A Heart In The Right Place - Abel

Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift.

Genesis 4:4

The famed U.S. aviator and engineer Alexander de Seversky once tried to encourage a hospitalized friend and fellow pilot who had lost a leg. “The loss of a leg is not so great a calamity,” said de Seversky, who sported an artificial leg himself. “If you get hit on a wooden leg, it doesn’t hurt a bit! Try it!” His friend obediently raised his walking stick and struck de Seversky’s leg as hard as he could.

“You see,” he beamed, “if you hit an ordinary man like that, he’d be in bed for five days!”

De Seversky left his friend’s room with a smile, but as soon as he reached the hospital corridor, he collapsed in agony.

The young man had struck de Seversky’s good leg.

You have to hand it to Alexander de Seversky—he had his heart in the right place even if his wooden leg didn’t follow suit.

The Bible has much to say about the importance of having your heart in the right place. Abel, for example, brought his very best firstborn lambs to God as a willing sacrifice.

What did God find so acceptable about Abel’s sacrifice?

The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews explains, “It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith” (Hebrews 11:4).

Abel had something his brother did not—a grasp of the faith that pleased God. He understood that any right standing he enjoyed before the Lord came from his abiding faith in a God who rewards those who trust him. He could present his offering of a firstborn lamb, trusting that the sacrifice became holy through his faith.

Anything that you do for God becomes an acceptable offering when you do it with a heart full of faith. Had Cain presented his grain offerings with the same heart of faith as his brother, God would gladly have accepted his sacrifice. Faith is the key, then and now.