Offers Proper Sacrifices To God

Offers Proper Sacrifices To God

A HERO’S TALE

After reading that statement above, you might be thinking, Whoa, hold on. I’m supposed to offer sacrifices —like killing sheep and burning them on an altar?

Not exactly. We’ll explain in a moment. But first, a little background . . .

After Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden, the world became a very different place. Sin made everything difficult. Still, God lovingly watched over Adam and Eve, and he blessed them with lots of children. Their first two were Cain and Abel. You can read their story in Genesis 4.

Cain was a farmer, and Abel was a shepherd. One day, both brothers brought sacrifices to God. Cain offered his fruits and vegetables, and Abel gave the best of his flocks.

God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice but not Cain’s. Filled with jealousy and rage, Cain killed Abel and then tried to hide his sin. As punishment, God forced Cain to become a wanderer for the rest of his life.

DECODING THE MESSAGE

This tragic story teaches us a lot about worshiping God, even though we don’t have to sacrifice animals anymore. Why was God pleased with Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s? It seems that Abel brought his offering with a heart that wanted to please God, while Cain did not. Abel was a hero because he gave his best to God —“the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock” (Genesis 4:4).

Are you giving your best to God? Are you diligently seeking him through his Word and prayer? Do you obey your parents? Do you listen attentively in church? Are you using the gifts and abilities God has given to you (in music, sports, art, academics, etc.) for his glory?

These are sacrifices we can offer to God today. Like our verse says, God wants our hearts more than anything. He doesn’t need anything from us, as if he were lacking it without us. (As almighty God, he already owns everything!) But by our sacrifices, we can show him a “broken and repentant” (humble) heart that seeks to follow him, as today’s verse says. He wants our desires, thoughts, and actions to all be focused on worshiping him.

BATTLE PLAN

List 5 to 10 ways you can give your best to God, and put your list somewhere you’ll see it every day.