I really find no better word to communicate the burdens that have sponsored today’s post! But I’d trust God to grants you understanding as you go through the lines of this chapter.
WHAT ARE OFFERINGS?
Gracefully, we can trace the Genesis of offering to the time of Cain and Abel. When Abel gave a better sacrifice than Cain did, God refused the Offerings of Cain; this triggered jealousy and hatred in the heart of Cain who devised a means to put an end to the life of his brother! (you can find this in Genesis 4). So, Cain killed Abel. But this didn’t make God any happier, for the blood of Abel cried from the depths. Cain was cursed and banished from the land!
You know — when I was still very much younger, about six to eight, they use to tell us something that I later found out wasn’t correct! They’d say, Cains offering wasn’t accepted because Cain gave rotten Yams, and unripe fruits and old grapes and the list goes on and on! But was Cains offering really refused because they were unripe, or rotten? Infact, did the Bible say so? Another look at that scripture will clear your doubt.
Gen. 4:2 “…And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.” (so Abel was a shepherd who keeps sheep, whereas, Cain was a farmer – a pretty good one) let’s ride on!
Gen. 4:3 “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.” (O’ I wish you read that, the Bible didn’t say Cain brought some fruits that were rotten or unripe, it say he brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord!) well, keep reading!
Gen 4:5 “But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.”
You’ll realize that Cain also brought from the fruits of the ground because he was a farmer, that’s his occupation, Abel, in like manner brought of the firstling of his flock and the fat thereof! Hence, we must understand that they both gave what they had! But God didn’t accept them both, He refused one and accepted the other. Why?
Gen 4:6 “And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?”
Gen 4:7 “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”
Did you read that! Cains countenance fell after God refused his offerings, he became angry, the Bible called it wroth, this shows that his heart was bittered even against his own brother! And that’s absolutely what’s going on today! Hatred and jealousy fills the heart of men because they are not approved by some men whom they have begun to fancy as a deity! Well, when God refused the sacrifices of Cain, the right thing to do should have been to offer a better sacrifice! Isn’t it? Because the Lord asked him, if thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? Simple! It therefore means that he didn’t do quite well! Any reasonable man who cherish His God – The Lord, would immediately begin to look for a means to offer a better sacrifice, but Cain didn’t! His heart was soaked in pride and bitterness. He wanted revenge so he rebelled by killing his own brother. His only brother! That just makes us understand that God wasn’t wrong afterall to have refused his offerings, because wickedness still lingered in his heart! He wasn’t willing to change. (you can read the following verses of Genesis 4 and you’d be amazed by Cains unrepenting heart)
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE CHURCH TODAY?
Christians must realize that their offerings doesn’t replace their heart! Offerings are only a system we embrace to tell God how much we love Him! Afterall, there’s nothing you have that wasn’t given to you! He created and formed the earth and everything in it! So, where’s the house that you will build for him when the heaven is his throne and the earth His footstool! That only tells you how vain your offerings are! And like the Scripture says, the sacrifices of God are a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Not an abundant offering (big-sized envelop) and a merry spirit! For an instant it is beginning to seem like the church is deviating from this truth, because in almost every sermon, members are asked to give their biggest and no longer their best. Meanwhile, the sacrifices of God is a broken heart not money! Your first offering to God is your heart! I wish you got that one!
WE HAVE GIVEN MORE OFFERINGS THAN OUR HEART — WAKE UP!
Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! I say again wake up! Your first offering is your heart! Do you know some people now believe the bigger the offering the faster God will answer their prayer? Others even believe that if a problem is yet to be answered by God for a very long time, the next thing to do is to sow an offering. O’ where did the Bible teach us that? How have we gone so far from the Scripture? When did we deviate like this? God can tell you to sow as a step of faith to Claiming an answer to your prayers but that’s only because He — God told you, not your head! The answer to unanswered prayer is more prayer! Read the book of Ezra, Genesis, Nehemiah and Esther and you’d confirm what I’m saying! There’s no other way but to pray more! If you’ve fasted before, fast again! until you receive, that’s what it means to seek God. Get away from religion. Religion will tell you to do this to get this, do that to get that, do not to get — where’s all the teaching on do to get coming from? It seems more like a shrine or have we begun to serve a false Jesus? other than the one that was given to us, the only true God; who died and resurrected for the salvation of mankind! The only principle he has left for us is that “Men ought always to pray and not to faint”. The only pathway he showed us was the path of love. The only sermon he preached was the reconciliation of man to himself!
MONEY IS NOT YOUR HEART AND CAN NEVER REPLACE YOUR HEART!
Even now says the Lord “turn ye even to me with all your heart… Rend your heart and not your garment” (Joel 2:12-13)
Brethren, there’s just no way we’ll ever replace our heart with our offering (money). As good as they are for kingdom advancement, they can never replace our heart! God tests the heart not your money! It seems as though we’ve given our offerings more than our hearts to God! The prophecy of Joel already has begun to happen. But the Lord is nevertheless, not tired of calling us back to himself today. Like sheep we’ve left our dwelling! But if we turn to Him, He’s able and willing to save us from this mammon lusting generation! A generation that has replaced God with mammon and yet they call it a sermon!
Stay updated with our latest blog by subscribing today! 👇 Comments are below!
