Good morning, Father! You have been leading me in prayer for the last few days, but I feel compelled to write today. Looking forward, I give this day over to You. I do not know what it will bring, but I know You will be beside me all the way. Use me to further Your kingdom.
Hebrews 11:4 (<<click here to read the passage)
In today’s verse, Lord, Abel is commended as a righteous man because he brought a more acceptable offering than Cain, his brother. It was acceptable because it was a blood offering, but it was also acceptable because the right attitude accompanied it.
First of all, it sure didn’t take long for sin to manifest itself after the Fall. I’m sure there were other things that were just not noted in Scripture, but, wow, it didn’t take much to jump from disobedience, to anger, and then to murder!
Lord, as I look back at Genesis 4 (verses 1-6), I can see that Cain’s trouble began when he bristled at being corrected. His offering was rejected, for it was not a sacrifice of blood. He could have corrected it, but he was ticked off and ran with that mindset instead.
How many times have I let unrighteous mindsets carry me away? Unfortunately, my personality is such that even little things can tick me off. You have helped and continue to help me squelch these flair-ups, but I still have to deal with them on a fairly regular basis. And it doesn’t put a stop to them, and my poor attitudes begin to manifest themselves in words and actions that can lead me to hurt myself and others – especially loved ones.
Lord, I am so grateful that You continue to work patiently and lovingly with me. I surely need Your constant influence in my life. It’s a bit of a weird thought, but with Your help, I need to take Deputy Barney Fife’s advice from long ago and “Nip it in the bud!” 🙂 Before bad attitudes and actions even start to develop, as soon as they “bud,” they need to be nipped off so they cannot grow and cause harm.
Help me, Lord, to be more like You every day.
(May 9th, 2016, Mon, 6:24 am)
Apr 6th, 2025, Sun, 4:11 pm
