Good morning, Father! You have been leading me in prayer 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)
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 it was accompanied by a right attitude.
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, to murder!
Lord, as I look back at Genesis 4 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 itself in words and actions it 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, Mon, 6:24 am
