“Later she had another son and named him Abel. Abel became a sheep farmer, but Cain farmed the land. One day, Cain gave part of his harvest to the Lord, and Abel also gave an offering to the Lord. He killed the first-born lamb from one of his sheep and gave the Lord the best parts of it. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, but not with Cain and his offering. This made Cain so angry that he could not hide his feelings”. – Genesis 4:2-5 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
The above verse is our fifth verse on financial stewardship. While at first reading it might not appear to have anything to do with financial stewardship, when you reflect upon it. You find that this speaks about giving back to God. God wants us to give back to Him from what He entrusts to us.
We are to give back our first fruits. When you look at each of the brothers’ offering, you see that Abel gave the Lord the best parts of the first-born lamb. On the other hand, Cain gave the Lord a part of his harvest. He did not give his first fruits. God was not pleased with Cain. Cain’s offering was an afterthought. Whereas, Abel’s was the first.
The attitude of each brother was different in their offering to the Lord. Our attitudes towards tithing should be like Abel’s. We should give to the Lord our first and our best and do it with a cheerful attitude. When we adopt Cain’s attitude and give back to God whatever we have leftover, this is not pleasing to God. It shows that our attitudes are not cheerful. We are not putting God first.
When you give back to the Lord through your offerings to your church, have you made giving your first priority or is your giving based on whatever you have leftover after paying your bills? When you give back, is your attitude an Abel attitude or a Cain attitude? Is God pleased or displeased with your offering?
