Teresa LeNeave - leneave2@comcast.net

I was reminded of this during a discussion about Abel and Cain and why God accepted Abel's animal sacrifice but not Cain's fruit and veggie sacrifice. Personally, I believe it was because Cain didn't obey what he knew God had set down as a spiritual law. It makes sense to me that Abel had faith to believe God, while Cain struggled with it.

A lot of people know much more about the Bible than I do, but the problem I see is that some people don't understand that God laid down spiritual laws and one of those laws is that we receive according to our faith. Did Cain not have faith in "without the shedding of blood there is no remission?" John said, "...this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4).

Romans 9:22 says, "And almost all things "are by the law" purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission." Certainly, Cain did not have Paul's letter to the Romans available to read like we do, but God is always fair and just, so I believe Cain knew what God wanted.

The problem, as far as I understand it, is the lack of understanding God has laid down spiritual laws and we can't pick and choose which ones we want to obey. It takes faith to follow an unseen God. On our best day, we fail to obey all His commands, but at least we should be found trying.

You may prefer a house built on beams, or piling, along a sandy ocean front property, but it won't matter how much you like it if a hurricane comes along and blows the house off the weak foundation. You would have faired much better to have a house located a block away from the ocean, built on a firm, solid foundation. Our preference is not what counts. The Bible says, "Obedience is better than sacrifice" (I Samuel 15:22). When storms come, we need a solid foundation in God's word and His promises.

If lack of obedience was the problem, how could Cain have solved it? (The same way we have to). We just have to cooperate with God. "To him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it; to him it is sin (James 4:17). I suggest, reading, studying, and listening to the Bible on a Bible app. Do whatever it takes to find out what God's spiritual laws are.

There is great benefit in believing God's spiritual laws will never change. Prayer is a spiritual law and Ifind great comfort in exercising my privilege to pray. Mark 11:24 is one of my favorite scriptures. It says, "Therefore, I say unto you, whatsoever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." All my prayers are not answered, as least not in the way I wanted them to be answered, but I still believe that scripture is true.

Psalm 103:2-3 is very direct and easy to understand: "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits... who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases" (NIV). If you need encouragement today, read verses 1- 5.

We don't want to be out of favor with God so faith in what He says is very important. With every problem look for the solution and hang on to the benefits of believing God.