Your Attitude Matters

For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Deuteronomy 5:21
I’m not a fan of the color green.  I’ve never thought it looked good on me.  I don’t like Saint Patrick’s day because I’ve never had much green in my closet so I’ve received numerous pinches. Not liking green is a little humorous since I grew up on a farm.  I’ve always thought that green represents farms.

Cain was a farmer.  He used his occupation and the fruit of it to worship God.  Cain’s offering to God was not accepted.  Why?  Cain presented “some of the land’s produce”.  Abel presented some of the “first born”.  Cain saw what he had, and gave some.  Abel took the first and offered it. Cain did a “wait and see”.  Abel did an “offer first and have faith for the rest”.  Their attitudes toward offering mattered.  Cain’s attitude was not God first.  Abel’s was.  Abel was received and Cain was not.  Cain was envious of Abel.

The problem of envy between Cain and Abel is the first in a line of brothers we read about in the Old Testament.  Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Israel.  The green of envy didn’t look good on them either.  Cain’s wrong attitude lead to bad action that led to envy what lead to murder.  It all began with Cain’s attitude.  He arrogantly believed that he was the one who could plan his own future and choose his own path.  Abel’s attitude recognized that his life, occupation, and fruits of his labor were all because of God.  Abel’s right attitude led to right action that led to acceptance by God.

It all started with attitude.  Cain’s attitude mattered.  Abel’s attitude mattered.  Your attitude matters.

  1. What are you envious of?
  2. What is your attitude toward giving?


--Zine Smith

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