What is the best gift?

 Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. *3*In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, *4*and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, *5*but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. *6*The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? *7*If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” 

Genesis 4:2-7

What was Cain’s sin?

Some may know the section of scripture that comes next, but do you notice the indicators in these verses that something is wrong? Clearly, Cain wants to be the best, and be recognised as not just being accepted, but better than his brother. When he is not, he becomes jealous. This leads to disappointment and anger, but not regret or remorse. It seems that Cain’s offering was more about himself than about honouring God. He did it so God would be happy and commend him, instead God challenged and corrected him, yet Cain would not heed the advice. God even warned him that his mindset could lead to sin. God told him that if he didn’t sort out his own heart and response then it would lead somewhere he shouldn’t seek to go. The encouragement for Cain was to listen to instruction and learn to manage himself, to learn self-control. 

This is the kind of sacrifice God seeks.

Are you someone that gets jealous of others? That looks around to see if you are better in your own eyes than those around you? If so, what do you think God would be saying to you right now? You could even be doing things for God, diligently working for the church, but if you’re doing it to gain recognition from God or man, then your heart will become prideful if it isn’t already, and you need to watch out for the sin that is crunching ready to take you out, just like it was waiting for Cain.

Listen to God’s advice, 'If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” 

Watch out! If you catch yourself comparing yourself to others or being jealous of the gifts of others or their commendation, then you need to change your focus - ask yourself, what are you doing well? Is there something God is trying to tech you right now? Are you listening and doing what you know is right? 

The issue with the gifts given to God in this story is not about us all being the same and doing the same; Cain’s gift could not match Abel’s gift because they had different workloads and responsibility, yet Cain could still of brought the best of what he had. That is what God wants - the best you have, rather than being in competition with those around you. 

Cain could of accepted the rebuke and restored the relationship between himself and his brother and between him and God, yet he allowed his disappointment in himself to turn into self-pity and hatred. 

Be warned, and be aware of your own heart and mind before God and others. The temptations are there, there's an enemy waiting to prey on your dissatisfied mind, but are you willing to admit it and ask forgiveness? Are you willing to give the best sacrifice that is your own pride and desires? 

You have a choice, 'If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” 

Can you lose God's love?

 /And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them./ 

*22*Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” *23*therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

Genesis 3:21-23

Even when Adam and Eve had damaged the relationship between themselves and God, do you see how God still continues to care for them? He made them clothes. 

Due to their disobedience they recognised their vulnerability, and God still provided for them eventhough they had taken their trust away from Him. How awesome is God?! He still cares, He still loves and still provides even when we do the opposite to what He wants. 

Why does God do that?

Surely that shows something of the extent of the investment God has made in us, the measure of His love. A love that is not dependent on performance, on getting it right, of obeying all of the rules or being the best. That is the kind of love the Lord God has for us - a love that stays with us even when we mess up, when we are disobedient and test the boundaries, even when we walk away, God's love remains. His love still looks out for us and does what it can for us even in the simple everyday provision of food, shelter and clothing. 

Do you know that no matter what you have done or are doing, God is still providing what you need? 

Sure, your sin and disobedience will have some consequences, but losing God’s love is not one of them. 

Dust v Image of God

In Genesis Chapters 1 and 2, we find the following descriptions of mankind:

‘the image of God’

‘of dust from the ground’

These are two opposing concepts, one of great value, worth, significance and power -  being an image bearer of the Lord God. The other of lowliness, dirt and insignificance - made out of mud. 

Why were human beings created with such a conflict inherent in their being? 

I think that as humans we can err on two accounts, some of us readily associate with the saying, ‘I am but a worm’, indicating that we consider ourselves dirt - we can identify ourselves as of little worth and value and therefore understand the fact that we are in fact just dirt that walks around. To you, God would remind you you also bear His image. He formed you, He put HIs breath in you, AND He made you like Himself, so you have the opportunity to demonstrate who God is just by being yourself in this world. 

Others err in the fact that they are overly confident in the fact that they are like mini-gods roaming around. Full of the confidence that they are image-bearers of God, which can lead to pride, over confidence and self-importance, even then thinking that the world is about them and how it effects them. To these, God would say, you are, 'of dust from the ground'  Have you forgotten who formed you and what from? Do you even know how many breaths you have left or how many hairs on your own head? but God gives you every one? 

Remember what you are and where you came from.

You are who you are because of Almighty God’s creative power, not anything to do with your own perception of yourself, or others’ opinions or actions. God doesn’t  want you to get prideful or downhearted about who you are, if you struggle with one or the other of these mindsets, then consider the other perspective and honour God for it.

This inherent conflict is striving to strike a balance, and should remind us again who God is. This internal mindset should ultimately lead us to worship God - How else can we respond when we realise that we are endowed with kingly demeanour, yet we are created from the base of the earth? 

Only God can bring breath and life to dirt! Only God can bring value and strength from the muddy mess that we can find ourselves in. Only God knows and can reveal our purpose. 

Enjoy and appreciate the tension that you are the image of God, yet you are also dirt. It will give you the right balance of acknowledgement of your place and stature in this Earthly kingdom, and in the kingdom to come.

Restored relationship

 they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. *9*But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” *10*And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” *11*He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” *12*The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” *13*Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” 

Genesis 3:8-13

This section of scripture shows us that God knows. 

If there’s anything you’ve done in secret, God has seen it. That should give you comfort if you are secretly serving, giving and praying or doing something good. God sees it, He knows what you’ve been up to.

If there are things you know you shouldn’t be doing, God also sees it. But don’t despair, because read on to see how God handles it.

Adam and Eve know they’ve done something they shouldn’t have, and God knows they’ve done wrong, yet, even though some may have you believe that God is fierce and harsh God; He doesn’t rant, He doesn’t rain down fire or pour out punishment, what does He do? God asks questions.

God knows they are not positioned as they usually are to meet Him, so He simply asks them, “where are you?” God knows, but He is still inviting them both to come and meet Him, God continues to desire their presence, did you notice that? These first people He made stuffed up, yet He still wants to see them, it is the same for you.

Once Adam answered, God could tell the man wasn’t feeling right about himself, Adam knew that something had changed in the relationship and he wasn’t committable about it, and certainly not comfortable about approaching God with his wrongdoing (nothing much has changed in the last few thousand years has it?!). 

God also realised that what Adam told Him was not the whole story, so God then made it clear that He knew the problem and gave Adam the chance to confess it. God is doing the same for you. He cares more about you and His relationship between you than the sin you get caught up in.

God still wants to be close to you if you’ve done something you know you shouldn’t, He still wants to enjoy the relationship you have. He won’t hurt you, but He will desire for you to clean up your mess. He wants you to admit there’s a problem, not hear a load of excuses. Are you ready to be honest with yourself and God? 

God will ask you what you have done, are you ready to answer Him? 

There may well be consequences, but ultimately God wants to restore you to Himself so that you can hang out again. That’s the whole reason Jesus lived, died and rose again. It was all about that relationship being made right. 

If you know your relationship with God is not in a good place, take a bit of time today to figure out why. Is there something you’ve done or not done that needs sorting out? You need to admit it to yourself and God, why? Well, don’t you want to be invited to walk with God? Don’t you want to be free from the secret sin and the guilt and shame?

Today is a new opportunity to walk with God in the garden, there may be some hard conversation to be had, but you can be restored.

Male and Female He created them...

 

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” *19*Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. *20*The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. *21*So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. *22*And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. *23*Then the man said, 

“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; 

she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 

*24*Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. *25*And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

 Genesis 2:18-25

Man and woman were made by God. At different times, but both hand-crafted by God for purpose. 

At the start of this passage, God recognises that man should not be alone. As humankind is created in the image of God, then we are created for community.  

We function best with others, ‘it is not good that the man should be alone’ is as true now as when it was written. Humans are social beings and should be around others for life to be ‘good’. Good because we can support and challenge one another, we can bring company, fun, love and kindness to each other. Of course, we can also wind each other up too, but since the beginning of creation it has been noted that man alone is not a good thing. So, if you find yourself alone, why is that, and is there anything you can do about it? Being in community with others is what you are created for, it is in those relationships that you can more truly reflect who God is.

This section of scripture gives us an insight into how important relationships are to God, especially the male/female relationships, and the significance of being a man or a woman. In today’s society, the distinction between male and female is being eroded away. That is no good thing, we are distinctly different created to be who we are in the body’s we are in. The Bible here begins to tell us what a woman and a man should be. 

The first thing we find out about a woman is that she was made as ‘a helper for for him’  as well as some company for him - the woman was created to help, assist and be a partner to the man.  Some people do not like that and see being a helper as a bad thing, but being a helper is not a lowly function. it is a powerful purpose. Man would not be man without woman helping him. Plus, the Holy Spirit is often described as a helper, so for those that consider being a helper a derogatory or demeaning term are completely wrong, God is a helper and there’s nothing lowly or demeaning in His character! 

The Seventh Day

 

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. *2*And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. *3*So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 

Genesis 2:1

God rested, most of us realise this fact about the 7th day, but did you notice that God also blessed the 7th day and made it holy? He didn’t do that  for His own benefit, after all, how would God bless himself? Therefore it must be for the benefit of His creation. 

So,  what does it mean that the 7th day is blessed and holy? 

This 7th day, at the start of creation is marked out as significant and highlighted as different rom every other day. Every other day, things were made, God worked, but this day, something different happened, God rested, therefore signifying that it was set apart and significant. 

God, at the very start gave the 7th day high value, He wanted the 7th day to look different from the rest of the week. He dedicated it to rest and reflection. 

Does your 7th day look different to every other day? Do you set it apart in some way?

God next tells us this day is ‘blessed’. This means it has good bestowed upon it and it is consecrated. Therefore it should be a day that is used for noble purpose. It should be a day of contemplation and enjoyment of the work already completed, a day when there’s a different focus and routine. A day that we choose to do something good, and where we appreciate the good in life. 

The 7th day is also holy, therefore it must be set apart for religious purpose, dedicated to God. This conjures the ideas of meeting others with the same beliefs, building and encouraging one another up, declaring God’s goodness, doing something with a God-ward focus.  Taking time to see the good we, others and God have done and appreciating that. Sharing time acknowledging the creator. 

This is why, as christians, we usually meet up on a Sunday, it’s not just some cultural tradition, but a mandate that God has infused into the creation of the world! God has spoken that this day is blessed and holy - are you ensuring that it has this significant place in your life, are you treating your 7th day with his value like God does? 

Provision

 What else do we learn about God in this very first chapter of the Bible? We have already seen that God is creator, He is satisfied, He works, and He desires to reproduce , now in verse 30, we see that not only is God interested in making and making more, but he is also the sustainer of all things; 

‘ God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.’

God made all the creatures and then our very selves but He didn’t just stop there. After that He gave his creation means for survival and enjoyment - He made a whole host of food for us all to enjoy. God has ensured that the world He created could be sustained. He provided within creation the means to continue. 

There’s incredible generosity and lavishness in this provision too -  there’s not just one type of sustenance, but many - every tree with seed in it’s fruit, a choice, an abundance to enjoy. What kindness and love is shown in that provision. 

We can take food as a necessity, as something that is an essential (which it is)  and that we take for granted, have you really taken time to consider the true source of your meals? The One and only Living God that has lovingly and lavishly given you so much choice in order for you to not only nourish, but enjoy nourishing your body? 

God has provided your food, what else has He provided for you?

If you’re in a season of life where you’re needing provision  of some kind, and wondering when or where it’s coming from - take a look around and see what He has already given you. He wants to sustain you, He has provided in an incredibly generous way already, remember that, then pray with expectation that His lavish love will continue to provide for you - God sustains His creation. 

Made in the image of God

God made man in His own image;

‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’

Genesis 1:26

This tells us that; YOU ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD! You may not physically look like Him, but in some way you demonstrate what God is like. He wanted to reproduce, so He made humans to be like Him in some way. 

Doesn’t that just give you a WOW moment? It should! 

In your inherent being, far beyond nature, genetics or evolution, you were handcrafted to display, in some way, God’s image. God put in you part of Himself, you were created to show others what God is like. Doesn’t that just blow your mind? 

If you’ve ever wondered what your purpose in life is, or struggled with self-esteem issues then take time to consider this: God made you to display what He is like, He put something of His own self within you to show the world what He is like! Then, once He had created mankind, do you know what He said? “It is very good”, not just good or alright, but very good! God made you well and God doesn’t lie. 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”/ 

27 So God created man in his own image,

/in the image of God he created him;/ 

/male and female he created them./ 

*/28*And God blessed them./ 

Genesis 1:26-28

It is good....

 

Every time God made something during the creation story, there are comments that He saw ‘it was good’. 

I have read this many times, as I suppose some of you may of done, but this time I considered this repeated phrase - what is it actually showing us - this simple phrase?

It shows me that God is satisfied with His work. He has put in effort, energy and consideration into what He is dong and He is content with the result. God is satisfied with what He has produced.

Are you content and satisfied with the work of your hands? Do you step back at the end of the day and think that your work is good?

If not, take time at the end of your work to appreciate what you have done. We all have tough work periods, and times when things don’t go right - but have you put in a good days work? Have you made progress? Have you done all you could (without burning yourself out)? 

If you think you are never enough or doing enough, then maybe you need to sit back at the end of the day and consider the good you have done. You are human, you are entitled to sit back and appreciate your labours - God did. Don’t be afraid of giving yourself a pat on the back or acknowledging your efforts. It could just change your perspective in your work life. It could even cause you to reflect on the work you want to do. 

‘It is good”

God is satisfied and content with His labours - are you? If not, what is it that you need to change? 

Words

 Often in life we are taught to think before we speak, we learn for ourselves that words can hurt, encourage, inspire and correct. Yet, how many of us really consider the words we speak? This is one lesson we are constantly trying to teach our children, that words should be purposeful, they are not meaningless, but they have power based within them. I see that as I read the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis. God says, and stuff happens. God must of carefully planned and orchestrated His words because they contained such creative power that something was made out of nothing (don’t we also see that with our own words?). 

God’s words contain power. So do ours. That’s why all babies endeavour to talk, they want to convey their needs and wants, that’s why we learn other languages, so we can communicate and understand others. Words are important. Your words are important, you should be listened to - are you communicating in a way that people want to respond to? That doesn’t mean being threatening or being the loudest and most insistent voice, but having a considered approach. 

God created the universe via words. What are you creating with yours?

In the beginning, God...

 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. *2*The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 

Genesis 1:2

Isn’t that a great verse to start with, it commences the whole Bible, ‘in the beginning, God’. It all starts with this God, the very beginning of everything, God was there, and from this point on we can embark on a journey of discovery about who this God is, starting here, the opening of the Bible,  so what is the very first thing we learn about God?

We discover that God has the capacity and desire to create. He made the heavens and Earth. He constructed them out of a meaningless, emptiness. God is creator, that is the first thing we see. 

Do you notice that at the initial stage of creation the Earth was pretty useless? It was 'without form and void', empty and shapeless - rather worthless. It was covered in darkness, an area of confusion and the unknown, yet the Spirit of God was present, 'hovering'. 

This reminds me of times we have in life when we are feeling worthless, and life seems confusing and surrounded by darkness, so we can feel empty and alone. These verses bring hope that God is there - His Spirit is over the situation. God is present and about to create something new. If God can form the whole world out of empty darkness, then surely He can  transform the formless void that we can sometimes find ourselves in. If that sounds like your life right now, then know that the Spirit of God is hovering; observing, present and ready for action. Keep focussed, and prepare for the new form of life God will create.