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HOW TO REAP THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF BLESSINGS…
In our last column, we discussed God’s Financial System. We talked about how Adam initially worked for God under God’s Financial System, where the work was sweat-less and the pay was great. Adam then chose to sin and never repented so he was no longer able to work for God. God had to design a secondary system for those who would rather be self-dependant rather than God dependant. This system was the World’s Financial System. Under this system, work would be difficult and boring and its wages would only be a fraction of what working for God would pay.
As you read the end of Genesis chapter three where Adam and Eve lost their jobs in the garden of Eden, you may experience a great feeling of despair as you may believe that Adam and Eve ruined your chances to ever enjoy the kind of life they did. But as you turn the page to the fourth chapter of Genesis, it seems as though the Holy Spirit can’t wait to tell you that you still have an opportunity to have a life similar to the life our original parents enjoyed in the garden of Eden. The first two verses of Genesis chapter four read like this:
1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
The Scriptures jump from Cain and Abel’s conception and birth right to what they did for a living as adults. The Holy Spirit just skipped over maybe 30 years without mentioning a word about their upbringing as if He was in a hurry to give us the good news about what our life could be like. Adam and Eve’s failure did not change God’s plan for our lives. He still wants us to live a heavenly life on earth.
Even though Abel was the younger brother, the Scriptures tell us first what he did for a living because his was the more honorable profession. Abel was a shepherd, which represents the ministry. The Bible refers to JESUS as the Good Shepherd.
Notice the last part of verse two where it says “but Cain was a tiller of the ground”. If your spirit is sensitive, you will pick up how the Holy Spirit is disappointed in Cain’s choice to work the soil, which represents the fact that Cain chose to work in the World’s Financial System.
Continuing on, we see how God favored Abel’s choice but not Cain’s:
3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
As you can see, both men believed in God and were religious. They both brought offerings to God. Cain’s was rejected while Abel’s was accepted. This was evident by the fact that God’s blessings were upon Abel, but were not upon Cain. Abel was enjoying a life similar to what his parents enjoyed in Eden, whereas Cain’s life was like his parents after they were rejected from Eden.
Cain was like most Christians today who work in the World’s Financial System and give God a financial offering on Sunday, thinking this will make God happy. Like Cain, they are puzzled why they don’t see God’s blessing in their lives like they should.
Abel went to work for the LORD and he brought God a fat lamb as his offering. This represents bringing God a well fed new born in Christ. This will always bring God’s blessing upon us. God does not want us to throw money in the church basket with the attitude that it’s the preachers job to win the lost. God has called us all to be in the ministry, to use our time and money to lead others to Him and to feed them well on the Word.
Can you see what you need to do in order to live a heavenly life here on earth???
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