ACCEPTABLE OFFERING

“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.
Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. AND THE LORD RESPECTED ABEL AND HIS OFFERING,
BUT HE DID NOT RESPECT CAIN AND HIS OFFERING. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.”
Genesis 4:3-5 (NKJV)

• In the above Bible passage we could see that the person of Abel as well as his offering were respected, regarded, by God (Genesis 4:4).
In other words, the person or eligibility of whoever is bringing an offering or a gift to God would be considered before the offering or gift is accepted or not.

The person of Abel and his offering were considered and accepted, while the person of Cain and his offering were disregarded and not accepted (Genesis 4:4,5).
God will not consider what you bring as an offering first, but considers you who bring the offering first, that is, the heart with which you bring the offering.
It is not the size of the offering per se or in itself, but the heart with which you bring the offering (Luke 21:1-4; Acts 5:1-10).
It has been said by some that God rejected Cain’s offering because of the size of it, and that his offering was not an animal which the blood could be considered as an atonement.
They said, Abel’s offering was accepted because it was a sacrificial animal that has blood that could be used for the atonement of sin.
The fact is, at the time of the incident, the law of Moses had not been given by God, so the issue of blood for the atonement should not be the reason why God rejected Cain and his offering.

• I want to believe that the rejection of Cain and his offering had to do with the state or condition of his heart towards God.
Proverbs 21:27 says: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; How much more when he brings it with wicked intent!”

Although God evaluates both the motive and the quality of whatever an individual offers Him—perhaps Cain’s gift was not up to God's standards.
Even with that, it all boils down to the issue of the person’s heart condition.
We can deduce that it has to do with Cain’s heart, motive or intent: because when God corrected him, he had the opportunity to change and do the right thing.

“So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
“IF YOU DO WELL, WILL YOU NOT BE ACCEPTED? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, BUT YOU SHOULD RULE OVER IT.”
Genesis 4:6,7 (NKJV)

Instead of Cain to change, he decided to kill his brother.
EVEN after he committed the crime, there was no remorse at all, through the way he answered God—when God asked about Abel his brother from him:

“Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother 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 He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”
Genesis 4:8-10 (NKJV)

• The point is:

The heart with which you present your gifts or offerings matters to God (Proverbs 21:27; Jeremiah 6:19,20; 2 Corinthians 9:7).
Also, if your gift or offering is below God’s standards, He may not consider or accept the gift—especially if you knew the right thing to do (Malachi 1:7,8,12-14; Leviticus 22:18-20).
In the case of Cain, he knew the right thing to do, but he did not do it (Genesis 4:6; James 4:17).

“And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected?
IF YOU DO WELL, WILL YOU NOT BE ACCEPTED? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Genesis 4:6,7 (Amp.)

“THEREFORE, TO HIM WHO KNOWS TO DO GOOD AND DOES NOT DO IT, TO HIM IT IS SIN.”
James 4:17 (NKJV)

• You cannot deceive God, He knows what He has committed into your hand, how much He has blessed you.

If you brought an offering that is not commensurate with His blessing in your life, He knows; such an offering might not be accepted.
If you are tight-fisted, mean or stingy, you may attract problems to yourself (Proverbs 11:24,25; 2 Corinthians 9:6-10).

“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty.
The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.”
Proverbs 11:24,25 (NKJV)

If what God has blessed you with becomes another God, you may have a problem in your relationship with God.
You must always know that what you get or have belongs to God, you are given by God, you are a trustee, not the owner.

• You should also know that the blessings of God are not to be consumed on personal or fleshly lust (James 4:3).

If you are selfish about the blessings of God in your life, you attract problems to yourself—want and poverty.
YOU may be having problems that would be draining your income—finances.
Whatever blessing God has given you, He has packaged some people’s blessings, and what to give to His work and His servants in it.

• Note: Give the tithes of your income.
GIVE to the mission work and whatever projects commanded by God in your church or the ministries that have blessed your life.
GIVE to your pastor or the Ministers whom God has used to minister to you—those who have blessed you or impacted your life.

If you do not use the blessing of God in your hand as God intended, the flow of the blessing may be hindered or stopped.
If there is a call to give and what you give as an offering or a gift is below what He wanted you to give, or you do not give at all—you may suffer for it.
God is the One who has blessed you with what you have, He knows your worth, what He has committed to your hand; thus if you are not faithful in how you manage the resources—the flow may stop.

“When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD.
Abel also brought a gift—THE BEST OF THE FIRSTBORN LAMBS FROM HIS FLOCK. THE LORD ACCEPTED ABEL AND HIS GIFT,
BUT HE DID NOT ACCEPT CAIN AND HIS GIFT. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected."
Genesis 4:3-5 (NLT)

While Cain presented whatever gift or any gift, Abel brought the best of what he had, the firstborn lambs, to God.

• God attached importance to whatever you brought to Him as a gift.

Your offerings to God reflected your heart. In other words, what you give as an offering or a seed to God is a picture, state or condition of your heart towards God, His kingdom, and your fellow human beings.
How you treated those who worked for you, about the payment of their wages or salaries, shows the kind of heart you have towards others (Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:15; James 5:1-4).

“YOU SHALL NOT CHEAT YOUR NEIGHBOUR, NOR ROB HIM. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning.”
Leviticus 19:13 (NKJV)

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
Indeed the wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; AND THE CRIES OF THE REAPERS HAVE REACHED THE EARS OF THE LORD OF SABAOTH.”
James 5:1-4 (NKJV)

• Remember, in whatever giving: either an offering to His Work, His minister, or the needy, you are dealing with God—He watches how you do it, what you give and the heart with which you give (Proverbs 19:17).

“He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.”
Proverbs 19:17 (NKJV)

Thus, whatever or whoever you give to: His works, His servants, the needy or poor, you have given to God, and He is the One who will reward or pay you back.
Man may accept what you have given, but in the sight of God, your gift or offering may be disregarded—not accepted.
AND a rejected offering cannot attract any blessing from God!

• You will not fail in Jesus’ name.
Peace!