January 2

Genesis 4-5 Offerings and Old People

Genesis 4:4-5 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

These verses show us the danger of making up rules for game of life. We have two brothers with two different occupations and two offerings. God chooses one and not the other. The first question we need to ask ourselves is why the distinction? Is God down on spinach and broccoli? Isn't God acting a bit like a bully and hurting Cain's feelings? The answer is that God is aware of the “heart” of each worshipper.
It is the Lord himself who inspects the heart attitude of each worshipper. Notice the order here. It is first the man and then his offering. God valued the heart condition of the offerer more than the gift they brought. Hebrews 11:4 says “Abel’s offering was by faith and therefore he was obeying God's rules.”
If Cain had brought a fruit basket and said, "Lord I love you so much. I want to bring a basket of beautiful fruit to honor you." God would have showered him with blessings. But he attempted to have a religion without first loving and honoring God in his heart. He wanted to make up his own rules to the game of life.

This is the beginning of two ways to come to God: Religion and Relationship.

Religion
It's about me and my offering
Follow your own heart
Man centered
Do it your own way

Relationship
Do God’s Will, God’s Way
God makes the rules
God centered
Goal is to please God

We worship not the God we feel but the God who's been revealed. We don't make up the rules when it comes to God; he is the one who determines what is important. And God says the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. So, what is the condition of your heart today?

How about these Old Guys?
It appears that the effects of the Garden of Eden carried over for many generations even after they were expelled from those ideal conditions. The virtual absence of disease and the effects of global warming could also account for these ideal circumstances. Genesis 2:5-6 for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, 6but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.
The earth was probably encased in some protective greenhouse dome that shielded mankind from the harmful rays of the sun. All of these are possible explanations for the longevity of man.