• Week Two
• Day two
• Remember to pray before you begin. Ask the Lord for understanding and wisdom.

Scriptures

Matthew 5:21-22
21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Genesis 4:1-15
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And 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:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Genesis 4:25-26
25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Devotional

ANGER EQUALS MURDER

We have a hard time thinking of anger as sin, particularly when we feel justified. (There is an appropriate anger, and we will look at that later. But if we’re honest, most of our anger does not fall into this category.) When someone betrays your trust, carelessly and repeatedly forgets to keep their commitments, lies to you, cuts you off on the highway, or wrongs you in some other way, how do you respond? Think for a moment about who or what causes you to struggle with hurt, anger, bitterness, or resentment. What change might you need to make in your relationship with:

your spouse?

your friends?

your co-workers?

your neighbors?

The story of Cain and Abel is the first account we have of man displaying anger. It is important to know, as you read, that Cain knew what was considered an acceptable sacrifice and yet he substituted his own. Ask yourself the following questions: What do you notice about Cain’s attitude? What question does the Lord ask Cain? Why do you think He asks these questions? What do you think God wants you to learn from Cain’s actions and choices? What is He communicating through the recounting of Cain’s sin?

Cain proved by his actions that he was not a child of God ( 1 John 3:12
Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.) Nevertheless, we can still glean some “parenting” instruction from this passage. What can you learn about parenting your children from how God deals with Cain?

Cain disregarded the Lord’s warning and chose instead to follow through with the evil intent of his heart. His heart attitude blinded him and hardened his heart towards the Lord and his brother.

Anger arises from our hearts, and external circumstances only give an opportunity for it to express itself. Ask the Lord today to show you the attitude of your heart and those things that keep you from being able to respond in love and mercy. Sometimes we don’t want to give those things up; we want to hold onto them, believing we are justified. Be completely transparent with your Lord and ask Him to help you want to let go and desire His way above your own. Ask Him to help you heed His warning so you will not be like Cain. Take a moment now to pray for those who frustrate, disappoint, and sin against you.

My own thoughts:

I think of how often I have been mad at someone for things that they have done. I did not reflect Christ in my actions and I can never take back those moments. I was so far from Jesus and am just now coming to a deeper understanding of what it means to love Him and be called a child of the Most High God. May we all be gifted with the faith of the fathers and until next time, stay peculiar!