Cain and Abel were the first two men born in the world. One day, both brothers had to make an offering to God. Cain was a farmer and brought products of the soil to offer to God.

Abel farmed with livestock and slaughtered a firstborn lamb. He drained the blood into a container and put the lamb on the altar. This was exactly how God told Adam and Eve an offering to Him should look like.

God accepted Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s. Cain was so angry that he lured his brother into the fields and killed him. With this act Cain opened the door of hate. Inside was not a pretty picture.

God saw it, even before the two men came to the altar. There was nothing wrong with the products that Cain had brought – it came from God’s soil. But the heart that drives a person’s actions, was dirty.

Abel’s heart was right. He understood everything. He understood what a person’s offering to God had to look like and he did it exactly right. However, to him it was not just a ritual that he learnt in Sunday school, that he had to do to get by.

Abel brought his offering with a heart that was right. He did it because he really loved God. But there was an even bigger driving force behind his actions. It was based on his faith in God, which drove him to bring this offering to God in love.

Abel’s offering stretches further. It also refers to Jesus, whose blood had to flow to finally wash away all the sins of God’s children. Abel had a deeper understanding than simply the rules and regulations that were drummed into their heads. God liked this very much.

Because Abel truly believed. He held onto his faith in God with everything in him. The way he did things, his whole life, was a testimony to this: ⁴By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That’s what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

Faith in God should also drive our lives. We shouldn’t do things just because that is what we were taught. We shouldn’t do things just because our parents or grandparents did things that way. We shouldn’t do things just because it’s the right thing to do.

We must be driven by our faith in God. Then we’ll do things differently. Then we’ll do things the way that is expected of us. Then the people around us will be different, because they will experience something of the love of Jesus who died on the cross for their sins as well.

And it will be so good to see God.

Scripture
Hebrews 11:1-6

Reflection
What does your faith look like?
Do you live out of faith?
Do others experience it?

Prayer
Father, I want to leave You a pleasant smell. Yes, I believe in You with everything in me and I want to do everything I do because I believe in You. I know I don’t always get it right, but I believe. Even if it’s crooked. Amen.