Day Forty-Three
YOUR
Offerings…
( God’s Worst Nightmare?)
“And the Lord had respect for and regard for Abel and for his offering.”
Gen 4:4 Amp
Often we look at the book of Genesis, and we miss its profound significance and bearing on our lives. In truth – the account of Cain and Able, in Genesis 4, provides us with a thumbnail sketch juxtaposing two distinct and even adversarial ways of trying to live the Christian life. The first way is living according to authority (in obedience to God, in dependence on God) — lead by the Spirit. The second way is living according to reasoning (in independence from God – lead by the soul). These two ways of living the Christian life are expressly derived from the two trees of note in the Garden: the Tree of Eternal Life; and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Another way to see this, is to see these two trees as types: the Tree of Eternal Life as Life according to the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (our spiritual life); the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil as life according to the law of sin and death (our natural life in the flesh).
Many believers assume that once they are saved — they can coast. There is nothing more for them to do. They are oblivious to the struggle that now ensues — to bring them to live a spiritual life in Christ, rather than a carnal, soulish life.
To live a spiritual life that is pleasing and acceptable to God, we must live in dependence upon Him — being obedient and subject to Him. That way of living is like living according to the Tree of Eternal Life – a new life lived in the Spirit. That is God’s desire and provision for all of us.
To live a life that is not pleasing or acceptable to God, all we have to do is live according to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (the life of our fallen nature) – making our own choices according to our will, intellect, and emotions (soul) without the Holy Spirit. This is called the mind of the flesh – where the soul still predominates. (Rom 8:5-8, 1Cor 3:1-3) This way of life does not rely on the provision and sacrifice of Christ and is against God’s desire for us and His provision.
When we live a spiritual life, we have surrendered ourselves daily to the Lord. We reckon ourselves as dead to sin and alive to Him. We renounce all use of ourselves, instead – we yield all of our faculties (soul) and members (body) as living sacrifices of righteousness to God. This is according to God’s word found in Romans Chapters 6, 7, and 8. It is also according to Romans 12:1-2, Proverbs 16:3, and multiple other passages.
Some of the best Scriptural clarification for living according to the flesh is presented in Romans 8:1-14. When we choose to live this way, according to our old nature – then all the fruit of our works takes on the character of fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Not only this Tree, but even its fruit cannot enter the Kingdom of God – (1Cor 15:50) because its nature is flesh which cannot inherit or have share in the Kingdom. Rather it will be burned in fire, just like works not built on the foundation of Christ that are wood, hay, and stubble (dead works – done in the flesh, 1Cor 3:11-15).
Now Abel brought a sacrifice to God according to God’s standard and leading. It was the firstborn of his flock, including the fat portions (which are the choicest portions). But the to understand what Abel did (that made him pleasing and acceptable to God), is found in Hebrews 11:4. It says that Abel was “prompted, actuated, by faith” to bring His sacrifice. This means he was operating by faith in obedience to God. He was choosing to follow God in obedience and dependence –believing that this was the way to please God – which he did. The fruit from Abel’s work, because it was in faith and obedience, was of the character of the Tree of Eternal Life. It could not be burned up when tested by fire. But it still bears witness to us today, because his works were done in faith. They will never be destroyed – but they endure in the Kingdom.
What is the application for us here? Live our lives according to the Spirit of Life in Christ, according to the Tree of Eternal Life operating in us by the redemptive power of Christ. Our walk, as believers, should be after the dictates of the Spirit, not after the dictates of the flesh. This is the provisioning that God has made through the Cross and Christ Jesus.
What then could we conjecture as being the “Worst Nightmare of God?” It would be for a believer to hear about these two Trees and their respective natures and ways of living, and ignore any correction of the Spirit saying, “TAKE NOTE!” Worse yet would be to live as one deceived, believing he was living by the Spirit when all along his nature and works were still of the flesh.
This is the lesson and caution we gain from Cain. His works and offering to the Lord were of the fruit of the ground that was under a curse. This was an offering from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was in fact an offering of Cain’s best work, his best reasoning – in independence from God yet contrary to God’s own direction and instruction. It was both disobedient and rebellious. Cain knew God’s requirements, but sought to come to God on the ground of his own personal worthiness and toil. It was unacceptable – just as all of our own best efforts fall short when we ourselves are not surrendered as living sacrifices to God – then being responsive to God’s prompting and actuating by faith and obedience.
Do you wonder if you are operating after the dictates of the Spirit, or the flesh? Do you wonder if your nature and fruit take their character from the Tree of Eternal Life or the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (from your spiritual man or your natural self)? One thing is certain, if you are living according to the Spirit – your life in Christ is expanding, becoming more powerful, and you are walking by faith not by sight. You live a life according to authority, and the atonement of the Cross is being liberally applied to your daily walk. You are continually bringing to bear the word of God in your life as a rule of light. You are continually refuting arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God, (even rooted in your own thoughts) and leading every thought and purpose captive into the obedience of Christ. Your trust is in God, not yourself! Not your best stuff, nor your worst!
Here are some of my favorite poignant examples so you can see the contrast between the leading of the Spirit (God’s direction) and what our own reasoning would look like.
– Gen 24, The servant of Abraham goes to Abraham’s descendents (in Mesopotamia) to secure a wife for Isaac. The leading of the Lord directs this servant to choose her on the basis of her offer to water all the servant’s camels. (Really? Didn’t even want to count her teeth?)
– Ex 14, The Lord tells Moses to camp by the Red Sea where they have no other choice than to cross over on dry ground. (I’m pretty sure my reasoning would have taken me nowhere near the Red Sea!)
– Joshua 3, Joshua is told by the Lord that when the soles of the priests’ feet, who are carrying the ark, are in the river Jordan – then it’s waters will stand in a heap and not flow till all have crossed over. (There is no way our reasoning will get you to this behavior as a good choice.)
– Judges 7, Gideon is told to decrease the numbers of the warriors with him by the way they drink water. This takes the number of men with him down to 300. (_Of course_ my reasoning would lead me to go into an outnumbered battle expecting victory by smashing pitchers and blowing trumpets!)
When a man or even a fellowship chooses by ignorance or rebellion, to live at the lower level (his flesh – body and soul together) and not according to the Spirit, he will only be able to sow from and to that which he has: namely the flesh. We are told in Galatians that whatever a man sows – that is what he reaps. If he sows to his own flesh (his lower nature, sensuality) he will reap decay and ruin and destruction. But he who sows to the Spirit reaps eternal life! It is for this reason the enemy, Satan, so desires we be ignorant of sowing to the flesh – that we would reap decay and ruin and destruction.
You must awake – Bride of Christ! It is His life that we carry and we must bear His image, not that of our own! Be provoked by this, and become certain that you walk according to the Spirit! As a believer in Christ, if you do not walk according to the Spirit, you are most certainly walking according to the flesh. There are only two choices! Be — loved, become certain to what do you sow…
Insolomonsporch's Blog 
Leave a Reply