What are we 'Abel' to give?

Genesis 4 : 1-7

Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 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.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

This Bible passage has always scared me a little bit. That Cain's offering was considered not good enough for God. It makes me wonder whether I really give God as much as He deserves in my life. Don't me wrong, we go to Heaven and are saved and are in relationship with God because of GRACE not WORKS. But I still have a burning desire to please God & worship Him because of what He has done.


I was thinking about this today and I realised something:-


'If we can give God something better, then what we are giving is not good enough'. 


If someone appears to be giving more than to God than you, it may be simply that they have more to give than you do. Think of the widow who gave her only coin compared to the others who gave plenty out of their riches...whose sacrifice did Jesus appreciate more there?


Cain could have given God a better sacrifice, this is why his sacrifice was rejected. As God stated to the Israelites in Amos 5:21-24:-


²¹ “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
   your assemblies are a stench to me.
²² Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
   I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
   I will have no regard for them.
²³ Away with the noise of your songs!
   I will not listen to the music of your harps.
²⁴ But let justice roll on like a river,
   righteousness like a never-failing stream!


Even though the Israelites were making sacrifices, it meant nothing to me and as V24 suggests..they were neglecting offering God their all in not upholding justice and not living righteous lives. Offering God second best is just as good as offering Him nothing at all.


Let's challenge each other to give God our best! He is Worthy :-)

My take on Universalism

I was shocked to see a well known Christian trending on Twitter the other day. His name is Rob Bell and he has courted controversy in the past with books such as Velvet Elvis, The Gods Aren't Angry and his latest offering Love Wins. I don't really know him that well and have nothing against him.


He was trending because his latest book confirms his belief in Universalism.


I have looked into this and will explain why Universalism does not add up Biblically and is therefore an incorrect doctrine.


Universal Reconciliation - the idea that all will be reconciled to God no matter what, the penalty for sin is not everlasting and that everyone will eventually go to Heaven is a major belief of Universalists.


My question to that is, if the penalties for sin are not everlasting and everyone will go to Heaven then why did Jesus have to die? Because if the Universalists are right then Christ died for nothing.


Nowhere in the Bible is a verse found that suggests our sin doesn't last forever and we will all go to Heaven. 


Jesus made it clear to Hell does exist and some have to go there because of their own choice to reject God.


Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.


Jesus also says that there is such thing as eternal sin


Mark 3:29
but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”


Universalists also believe that we pay for our sin in Heaven, which simply isn't true. For Jesus told many in the Bible that their sins were forgiven.


Matthew 9:2
Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”


Actually, anyone believing in Christ and accepting the sacrifice of His blood is forgiven. My take on forgiveness is that the sin is gone once you have been forgiven. You don't then pay for it afterwards!


Matthew 26:28
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.


Christ died because the 'wages of sin is death' (Rom 6:23). God is LOVING but He is also JUST. Just like we want to see pedophiles & murderers punished for their crimes, God is also passionate about justice and that every wrong should be punished.


But because God also Loves us and wants us to go to Heaven...Christ came, God Himself, to die and take the bill for all of our sins so that we could go to Heaven because God Loves US!