God loves you, and He wants you to repent…seriously!
Genesis 4:6-7
[6] The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? [7] 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 contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
God warns Cain!!! Though God may not have favored Cain’s offering, God loved Cain to give him direction. This situation is very similar to when I complement one of my children for obedience and another becomes immediately jealous. This jealous child now has a choice. She also can choose to obey, OR she can put up a fit, complain that her parents don’t love her, that she can never do anything right and pout, get angry and jealous and hurt the other child. Just like I don’t love one child over another but desire the best for each one of them, God does not play favorites. I encourage and praise obedience not disobedience, and I seek to correct disobedience hoping to see the disobedient child obey, not so much for my benefit; the greatest benefit will be for that child.
In our fallen nature we make mistakes. We then have the choice to acknowledge our sin and repent and do right OR, blame others or circumstances for our sin, pout, not repent, not correct our behavior and continue to sin, or add sin upon sin.
God is telling Cain “do good”. Cain doing good really doesn’t impact God as much as it impacts Cain. IF Cain had obeyed the instruction given by God he wouldn’t have been cursed.
Romans 2:6-7
[6] He will render to each one according to his works: [7] to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
To do good requires patience and persistence. Patience with our mistakes, and persisting in repenting and striving to do good.
Romans 2:11
[11] For God shows no partiality.
Just like God loves Cain and gave Cain direction despite his wrong doing, God loves us, and gives us direction. But for us to harness this gift of God’s love and direction we must admit our sin, we must be sorry for our sin and we must seek to do good. If I seek to do good I must be abiding in God’s word because there is where I find God’s perfect direction. But it’s not only by reading God’s word that I can do good, I must act on what I read. I must make a conscious decision and fully accept God’s direction in my life.
Romans 2:13
[13] For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
I’ve found it so easy so many times that I would shrug off my sin and God’s conviction from His word as “God will forgive me” or “I can’t change” or “I’m not as bad a sinner as some others” or “God’s really not talking about me”, or “there’s really nothing wrong with what I’m doing because so many Christians do the same so it must be ok”. Don’t lie to yourself like I have. Learn to ‘fess up AND ACT ON IT!
James 1:22-25
[22] But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Open your ears, listen to what John the Baptist and Paul has to say!
Luke 3:7-9
[7] He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. [9] Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” John continues by giving great examples. He is expecting if you take the baptism of repentance that he will see changes in behavior and actions.
Acts 26:19-20
[19] “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, [20] but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.
If you don’t hear and turn, Christ gives a warning:
Matthew 13:14-15
[14] Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
[15] For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
Luke 16:10
[10] “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
If with conviction you don’t act on it the result is increased dullness to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. So God, to get our attention, will put difficult situations into our lives to get our attention so as to enact change.
But if you act on the conviction of the Holy Spirit and persist, eventually, you will recognize the Holy Spirit’s whisper and be fully controlled by the Holy Spirit! Be faithful in repenting even of “little” sins; that way, you will be available for God’s use for His glory.#