Cain and Abel both brought offerings to the Lord. Cain brought some of his harvest and Abel brought the best portions of his flocks. God showed favor to Abel’s offering and did not show favor to Cain’s offering. I have heard many explanations of why God showed favor to the one and not the other. The text seems to suggest that Cain brought an offering while Abel brought the best he had to offer.

It is important to bring our offerings to God, but we need to work to bring the best we have to offer. God should not be an afterthought. Our God is not a God to whom we can through a few offerings every now and then and he will be appeased. Rather, our God is alive and active in our lives and we need to give God the best we offer. We need to give God the best of our income, the best of our time, the best of our relationships, the best of all our lives.

One other point I want to make from this story. We do not give our offerings to God expecting something in return. We give our offerings to God because God has already blessed us with so much. God has blessed us with life, family, friendships, food, water, shelter, Jesus, salvation, a relationship with God. Our offerings are given in thanks for all we have received, not in anticipation of receiving some future blessing.

God is not a vending machine who will give us our desires if we put in a payment of prayers and offerings. God is not a slot machine who will randomly dispense a reward if we put in enough prayers and offerings. God is our father who cares for us. Our prayers and offerings are like the pictures my four year old draws for me and I hang on the refrigerator; they are expressions of love.

The man and the woman were given responsibilities and boundaries by God. God expected them to fulfill their responsibilities (be a good steward of the garden) and obey the boundaries (not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However the man and the woman disobeyed God. When God confronted them about their disobedience they did the two things my children do when I catch them disobeying; they lie and they try to shift the blame onto someone else. God sees through their lies and their blame tactics and disciplines the man and the woman. Then they are removed from the garden (from dwelling within the providence of God). However, outside of the garden, God still cares for them and provides them clothes.

When we wander into disobedience we miss out on some of the blessing God wants for us. When we become selfish and put our own desires before the desires of God, we are separated from the best that God would have for us. God will still provide for us, but we keep ourselves from accepting the best blessings of God and instead receive second rate blessings. There is no benefit in blaming others for our failings; we need to accept responsibility for our disobedience and learn to follow God.

God’s desire is to meet our needs. God cares for us and wants us to live fulfilling lives. Look what God did in Genesis 2. First God gave the man life; we take life for granted but it’s a big deal. Then God provided for all of the man’s physical needs; the Creator gave the man food to eat and water to drink and a place to live. God gave the man work to do so that his life would not be meaningless. God provided the man a companion so he would not be alone. In doing all of these things, God’s desire was to meet the needs of the man (and eventually the woman).

God also gave the man and the woman boundaries. The Creator told the man and the woman to enjoy, use, and care for all of creation, but they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All of the man and the woman’s needs were met; they were given food, shelter, responsibility, companionship, and boundaries. These are the same things parents make sure their children have so they can mature toward being adults.

I would argue that God also provides for us today. Today before I ate I thanked God for providing me food. God has provided me with a job so that I and my family have shelter. God has given me the responsibility of raising my children, caring for my spouse, and ministering to my community. God has provided me with the companionship of a wonderful wife and challenging friends. God has revealed boundaries across which I am not supposed to go; when I do cross these boundaries I am being destructive to myself and to others. God provides and I need to be continuously thankful for all that he has given me.

These days when I read Genesis 1 I can almost here music playing in the background. In my mind I see people sitting around a fire and listening intently to the story/song of God creating. The people want answers to the basic questions of life: Where did we come from? Why are we here? What is our relationship to nature? What is our relationship to God? Who is God? And the people were given the beautiful song of Genesis 1 to reveal God to them.

Where did we come from? God created us; in fact God created us as special and unique creatures who are inherently different from the other animals of creation. Why are we here? To care for and tend to God’s creation; we are responsible for the Kingdom of God. What is our relationship to nature? We are to live in and alongside nature while we carefully use nature to meet our needs. What is our relationship with God? We are created in the image of God as fellow workers; we are stewards over God’s kingdom on earth for a time. Who is God? The creator, the one to whom all of existence is in debt.

The next time you read Genesis 1, go off by yourself to a private place where you will not feel self-conscious and sing the chapter. Imagine you are singing to that group around the fire; you are trying to bring them a little closer to God by singing to them the answers to the questions they ask. Sing the most beautiful song, the song of God’s creation. It will be beautiful regardless of your singing abilities because it is a song of God.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

We are to share Christ with all the world. That doesn’t mean that I personally must tell every person on the earth about Jesus (although that would be really cool if I could). Rather, it means that I am responsible for sharing Jesus with the world I interact with everyday.

I need to be an example of Jesus to the kids at youth group on Wednesdays. I need to be an example of Jesus to the people I sit around at work. I need to be an example of Jesus to the people in my various fantasy football leagues. I need to be an example of Jesus at the restaurants and coffee shops at which I spend time. I need to be an example of Jesus to the people at church. I need to be an example of Jesus to the people with whom I golf, play softball, or workout. I need to be an example of Jesus to the people I sit next to at the basketball game (and the referees officiating). I need to be an example of Jesus to the people I walk past at the library, or on the street. I need to be an example of Jesus to my kids, and the neighborhood kids. I need to be an example of Jesus to my neighbors.

The first impression of Jesus many people will have is the impression we give them.

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.”

“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’”

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

In recent months I have found great comfort in this simple prayer. I have always struggled praying for specific things to happen. I was always troubled when I prayed for healing in someone and would usually instead ask that God wrap his arms around them and carry them through this struggle.

It’s not that I don’t believe God can heal; he can and he does. My struggle is if I pray for healing and it doesn’t happen what example does that give to the people who have witnessed this prayer. It seems that God is not very powerful. I can spend all the time in the world explaining that God is not a vending machine to whom we pray and get our desired result, but that doesn’t heal their wounds. I have been much more comfortable following Jesus example and praying “not as I will, but as you will.”

It seems pretty clear that Jesus did not want to experience crucifixion. He would have rather brought about the means to salvation in some less painful way. But he was willing to put everything on the line and release control over his life for me. I need to be able to release control over my life for Jesus.

Jesus says that when he returns he will gather the nations of the world before him and separate them into two categories as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will call the one group blessed, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” This group will deny it saying they never met Jesus when he was hungry or thirsty. Jesus says, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me.”

We are called to care for the world around. We are called to meet the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs of our community; of whatever into which God has placed us. We need to be feeding the hungry, caring for the depressed, providing single parents, supporting addicts. All these things we need to be doing as if we were caring for the needs of Jesus. We need to meet the needs of Christians and non-Christians. We need to demonstrate the love of Christ within us.

Jesus also speaks to the other group, telling them to depart from his presence. This group protests, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger?” Jesus answers, “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

The best way to separate ourselves from God is to not meet the needs of the people we pass by everyday.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

All who have turned their lives over to Jesus are God’s servants. We have the responsibility to be doing the tasks God has called us to do. If we reject God’s will and follow our own will then we are being wicked servants.

Jesus continues, “But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and the then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites”.

If we care more about pleasing ourselves than about pleasing God we will be assigned a place with the hypocrites.

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”

Before I write this I want to say that I am not speaking about anyone at my current church. Occasionally there are people in our church’s who have obtained positions of authority but are not living a Godly lifestyle or teaching a Christ centered message. We do not have the option of disrespecting these people. We have the opportunity to minister to them. We have the opportunity to respectfully disagree and make our frustrations known in a Biblical manner (going to them and speaking with them, as opposed to going to anyone else and talking about them). But even if they are not changed they remain an authority over us. It is then our obligation to live a Christ centered, Godly life in their midst. But we are not to follow their example. We are to follow the example Jesus set before us. It is difficult but possible to be under someone’s authority but not follow their example. If God has placed you in that position, I would suggest that he has placed you there to help you grow.

Jesus tells the story of a wedding banquet to which many of the invited guests decide not to attend. The grooms father sends his servants out to make sure they guests know they are invited. However, some are too busy tending to their affairs and others are too busy the others mistreat and kill the servants. The groom’s father then sends out his servants to invite anyone who is willing to come. The good and the bad are all invited to the wedding because the original guests spurned the invitation.

We have been invited to God’s banquet. God has sent and continues to send servants into the world offering invitations to God’s table. We have the opportunity to be a part of the Kingdom of God; both during our life and after our death. All that is required for us to feast at God’s table is for us to accept the invitation. The invitation is belief in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the Lord of your life. If you believe in Jesus you are accepting God’s invitation.

The story ends with a section that I do not understand. I have no comment on the concluding portion, I will just write it here and let it stand for itself. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’ For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

“I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce fruit.”

If we are not producing new disciples of Jesus then we are failing.  If people are not turning their lives over to Christ then our churches will be taken away from us or will dwindle into obscurity.  We were not called to recycle Christians from other churches.  We were not called to only care for those who have already found Jesus.  We are called to produce new fruit; new Christians.  This is not measured by the size of our gatherings, or the amount of money we send to missionaries.  It is measured one person at a time.  It is measured by each new heart that turns from death to life; from selfishness to Christ.

In the same vein we cannot assume that we are following God’s will merely because our churches are large or because we feel successful.  If we are not producing new followers of Jesus then our size and strengths are merely distractions that keep us from fulfilling our duty as disciples of Jesus.

Jesus tells the story of a farmer who hires workers early in the morning and agrees to pay them a days wage.  The farmer then hires some more workers later in the day and agrees to pay them a full days wage.  Near the end of the day the farmer goes out and hires the last of those who are willing to work and agrees to pay them a full days wage.  The workers who worked all day are upset that those who only worked an hour or two are receiving an equal pay.  The farmer says, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?  Or are you envious because I am generous?”

I have to admit that I am often envious that Jesus is generous.  It does not seem fair that a person who has done great evil can receive forgiveness just as easily as someone who has, for the most part, lived a morally good life.  It does not seem fair that one person can commit their whole life to being Christ’s disciple and another person can have a nominal relationship with Christ and both wind up in heaven.  I am envious because there is a whole lot of sin that I would like to do.

But I also realize the benefits of not sinning.  I get to lead a balanced life.  I get to lay all my trouble and anxiety on God’s shoulders.  I get the incredible joy of helping others discover Jesus.  I get the fulfillment of being a part of God’s kingdom on earth.  No sin is more rewarding than being with, working for, and worshiping God.  When I am envious of think of my relationship with Jesus  and realize that those without Jesus are envious of what I have.

It’s okay not to marry.  The American Christian culture for one reason or another has pressured its young adults into feeling that marriage is a requirement; that if you do not marry and have babies you have failed.  Jesus and Paul, however, both say that it is okay not to marry;  in fact they both say that it is good or better for some to not marry.

I was called to marry.  I married young and well; however I had many friends who married young and poorly.  It would have been better for them to wait.  If God is not calling you to marry, don’t.  If God has not yet placed you into a position to marry, that’s okay.

When I was pastoring there were many Sunday mornings when I understood the benefits of priests being celibate.  When you have a spouse, and especially when you have children, there are times when you are not able to focus on what God is calling you to do as you could when you were single or childless.  There were Saturday nights when I was up from 1-4am cleaning up various bodily fluids and comforting sick children.  I know I was not fully focused on God as I led worship the next day.

There have been times when I would have engaged in a ministry, but the responsibilities to my wife and children precluded my availability.  Singleness is a blessing.  Childlessness is a blessing.  Marriage is a blessing.  Children are a blessing.  No matter where you are rejoice in your blessing and listen to God’s leading in your life.

Jesus tells the story of a man who was forgiven a great debt he owed, but then went out and demanded a small debt be paid by a man who owed him.  The point Jesus is making is that the man who was forgiven the enormous debt, should in turn be willing to forgive a small debt.

The obvious application to our live is that if Jesus has forgiven all of the sins I have committed against him (and they are great and numerous) then I have no right to withhold forgiveness for the sins anyone commits against me.  In fact, the story seems to imply that I should forgive those who have sinned against before before they even ask.

I would argue that because of the enormous debt Christ has forgiven in my life, I have no right to hold anything against anyone; it is my duty to forgive as I have been forgiven.  That is a hard thing to do and I do not do it well.  Forgiveness is tough, but the next time I find myself having a hard time forgiving I need to re-read the second half of Matthew 18 and recognize that Jesus did not resent forgiving me.

“The disciples asked [Jesus], ‘why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?’  Jesus replied, ‘To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.  But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished.  In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.”

I grew up as a pastor’s kid.  Every spring at Easter my dad would lead a passover service; a couple times Jews for Jesus came and put it on and couple of times he led it himself.  I was always fascinated by the empty seat left at the table for Elijah.  There was also a point in the service where I would have to go to the door to see if Elijah was coming.  He never came.

It was not until much later that I realized Elijah’s place was always empty because he had already come in the person of John the Baptist; to prepare the way of the Lord.  When I finally made that connection was the first time I really understood that the Old Testament was connected to the New Testament.  Jesus is the pivot point around which all of God’s creation is centered.  God’s love flows out from that point.

These days at those passover meals I don’t see the empty seat as being in anticipation of Elijah’s coming, but in celebration of the Messiah already come.

In Matthew 16 Peter goes 1 for 3 in understanding Jesus.  Peter (along with the other disciples) thinks that Jesus is upset with them for forgetting bread when really Jesus is warning them about the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Then Peter gets it right when he says that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  But Peter follows that up with blunder of telling Jesus that Jesus is not allowed to die; to which Jesus famously responds, “Get behind me, Satan!”

I think there is a warning for us here about assuming we know God’s will.  If Peter, who was physically with Jesus, only got 1 out of 3, how can we presume to do any better?  It is desperately important for us to spend time with Jesus in prayer and in reading the record of his incarnation in the Bible.  In doing these things and seeking out the advice of other Godly Christians we can begin to learn God’s will.  However, we need to recognize that we will be wrong about some things we believe.  We need to always have the humility to listen to those who disagree with us.

Peter was guilty of theological arrogance when he denied the future death of Jesus saying, “Never Lord!”  Peter thought he knew what God’s will was and it certainly did not involve the death of Jesus.  But Peter’s theology needed to be shifted to be aligned with the will of God.

It’s always a painful process for our theology to be shifted.  I pray that God will send a tender voice into my life every time he shifts mine.

Jesus mission on earth was to minister to Israel.  After his death the mission of the disciples would be to minister in his name to all the world.  It seems typical (although probably not universal) that each of us are called to minister to a certain group.  Later in Acts Paul tended to minister to the gentiles while Peter tended to minister to the Jews.  But something we need to remember is that if someone outside of our called ministry comes to us and asks about faith in Jesus, we need to minister to that person.

In Matthew 15:21 a Canaanite woman came to Jesus and asked for him to minister to her.  She was not who Jesus had been called to minister to, but because she came to him in faith he did not turn her away.  Jesus did not have tunnel vision.  In our ministries we need to avoid tunnel vision; vision that could keep us from ministering to the people God is bringing to us.

There is a tiny detail between Jesus feeding the five thousand and walking on water that is incredibly important, but often overlooked.  Immediately after the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus made his disciples get in a boat and sail across the lake, while he went up onto a mountainside to pray.  Jesus took time to be alone with God.

As a guy who straddles the line between introvert and extrovert I appreciate that Jesus spent time teaching and healing and being with the people, but then spent time alone with God.  When I was pastoring the hardest part of the week for me was shaking people hands after the service.