Inside Out
Read This Week: Genesis 4
Eve became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord, I have brought forth a man.” Later, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now, you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” – Genesis 4:1-2 & 8-12 NIV
The fall already comes to bear on Adam and Eve’s children and their family as a whole in Genesis 4. They follow the Lord’s command to be fruitful and multiply, so they come together to have two sons. Cain is their firstborn, and Abel is a little after him. The initial family served as the beginning of the populace and the leading view of how we relate to the earth and each other after the curse of sin. We also see the first crime of the heart acted out and how devastating it can be to the victim, perpetrator, and everyone involved.
Early in this chapter, we glimpse how Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel not only interacted as people but also saw that they had to work by the sweat of their brows and perform jobs essential to their family’s viability and personal development. Verse 3 tells us that Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. Adam and his descendants did more than sit around in caves and hunt and gather; they had specific duties that were carried out purposefully and intentionally. They took on their work to generate desired results because God had given them the responsibility to be diligent and productive after the fall.
But just like people throughout the ages and us in modern times, our work can be confused with our identity, and we can use and pursue it to give us our worth instead of looking to our Creator and God for significance and meaning. In the next scene, we see this on full display, where Cain and Abel bring their offerings to God out of their work. The second part of Verse 3 says that Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Both brought their offerings out of what they did, but only one had the heart attitude that honored God in their intent.
Verse 5 reveals God’s receptivity to the two men, their hearts’ posture, and their worship’s authenticity. It says that the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering, he did not look with favor. The issue was the content of Cain and Abel’s hearts, not their hands. Their distinct actions revealed what was inside regardless of the quality of work or sacrifice. The Hebrews writer also explains why Abel’s offering was accepted, and Cain’s was rejected. Verse 4 of chapter 11 simply says, By faith, Abel offered up a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. By faith, he was commended as righteous when God spoke well of his offerings.
Faith in God, not his performance, made Abel’s offering more pleasing to the Lord. The faith of the heart always wins out over the presentation of the hand. But if the heart is right, the expression will be as well. It is inside out, not outside in. It is a mistake to try and moralize or govern our behavior with dogmatic activity when we should humbly seek God for His Holy Spirit to change our hearts. The change of the heart from the inside out leads to obedience and doing what is right. Cain’s heart was misguided, inauthentic, corrupt, and of the wrong motive. And it led to anger, hatred, murder, and wandering with no purpose coming from his work.
May we seek Jesus and always guard and check the condition of our hearts from the inside out.
Genesis 4
God wanted me to focus on Verse 7 of Genesis 4 (AMPC)
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.
God impressed this on me:
“Be your best self. You know what it means to be your best self. You know with My guidance what you should and shouldn’t do. Do not let your mind or the world get in the way of your pure intentions with Me.”
When we are our best selves we are happiest. It is no coincidence, only a Godly incidence.
Genesis 4verse 9
Gods saying to you and me
You all are keepers, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and you are your children’s keepers. You need to help others understand and encourage them to put their life into gods hand. And help others to see Gods light. And encourage them to grow to keep Jesus in their site.
What that means to me.
I pray each day and night for others to see the truth, and go out and share God’s love and word. Help out who God wants us to. Just ask God and listen, to what he wants.
5 but for Cain and his offering He had no respect. So Cain became extremely angry (indignant), and [c]he looked annoyed and hostile. 6 And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? 7 If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.”
I heard Father God saying to me It’s all about your heart!
When you seek me with your whole heart, desiring to want to please Me, you will be in the right place because your seeking me, wanting to do your best, when you seek Me, ask me, talk to Me you will be able to hear me so you will know what to do, when you do it it will be good. Always know that I am always here to help you in every situation because I love you and I care❤️
What this means to me
I have learned and continue to learn is to seek My Father for what He wants me to do!, and to do my best because I love Him so much and Im so thankful that I got blessed to be His daughter. When we put Him first, talking to Him as soon as we wake up, have Him on our heart all day long, we can hear Him, He is always here for us 24-7 because He loves us all so very much. So why would we want to seek Him trust Him in all we do because it turns out good!
Thank you Father God, Jesus and Your Holy Spirit for all Your Love, because You care for us and You help us in all that we do❤️
This is a beautiful song to sing to the Lord
Because it is all about our heart and our worship to Him!
When He is on our heart we want to worship Him, sing to Him we want Him to feel joy in His Heart when He hears us singing to Him ❤️
I Love You, Lord
I love You, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul, rejoice
Take joy, my King
In what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear
I love You, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul, rejoice
Take joy, my King
In what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear
I love You, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul, rejoice
Take joy, my King
In what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear
Take joy, my King
In what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear
Sweet sound
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear
Oh, Jesus, sweet, sweet sound
Genesis Chapter 4 Verse 5
But for “Cain and his offering He had no respect or regard. So Cain was exceedingly angry and indignant and he looks sad and depressed.
Genesis Chapter 4 Verse 6
And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected?
Genesis Chapter 4 Verse 7
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; it’s desire is for you, but you must master it.
~Jealousy~
God Is Saying To Me:
Faith is believing in me with your whole heart. I know your heart and all of your emotions. You’re blessings. Can’t come from a place of anger, resentment and indignation. Send and negativity seeks to devour the good in you. Don’t allow anger to consume. You. Seek me first in all that you do. I can’t teach you to be like me in my image if you are consumed by reactions of the flesh. Repentance and acceptance of my desires of my heart will not create sadness, frustration, depression and anger but will show you mercy and grace that I have for you because I love you. Look at your own heart and you will know me more and more in your life if you seek Me first.
What This Means To Me:
Cain’s flesh and his attitude toward blessings and acceptance from God for Abel. his brother, stopped him from truly knowing God’s favor. When we encounter things from the world, we need to do a self-check before reacting and responding. Stop, evaluate and seek God first. Not all responses from God will mean smooth sailing in life. Sometimes God teaches us lessons from wrong choices and responses to show us just how much mercy and grace for us He has as long as we humble ourselves to allow Him to make right or wrong doings. We can’t understand this if we are not putting God first in our lives. Jealousy, arrogance and a boastful heart and spirit leads to destruction. God’s plan for us does not. Give God your very best! Don’t shortchange the Lord!
Thank you Father.God for Jesus and the Holy Spirit so that I may become more like you! ❤️❤️❤️
This week God gave me a song in Genesis chapter 4
Gods love
Let’s come together to worship our Lord let’s come together to worship our Lord. Our father loves us so much He only wants the best for you and me when you disagree get angry or frustrated ask our Lord to help us through his love will take away our anger, fear, anxiety he is a loving father. He picks us up when we fall comforts when we feel alone, he’s always working, always working, even when we’re sleeping, let’s come together to worshiper Lord, let’s come together to worship our Lord, spreading his love wherever we are
Amen
We should always seek Jesus, especially when we get angry or feeling sad. he will always help us through all we have to do is ask.
This Week in the Life: Genesis 4
For the best experience, we suggest you listen to the first song, the message, and the second song.
1. Sunday Worship – First Song: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-0813-Worship1.wav
2. Sunday Message: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-0813-Message.wav
3. Sunday Worship – Second Song: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-0813-Worship2.wav
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