Cain and Abel. Whether you are a churchgoer or not, pretty much all of us know those names. And even if the specific details of the story are fuzzy, we know how it ends. Cain kills Abel. The first murder in the history of the human race. Right at the beginning of the human race.
I grew up in a church-going family (St. Ronald’s in Clinton Township) and this is one of those stories I remember learning as a kid. And I thought I had the application of the story down pat: no matter how mad your brother makes you, don’t kill him. 🙂
While that is a really good rule to live by, that is not the point of this blog. Genesis 4:8 describes how Cain killed Abel. The verse right before it is the one I felt led to blog about.
Right before Cain takes Abel on a walk where only one of them returns, God tells Cain, “…sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7).
God paints a vivid word picture. He warns Cain that sin is crouching at his door like a lion waiting to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. Sin desires to have him. But Cain is not an actor in a play whose lines have been written for him. Cain has free will. He has the power to choose. So God tells him, “…but you must rule over it.”
I imagine the tone of God’s voice as he spoke those words to Cain. Like a dad who speaks lovingly to his child who is about to make a bad decision. “Cain, my child, you are about to go down a road that leads to a bad place. Trust that I love you, Cain. I want what is best for you. I am your Father in heaven and I know best. Don’t give in to your anger toward Abel. Don’t give in to your jealousy. Choose to love your brother today.”
Unfortunately, Cain doesn’t heed God’s advice and the rest is history.
But this blog is not about ancient history. It is about today. Shakespeare said, “All the world is a stage” and I love that word picture. We are actors in a play. But unlike Hamlet or Romeo & Juliet, our lines have not been written for us. We have the power to choose the thoughts, words, and actions that will fill the pages of our script each day we are alive.
One thing is certain in the midst of our choices. Just like it happened to Cain that day, sin will be crouching at our door. All day long. It desires to have us. But we must rule over it.
And we can rule over it. Not by our strength. Not by our power. But by God’s Spirit. (see Zechariah 4:6)
So as you go about the rest of your day, be aware that sin is always crouching at your door. And think through the sins that you tend to welcome in like an old friend. Anger. Pride. Greed. Jealousy. Envy. Lust. Hatred. Self-centeredness. Unwholesome talk. Those sins are crouching at your door today. They desire to have you. But you must rule over them.
Ask God to give you eyes to see the sin that is at your door, knocking and hoping you welcome it in. Ask Him to give you the power to resist it. To keep the door to your head and your heart dead-bolted shut.
***Please join us at The Mission this Sunday! Here is a sneak preview of where I’ll be headed in my sermon: “You have a crucial role to play. Frodo underestimated who he was in The Lord of the Rings saga. As did Neo in The Matrix. As did Peter, James, and John in the Bible. It is a dangerous thing to underestimate your role in God’s Story because if you do, you will lose heart and you will miss your cues. This is a most desperate hour. You are needed.” Please join us on Nov. 3rd at The Mission (52767 Shelby Rd. in Shelby Twp.) at one of our new service times — 9:15am or 11:00am — and don’t forget to “fall back” with your clocks that weekend so you get to church on time!!!! More info at themission.church**
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