DRAWING NEAR
November 6
Leaving a Righteous Legacy
"By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain,
through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous,
God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is
dead, he still speaks" (Heb. 11:4).
The character of your life will determine the legacy you leave to
others.
Bible scholar James Moffatt wrote, "Death is never the last word in
the life of a . . . man. When a man leaves this world, be he
righteous or unrighteous, he leaves something in the world. He may
leave something that will grow and spread like a cancer or a poison,
or he may leave something like the fragrance of perfume or a blossom
of beauty that permeates the atmosphere with blessing."
That's illustrated in the lives of Adam and Eve's first sons: Cain
and Abel. Cain was an unrighteous man who sought to please God by his
own efforts. God rejected him (Gen. 4:5). Able was a righteous man
who worshiped God in true faith. God accepted Him (v. 4).
In a jealous rage, Cain murdered Abel, becoming the first human being
to take the life of another. He forever stands as a testimony to the
utter tragedy of attempting to please God apart from true faith. For
"without faith," Hebrews 11:6 says, "it is impossible to please Him."
Cain tried and failed--as have millions who have followed in his
footsteps.
Abel, on the other hand, was the first man of faith. Prior to the
Fall, Adam and Eve had no need of faith in the same way as their
descendants. They lived in the paradise of Eden and had direct
contact with God. Their children were the first to have need of faith
in its fullest sense.
Cain's legacy is rebellion, heartache, and judgment. Abel's is
righteousness, justice, and saving faith. His life proclaims the
central message of redemption: righteousness is by faith alone.
What legacy will you leave to those who follow? I pray they will see
in you a pattern of righteousness and faithfulness that inspires them
to follow suit.
Suggestions for Prayer:
1.Praise God for righteous Abel and all who have followed his
example. 2.Ask Him to guard you from ever rebelling against His Word.
For Further Study: Read Genesis 4:1-16 and 1 John 3:11-12.
1.What was God's counsel to Cain after rejecting his offering? 2.Why
did Cain kill Abel? 3.How did God punish Cain?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Genesis 4:1-16
4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and
said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD."
2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a
keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an
offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.
And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very
angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your
countenance fallen?
7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do
well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should
rule over it."
8 Now 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 killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said,
"I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's
blood cries out to Me from the ground.
11 "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth
to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
12 "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength
to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."
13 And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can
bear!
14 "Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the
ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a
vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me
will kill me."
15 And the LORD said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain,
vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD set a mark
on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the
land of Nod on the east of Eden.
1 John 3:11-12
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that
we should love one another,
12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother.
And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his
brother's righteous.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
http://www.gty.org/Gospel/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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