If doing God’s will seems hard or burdensome than check yourself. Think about how your relationship is with the Lord. And how is your prayer life and Bible study going? In God’s sight, it is never a good thing to see someone who does things either for a reward or because they feel forced into it. Either of these two things have no gain in a person’s life. Because their heart is not sincere in their actions, God does not receive such offerings. 1Just like Cain and Abel gave offerings to the Lord and only Abel’s was received. There was a difference in the two brother’s hearts and God could tell. He could see that only Abel’s offering of the lamb was heartfelt. There was something off with Cain’s offering and therefore it was not accepted. Though scriptures do not say specifically why God accepted Abel’s offering over Cain, we do know that Cain later became very mad and heated towards his brother to murder. And we know what Cain did next, as he slew Abel. As we examine this, we can see that there was anger in Cain’s heart. Where Abel had love for the Lord. We can look at Abel as representing a person who wants to do God’s will with love. They are not pushed into doing things but do things out of the kindness of their hearts, because of their relationship with God. However, Cain represents someone who gets upset when they are forced into doing things for God. They may still do it but just to look good, though they may feel burdened by it.
I hope you have learned from Cain’s mistake, in order to know how to respond to doing God’s will, even when other people may be producing more fruit. Some people are further along in their relationship with the Lord. Instead of getting upset with them, learn from them. Let go of any anger, as this was Cain’s downfall. And come to the Lord for direction. Do not find yourself burdened but instead, seeking to serve God. Prayer and reading the Bible will help this. Do not find yourself thinking that doing good works will make God love you more. The Lord God already loves you so much. And this weight you carry can be lifted. With the Lord in your life, these same things that seem burdensome and too hard to bear will become light. It is true that with the Lord in our lives, we gain strength. We then are able to do good works but not even realize it. Our very lives are able to fulfill the will of the Father when our relationship with God is there. This is when good works truly happen in one’s life. The Lord is looking for a person who truly loves Him and desires to do His will without anyone pushing them, to look good, or for a reward. 2And every born again believer does things for others because they love the Lord and others with all their heart might mind and strength. Nobody could ever push them to love the Lord more, for He is with them always. God is in their hearts and their relationship with Him is strong. Therefore, there service for people is genuine.
Let us pray:
Lord, I pray that people in the faith will all build a relationship with You. May they begin to put You first in their lives. Therefore, doing Your will, will no longer be a burden. It will no longer be a chore to serve You or our fellow men and women. With You in our lives and directing our paths, we have the strength to serve You. There is power in Your Name. Therefore, we are lifted up. It is only when we put down our trust in You that things start to fall apart. We begin to doubt things and feel burdened by doing Your will. I’ve seen it Lord, many people proclaim to know You but when asked to do service, often time they do not respond in favor of it, or for some that do, you can soon see that a few of them feel burdened. I know that there are many people that have become content with their own lives and do not wish to do new things. These feelings, Lord, are very detrimental to You and Your Kingdom. It really saddens me to see people so far off from serving You and doing Your will. May there be a revival in their hearts today. Spark something inside of them, that they may discover You in a new way. May a true change occur and their desires to get out there and do Your will become a reality. I know this can happen. I trust in You, God. I love You. Amen.
Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.
1Genesis 4:1-13 (KJV)
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.
2Mark 12:28-34 (KJV)
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.