Spiritual Growth Lessons
from Christian Ambassadors
Lesson 21, February 2003
Finding
Acceptance With God
by Sharon K. Griffee
Why do some people easily find acceptance with God
and enjoy a meaningful relationship with him, while others seem to struggle
all their life to make that divine connection? Suffering from years of
estrangement from God, pent-up words of anger and defeat spill out when the
pressure is on. “I don’t know what all
this talk is about the Christian life of victory. I’ve tried and tried to have
a personal relationship with God, but to no avail. I study the Bible, I pray,
but nothing. God doesn’t give me any counsel or direction at all, and frankly
I’m getting tired of trying to have a relationship with him.”
Why is it so hard for some people to connect with
God? Could it be that some people’s sins are just too horrible or too numerous
for God to forgive? Or is there something else God wants from us? When the
human mind begins to reason things out, without the benefit of God’s Spirit,
more alarming thoughts surface, “What if
God is merely choosing some people, for reasons only known to him, while others
are being rejected?” Feeding on these thoughts long enough, with the help
of the adversary, can drive a person to consider the final act of withdrawal
from God, “I guess God just doesn’t
accept me. I guess I’m just not one of His chosen ones after all. I might as well
forget about trying to abide by the dictates of a God conscience.”
If the words you just read describe the feelings you are having in your relationship with God, then recognize that you are not alone. People in every walk of life are expressing similar thoughts, but that doesn’t let you off the hook. You still need to be honest with yourself. Is it really God who is not accepting you, or could it be you may be the one who is not accepting God? When we reach such a low point in our life that we actually believe we have done all we can do, and we blame God for the failure of the relationship - it is a surety that sin is crouching at our door desiring to have us. (Genesis 4:7 NIV)
Romans 8:6-8
(NIV) - The mind of sinful man is
death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind
is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those
controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
As hard as it may be to face, if we decide to wage
war against God, we become his enemy. Unless we repent, we are not fit to live
in His presence. Wherever there is hatred in the heart, a person becomes a
potential murderer.
In the Book of Genesis we find the story of two
brothers, Cain and Abel. Each brother brought their offerings before the Lord
to lay on the altar, but as it turned out, only one of the offerings was
accepted. By studying the character of each of these brothers and how they
treated God, we realize that our acceptance with God has nothing to do with
the luck of the draw. In the end it is our own attitude toward God that
determines our acceptance.
(Genesis,
chapters 3-4)
When Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden they no longer had the
privilege of walking and talking with God face to face. Because they gave in to
the tempter, they defiled their relationship with God. Though they were being
punished for the wrong they had done, they still could worship God by
confessing their sins to him. They could do this by offering sacrifices to him
upon their altars of stone or earth. When they were ready to seek forgiveness,
they would gather wood and place it upon the altar. Then they would lay their
offering on the wood and set fire to it, letting their offering burn.
Cain and Abel were the oldest sons of Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve wanted their sons to love and to please God, so they diligently
taught them about God and how to worship Him. They, also, could offer
sacrifices for forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s love for Cain and
Abel, the same opportunity was given to both of them. Nevertheless, when it was
time to bring their offerings and place them upon the altar, Abel’s offering
was acceptable before God. It was consumed by the fire, while Cain’s offering
was not touched by the fire. God preferred Abel’s offering over Cain’s
offering, because God saw into Abel’s heart and knew the spotless motive behind
his offering. It was not that Abel physically brought a better sacrifice to lay
on the Altar, it was the fact that Abel spiritually had a better attitude about the sacrifice he brought.
He brought a cleansed, forgiven, completely surrendered heart, a heart that was
true to God.
Hebrews 11:4
(NIV) - By faith Abel offered God
a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous
man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even
though he is dead.
Every person who leaves this world will one day
leave behind an influence for good or evil. What we do with the time we have on
this earth should be carefully considered, because the message of who we are
will speak beyond the grave to those who come after us. Though he died a long
time ago, Abel is still speaking a strong message of righteousness to us
today.
But what about Cain’s message? While God spoke
highly of Abel for being a righteous man, he saw something entirely different
in Cain. Behind Cain’s offering he saw tainted motives and a heart filled with
hatred and darkness. Sinful emotions of jealousy and anger began to erupt out
of control when Cain saw that God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but did not accept
his own.
Genesis 4:6-7
(NIV) - Then the LORD said to
Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right,
will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching
at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
It was his own desire to do what was wrong, rather
than what was right, that caused Cain to look downcast and dejected. Yet,
despite his sinful attitude, God loved Cain. He warned him about his wicked
attitude and of how sin desired to have him. He instructed Cain on what he
needed to do to make things right between them. God gave Cain what he
desperately needed to hear, that he must
master his sin, if he wanted to enjoy a complete and fulfilling relationship
with Him.
Knowing what he must do to find acceptance with God,
however, just made Cain all the more angry with his brother Abel. Why? Abel was
willing to put everything he had into developing a close relationship with God,
while Cain was not willing to extend the effort. Cain was jealous of Abel’s
righteous attitude. Abel was a walking reminder to Cain of everything good that
he could be, if only he would put
forth the effort. His preference was to give only a physical offering that
involved minimal sacrifice, while his brother Abel was showing him up, giving
an offering that involved a repentant and contrite spirit!
The hatred that was building in Cain’s heart
ultimately led to the murder of Abel. But, I don’t want to dwell on the fact
that Cain killed his brother Abel, because the focus of this lesson isn’t about
one act of murder. The focus of this lesson is about the many spiritual acts of murder we commit, day after day, week after week, against
our Lord. It is ironic, but all the while people are gradually killing their
relationship with God, through their own neglect, they haughtily blame God for
the failure of the relationship. Without understanding the damage they are
incurring upon themselves, their words become stout against God. Make no
mistake; if we do not honor the sacrifice of what Jesus did for us on the
cross, then our continuous actions of rebellion against God will one day kill
all goodness in our life. We can push our relationship with God only so far,
then one day we either fall on our faces and repent of our sins, or we finally
succeed in killing our relationship with God.
Romans 12:1
(KJV) - I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
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Questions for
Personal or Group Study:
1.
What can we learn from the Lord’s warning to Cain, “Sin is crouching at your
door”? (Genesis 4:7 NIV)
2. Did Cain have the same opportunity to find
acceptance with the Lord, as Abel did? (Genesis 4:6-7)
3. Why did Abel’s righteous actions provoke
uncontrollable anger in Cain? (I John 3:12)
4. How can we know when we have found acceptance
with God and pass from death to life? (I John 3:14)