It is often said that life is all about relationships. If we think about this deeply, most of us would agree with this sentiment. As it pertains to life on earth, people mean the most to God. As His children, it is no secret that people should mean a lot to us as well. Most of the lessons that Jesus Christ has taught us in God’s Word are about reverencing our Heavenly Father and about his requirements regarding the way we treat other people. A meaningful and quality relationship with God is built on the quality of how and what we give to Him. This is true for our relationships with others as well. In other words, good relationships are built and maintained on our effort to give our best toward them. Therefore, God has established an undeniable principle here. It is that love is measured by how and what we invest into our relationships, because how and what we invest into our relationships is the greatest indication of how much we value them.
Romans 5:8(ESV) declares, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” John 3:16(ESV) says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and we understand some aspects of their relationship because of the biological relationship God created between a parent and a child. This parent-child relationship is birthed from the pattern of the parental relationship God shares with Christ. Any good biological parent would consider his or her child as their most precious treasure in life. A good parent will do almost anything for their children, and this is common knowledge, and it is also what we have come to expect from any family unit.
Depending on our parents is foundational to human survival on earth. Even though our biological parents are imperfect and make lots of mistakes, we need their guidance and support. Well God never makes mistakes, and every parent and child desperately needs His guidance and support for life on earth and eternal life as well. He’s more of a parent than any human can ever hope to be, and He wants us to depend totally on Him and His provision and care.
Our Heavenly Father is love in every sense of the word! He’s a loving and giving Father, and in Mark 12:30, Jesus Christ commands us to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. In Matthew 7:11(ESV), Jesus also draws a parallel that prompts us to compare the love from our biological parents to the unconditional, limitless love that our Heavenly Father has for us. This comparison is incredibly meaningful to understanding and appreciating God’s willingness and ability to bless and care for us. This verse says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
God loves us exponentially more than we could ever possibly love ourselves. His love for us far exceeds the love we receive from our biological parents. This comparison gives us a meaningful indication of God’s love for His only begotten and perfect Son. We couldn’t possibly fathom the depth and width of God’s love for His precious Son, Jesus Christ. Yet, He gave His Son’s life as a sacrifice on the cross to save us all.
God has taught us through His example that His sacrifice was a very big part of demonstrating His love. Sacrifice is a righteous way of measuring not only the love we give, but the love we receive.
When it comes to significant relationships between men and women, it doesn’t take long to sense the depth of the person’s love for you. Be clear on this fact. It is very possible to know a person’s capacity to love you within a very short span of time, so don’t entangle yourself needlessly. You can tell a whole lot about how they value you by what they’ve given and sacrificed to show you that they care. So, when it boils right down to it, the clothes or shoes they choose to wear, the job they may hold, the car they drive, or the number of degrees they may have on the wall means very little. Whether you want to admit it or not, the most important and determining factor is whether this person has your back.
If someone has your back, they will sacrifice for you. Period. For any human being, this is the greatest and most meaningful demonstration of love. God set this precedent, and it can’t be challenged. It is etched in stone for all eternity.
James 2:26(ESV) tells us, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” Faith requires us to back it up with action, so does love. It is never enough to simply say you love a person. It may sound harsh, but it is true nonetheless; if a man doesn’t know what it means to sacrifice for you, you have nothing to work with. And by the same token, it is your willingness to make a quality investment in him that draws him to you. If you haven’t learned to do this, to make a quality and righteous investment through God’s love, then the blessing of a rich and fulfilling relationship may continue to elude you.
Genesis 4:5 tells us that God did not accept Cain’s sacrifice. Why? Because Cain refused to offer God his best. When we offer God our best, we open the door and let in the sweet-smelling fragrance of His favor and blessings. But when we’re slack in our desire and efforts to give God our best, it is in truth a statement about how we value Him. God can never be number two in any regard, and He doesn’t deserve such treatment. We would never want to be treated this way by someone we hope will love us for life, and we should never treat God in this manner either.
Giving through the love of Christ in our hearts is our best! God has demonstrated for us that a Christ-brand of love is kind, patient, humble, thoughtful, compassionate, and always in favor of justice and righteousness. Love is always having faith in God, never giving up on our commitment to Him, and enduring until the end. It is having faith that when we give God our best, He then gives it back to us in manifold rewards. So, the question is always one of whether we’re giving God a Cain or Abel offering. It’s our privilege and responsibility to make it an Abel offering, and if it is, the sweetness of God’s blessings will always be our reward. ■
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Is It a Cain or Abel Offering?”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!