DAY 12: THE CREATION STORY XI: TRUE WORSHIP

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY
(A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM)

TOPIC: THE CREATION STORY XI: TRUE WORSHIP
DATE: 12 SEPTEMBER, 2019
BIBLE READING: GENESIS 4:1-16
MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: JOHN 4:24 (CEV)
God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.

In today’s creation story, we are looking at ‘TRUE WORSHIP’. And our case studies are CAIN & ABEL.
Cain, a farmer, offered God an offering from his yield. Abel, a shepherd, offered God an offering from his yield too. But the Lord accepted Abel’s.
Why? Because Abel did what was right. And what was that right thing Abel did? It was said of Abel’s offering that he brought unto God a fat portions from some of the first born of his flock (Gen 4:4) but Cain’s offering was not detailed as Abel’s. The Bible says that Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord (Gen 4:3), meaning he brought this offering without the faith see that phrase again meticulously, ‘... as an offering...’
In Hebrew 11:4, it says, ‘By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain…’
Bible scholars have taught that it was because Cain’s offering was not with blood that was why his offering was not accepted. They agree that the Hebrew word used for offering in Genesis 4:3, minchah, can also be translated “sacrifice” or “meat offering”. They have also taught that God establish a precedent, of sorts, with a blood sacrifice in Genesis 3:21, where He killed an animal to make a literal and figurative covering for Adam and Eve, which was a foreshadow of the Levitical law of blood sacrifices and ultimately Jesus Christ as the only blood of sacrifice that could truly atone for our sin.
Well, the sacrifice being offered was not an atonement of sins. But we can picture that that way. But seeing this in another perspective, Cain and Abel were not given the Levitical laws, so they do not know what is best for the Lord. And that was why Abel presented his by faith.
Both offered God what they had. But can dishonoured God with his substance.
Proverbs 3:9
Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.
How do we know this? It was revealed to John, ‘not as Cain who was the wicked one and murder his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother righteous.’ (1 Jn. 3:12).
Notice the Bible says he was wicked first, before he murdered him. That is, he murdered him because his works were evil. A heart that plots evil against his brother can never honour the Lord.
Matthew 15:8, 9
‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
True worship is a matter of the heart; the spirit man. When God said, ‘… Let Us make man in our image...’ (Gen. 1:26), He was talking about creating a spirit; for God is Spirit (Jn. 4:24). ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground…’ (Gen. 2:7). Meaning he created a body to house the spirit of man. So our worship to God should always come from the heart. And how can you do it?
According to our verse for meditation, we must worship God by the Spirit, to lead us according to the truth. The Bible says, ‘… For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us… He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.’ (Rom. 8:26, 27). That also goes for worship, because prayer is a mode of worship unto God.
Just like Cain and Abel who do not know what is best for the Lord, but Abel offered his sacrifice by faith.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

ACTION POINT: I DECIDE NOW TO STAY ON THE WORD THAT BRINGS FAITH, IN ORDER TO WORSHIP GOD BY FAITH; IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.
PRAYER POINT: HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, PLEASE HELP ME BY YOUR POWER TO ALWAYS GIVE GOD TRUE WORSHIP. MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH AND THE MEDITATION OF MY HEART BE ACCEPTABLE UNTO YOU
PERSONAL READING: ROMANS 12:1, 2