Same Start, Different Directions

The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.   Genesis 4:4-5

Right from the beginning, the human family has been divided in its response to God. Adam and Eve had two children, and the world’s first brothers set the rudders of their boats in two totally different directions. Abel sought God; Cain struggled against God.

The reason people choose different lifestyles is that they operate with very different convictions about who God is and about who they are. People either place themselves at the center—believing that they are accidents of history who must write their own rules, that they are accountable to nobody but themselves, and that their greatest need is to be at peace with themselves; or they place God at the center—believing that he is their Creator, that he writes the rules and people are accountable to him, and that their greatest need is to find peace with him.

These convictions are like a rudder on a boat, determining the course you take in life. Convictions formed deep in your heart today determine where you will be tomorrow. Cain’s convictions led him to develop a fierce hatred for Abel, and he eventually killed him.

God had warned Cain earlier that “sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you” (Genesis 4:7). But Cain ignored God’s warning, and his life drifted further into sin. Even though God showed Cain mercy by protecting him and by allowing him and his descendants to build a new city and to make contributions to music, art, and culture, Cain’s hostility brought severe consequences: isolation from his family and from God (4:10-16).

Similarly, men and women who do not know what they believe about God or about themselves are like people sitting in a boat with no hand on the rudder. Their boat will go wherever the prevailing winds and currents are going. If your boat is heading for the rocks, the first thing to do is to thank God for his mercy, and then grab hold of the rudder.

For further reading, see Genesis 4