We read about the first worship offered to God, as well as the first murder in Genesis 4:1-8. Coincidence? I don’t believe so. 

Abel honored God with an acceptable sacrifice. Not Cain. Cain had plenty of opportunity to make a proper offering and even had encouragement from God himself to do so. He deliberately refused. Instead of listening to God’s personal appeal to correct his behavior, Cain decides to kill his brother who was doing it right. 

Hebrews 11:4 later tells us that Abel’s offering was made by faith in God, while John writes that Cain’s deeds were evil (1st John 3:12). Jude gives still more insight, telling us that Cain chose to follow his own way rather than God’s (Jude 11). 

In spite of the fact that he was making an offering, Cain never intended to honor God, but to please himself instead. In the 6,000 years since Cain was around, not much has changed. People are still manipulating worship to please themselves. If we understood our desperate need for God we would seek him out and gladly follow his leading in worship. 

If we do not understand our need for him, we may come to believe that he should be happy that we “show up for church” and that anything we choose to offer should be acceptable to him. Truth is, we are in one group or the other. 

Jesus said that God is looking for worshipers who will worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). Does it impress you that Jesus says his father is actively looking for people who will do that?! Is it important to you that you be one of those people? 

If you want to be entertained, go to a movie or a concert. But if your heart’s desire is to gratefully humble yourself before the true and living God, then doing what we find in his son’s book will be all you will ever need.

Otherwise, who knows? You may wind up killing somebody.