Who is God? When we bring offering, He reveals our heart

Who is God?

 

With His help, we carry His life.  

When we bring an offering, He reveals what is in our hearts.  

He allows sin to crouch at our door, and asks us to do well and rule over it.  

His questions demand an answer and remind us of what we have done.  

He hears the cry of those we have harmed.  

He commands the ground to yield its strength to the one who does well.  

He warns, He instructs, and to one who still rebels, He curses and scatters.  

He punishes by taking away the work of our hands, and then hiding His face from us. 

Even while we pay a price for disobedience, He cares for our life.  

In the end, He replaces loss with life.  

 

Genesis 4:1-15, 25 - 

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 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, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 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 for you, but you must rule over it.”

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. ...And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”

Prayer - 

Father, you are worthy of worship from a pure heart.  As I draw near, show me the heart that approaches.  Show me what is crouching at my door to consume me.  When I falter, when the ground refuses to yield it's strength, forgive me for shaking my fist at you.  Cover what I have lost with your life. 

Who is God? He Responds to our Rebellion with Redemption

Who is God? 

He curses the one who tempts us. 
He bruises the head of our adversary.  
He also multiplies pain to the disobedient.  
Yet, He is the God who responds to our rebellion
with a plan of redemption.  
In the end, He covers our nakedness. 

Genesis 3: 14,15

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

Prayer:
Father, You are my delight and desire. I receive your covering and marvel that you respond to my rebellion with redemption. 

Who is God? He Calls Us Even While We Hide

Who is God?  

He is the God whose breath and voice create,
and He walks with us in the cool of the day. 
He is the God who calls to us,
even when we are hiding from Him. 
When He asks a question, He already knows the answer.
He allows us to hear the sound of His approach.

Genesis 3:8-10

And 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. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (ESV)

Prayer:

Father, I wonder what it sounded like to hear your footsteps so close by, and for the first time be afraid? Forgive me for any deception that I have cherished. My disobedience is painful and I turn my gaze to you.   I listen for the sound of You.

Who is God? He Gives Us the Choice

Genesis 3

Who is God? 

He gives us the choice of listening to what others say about Him, 
or what He has already spoken about Himself.
He is our delight, our desire, our wisdom,
and knows that where we gaze,
is the door to believing.
Can someone, or something other than God Himself
satisfy our desires?
Or make us wise? 

Genesis 3:1,6
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (6) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (ESV)

Prayer:
Father, I choose to believe what You have already spoken. Show me Oh God any place where I am listening or looking that is displeasing to you. Only in You do I discover delight, wisdom and wonder.

Who is God? Even As We Sleep, He is Completing Us

Genesis 2

He creates wonders for us to behold, 
but the greater wonder is that all of this is His dwelling place.   
He is the God who finishes His work, 
who wonderfully does all things well.  
He demonstrates and blesses rest.  
His breath brings dust to life.  
He alone is the source of life, 
and the keeper 
of the knowledge of good and evil. 

He bestows the gift of work, 
the joy of keeping His creation.  
His commands and consequences are given together 
because they go together. 

Even as we sleep,
He is at work blessing and completing us. 

Genesis 2:1-3 (ESV) The Seventh Day, God Rests
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 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. 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.

Prayer:
In Light of Who You Are...
I wonder at your dwelling place.
You do all things well.  
Thank you for breathing life into this dust.  
Thank you for the gift of work 
and the holy place of rest.  
I love your commands and consequences 
because I love You.  
As I work, 
as I rest, 
bless and complete me, Oh God.