Mar 2

Genesis 4:3
Memorise John 4:24
“…Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD”

Read Genesis 4:1-8, and you’ll find the first murder in history! It’s also the first “fratricide” (murder of one’s own sibling). Why did God have “respect unto Abel and his offering but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect” (Genesis 4:4-5)? Isn’t God unfair? Hebrews 11:4 clarifies: “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh”.

Abel’s sacrifice was “more excellent”. God must have given both Cain and Abel instructions on how to worship Him. Abel had faith in God, and followed the instructions – that shows the importance of sound doctrine in biblical worship. We must have faith, and worship God only in the manner in which He dictates. We cannot just try to come to God on our own terms, and worship any way that we like. Cain thought he could worship God in his own way, and so his sacrifice was rejected. Remember that God alone is the object of our worship, and all that we do must be for Him, and not for ourselves.

Dear teens, remember this when you come for Sunday worship. We cannot worship God anyway we desire, but worship must be based on sound doctrine. As we will see over the next few days, many believe that man should worship in the way that he wants, and fail to give God the due respect or regard He deserves. For example some attend Saturday evening worship services, so that their entire Sundays can be free to do what they want to do! Some church leaders try to make the worship service as enjoyable as possible, and thus minimise the sermon time since it is “boring”! They forget that the term worship obviously is directed towards God, not towards man. We need to worship God on His terms, not ours, for He is God, and He has stated in His Word how He wants to be worshipped. To worship God on our own terms is really not to worship Him at all.

Thought: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
Prayer: Lord, teach me Thy ways. Teach me how to worship You, according to Your own will.