word God would give to me tonight. I began reading in Galatians chapter 5, and the above verse really stuck out to me.

Americans know what the term "freedom" means. We pride ourselves on being the most free country in the world, and while I am afraid that we are losing some of that freedom, we still have much more of it than most other countries do. We boast about our founding fathers and how they fought for the rights that we have today. But what about the freedom that Paul speaks of in Galatians? Is this freedom all about stars and stripes, or is there something different and exciting about this kind of freedom?

Paul speaks of the freedom that was given to us one day as an innocent man - the Son Of God hung on a tree for our sins. At that moment, the old laws had been replaced by a newfound grace and forgiveness that none had experienced before. It is that same grace and forgiveness that we possess today as believers in Jesus Christ.

So what does this freedom entitle us to? Well Paul decides to start off by telling us what it DOESN'T entitle us to. He says that this is not freedom to satisfy our sinful nature. Sorry folks, but Jesus didn't die so that we all could have a license to sin. The freedom given is a freedom to serve one another in love. Notice the keyword SERVE in that sentence. In a world that is self centered and all about fulfilling our own fleshly wants and desires, Paul is saying that we have freedom to think outside of ourselves and serve other people. Show love to them. Let them know how much we care. I don't know about you, but often times I forget what a privilege it is to be able to serve others and to show them the love of Jesus. Loving our neighbors as ourselves is the very thing that Jesus said sums up all of the laws. So essentially this newfound freedom we have been given is a freedom to fulfill the laws and at the same time have a positive impact on others around us.

I'm proud to be free to serve God, serve others, and show love to all that I come in contact with. Let's celebrate this freedom together and go out there and do something with it. Blessings to all of you on this Sunday evening.

Moving Again...

It seems like I never stay in one place for very long. The year lease at my apartment will be up soon, and it looks like I am going to move a bit closer to my work. Right now I am 25 miles from work, so I end up driving 50 miles a day to work. That doesn't include the weekend trips I make to see Jamie that are 300 miles roundtrip. Moving closer will definitely save me a lot of money on gasoline.

I also live in a very nice but very pricey apartment, and so I am going to save a ton on rent too. I'd like to buy a house someday, but until God shows me where I am settling down, I have to just keep renting. It's funny how God has worked in my life. I lived in the same town for 26 years, and now I am moving twice in less than two years. I guess when God is ready to move you then He does it.

I just want to remain faithful to what He is calling me to do, and I pray that I will continue to go wherever He leads me. I just don't like the hassle of moving, but I'll cope.

Ok. I'm done ranting on my blog tonight. Have a wonderful evening everyone!

My Son Kevin

Lately I haven't had much inspiration to write stories, so my blog has been a welcome alternative to feed my writing addiction until the creativity comes back.

I'd like to talk a little bit about my child. Jamie named him "Kevin" and the name seems appropriate considering that it starts with a K. My child is literally a pain in the butt sometimes and a pain in my back too. Sometimes he frustrates me and causes me to take prescription medication in order to cope with him. Other times he leaves me alone, and I am thankful for the little bit of rest that I get when he isn't busy pounding on me.

I am forced to take him to work tomorrow, and I really don't want to because I know my co-workers are going to ask if he is still around, and sadly I will have to say yes. I would be happy to give him up for adoption. I know there is a doctor that would happily take him so that he can study him closely and run tests on him.

Unfortunately, I can't turn him over until he comes out, and I haven't yet birthed him. So I guess Kevin the Kindey Stone will be sticking around for a while until one day he decides to enter this world. At that time I will cry tears of joy, not because I became a father, but because I finally lost a son. Is that wrong of me? Am I a terrible parent? LOL.

I'm looking forward to when Jamie and I can have some real children, and then maybe I can help coach her through the process. At least then we'll have something wonderful to show for all of the pain she will go through and for all of the medical bills that we'll receive.

I'm Stoned

Most of you probably know by now that I have a kidney stone trying to pass its way down my right ureter. I tried to avoid emergency room care because of the cost, but Tuesday night I ended up having to go there and get medication for the pain because it was so bad.

What I think is funny about the whole thing is that I have had 5 different women (who didn't know each other) tell me that they have had both children and kidney stones before. They said they would rather birth another child than have to pass another kidney stone. LOL. I knew this pain was horrific, but I wasn't aware that it was that bad.

One good thing to come out of this is that I have been coming up with a lot of stone related jokes to go with my condition. Things like:

I am not "without fault" but I want to cast the first stone.

People have always told me that I have rocks in my head, but they must have migrated to my kidneys.

I also thought that maybe once I pass it then I could get a nice setting for it and give it to Jamie as a birthday present. Ok. That just made me sick thinking about doing that, so maybe I'll "pass" that idea. LOL. There is so much untapped humorous material that comes with a kidney stone.

People told me that eating too many bowls of Fruity Pebbles for breakfast wasn't good for me, and they were right. This is what I get for wishing that I had a Pet Rock again. I just hope that it leaves my body by next week, because this medicine I am taking for the pain sure makes me feel "stoned." LOL. I could go on and on...

I'm sure I won't be laughing so much once the medical bills arrive in my mailbox, but I have to have fun with it while I can. I would not wish this condition on even my worst enemy. It is painful for sure, but it will allow me to have more sympathy on Jamie when she is birthing our little ones someday. I can see myself in the delivery room...

"Come on babe! Push that stone...I mean baby on out! You can do it!"

Speaking of babies, my property manager at my apartments told me that she would give me a Cabbage Patch Kid so that I could have something to show for my birthing experience. While that would be cool, I'd rather just have my stomach shrink once I'm out of labor. Is that too much to ask for? :)

My #1 and My #2

I hope you all don’t mind, but I’m going to ramble a little bit on my blog today about two wonderful figures in my life. There are a ton of awesome people who have greatly helped me in my spiritual walk, but I feel led to talk about these two people in particular right now, since they have been on my mind today.

The first person is actually much more than just a person. I don’t think the word person even begins to describe Him. He is my father, my friend, my mentor, my shelter, my counselor, my foundations, and I could go on and on… Yes you know who He is, and I have bragged on him many times before, but I want to brag even more about Jesus Christ…God…my Heavenly Father.

I was saved at a young age, so it may seem like I don’t have much of a testimony to give. After all, don’t you have to grow up lost in order to be able to share how you found Him (or more accurately, how He found you?). Well the truth of the matter is, I was lost, and I still would be lost if Jesus hadn’t been a part of my life. Sure I grew up hearing The Bible stories told to me. I grew up singing Jesus Loves me. But that didn’t make me “saved,” nor did it save my life. It wasn’t until I matured and realized that there was a God out there who loved me more than anything that my life finally began to transform. I started seeing how God desired a much deeper, more intimate relationship than what I was giving Him, and that is what drew me closer to Him. Since then I have had my down times. However, I am finding myself drawing closer to Him once again and re-discovering that deep love that I had first encountered as a teenager.

God has blessed me so much, and without Him, I wouldn’t be able to brag on this next person in my life. It’s not until you are 27 years old and still without a companion that you can fully begin to appreciate it when God sends you someone so special, so perfect for you, that you couldn’t have found that person yourself if you had searched every corner of the Earth. Jamie is that special person in my life, and I thank God every single day for putting her there by my side. Things haven’t been easy for us. They still aren’t easy. But through every struggle we have faced in these nine short months of knowing each other, we have found ourselves drawing closer to each other and to God. I can’t wait until she becomes my bride and we can start a family together. It gives me hope and keeps me excited about what lies ahead.

God and Jamie. Both are very different, and yet both are very important to me. God is my #1. He is who I live for. He is who I seek to please. Jamie is my #2. She is the companion God sent to me to assist me in my spiritual walk, and I seek to love her just as Christ loved the church. I am thankful for both of them, and I just wanted to share this thanksgiving that fills my heart today. Thank you for letting me ramble.

Just Kidding

Well the blood is back, so it likes like I was just kidding about it being gone. However, I was not kidding about God healing, and I know he'll heal me somehow. Going to go back to the doctor as soon as possible and see what else could be the issue. Thanks for any prayers you can give at this time.