By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. (Hebrews 11:4 NKJV)
Our offering to God and the condition of our hearts in worship matters to Him. We must worship and serve God the most holy way. God wants a most sacred offering and service and nothing less. Let us take the case of Abel and Cain. 1: Our solemn duty is to give God our worship with sacrificial offerings. Cain, a farmer, offered God the best fruits of the crops he harvested; while, Abel, a shepherd, offered the best of his flock. 2: We should offer God the most excellent sacrifice. The word “sacrifice” implies something of great value to us, which we are willing to impart and give God as a form of worship. It can be offerings of tithes, offering of thanksgiving, sin offerings, and others. The siblings’ offerings were both excellent – but something in Abel’s sacrificial offering made it MORE excellent, acceptable, and pleasing to God: Abel’s faith. 3: We should worship and serve God with faith in our hearts, trusting and hoping He will accept and be glorified. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. Because Cain’s offering was not accepted, he became angry and killed his brother Abel. 4: Do not be envious if others are accepted and you are not. Instead of getting angry, be encouraged to do your best. 5: God is sovereign. Accept God’s will and try to improve, for us to be acceptable to Him. Lastly, Abel was declared righteous. God confirmed acceptance of Abel’s gift. Now, because of Abel’s faith, he is still teaching us how to worship and serve God excellently. Let us please God with our more excellent service and with faith in our hearts. Remember, our offering and our heart’s condition matter to God for us to be acceptable to Him.
