What’s Wrong With My Veggie Tray?

“For I desire faithful love and mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” – Hosea 6:6

Most of us probably learned the story of Cain and Abel when we were kids. But this story – of the world’s first two brothers, and the world’s first murder – is worth a closer look. 

In Genesis 4 Cain and Abel, as grown men, both brought offerings to the Lord. Cain offered God “some of the fruits of the soil as an offering.” That makes sense, since he was a farmer. Meanwhile, Abel “brought some fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” That also makes sense, since Abel was a shepherd. But in verses 4 and 5, we read that God liked Abel’s offering and accepted it. But He didn’t like Cain’s offering and rejected it. And according to the Amplified Bible’s translation, “Cain became extremely angry (indignant), and he looked annoyed and hostile” (v. 5).

Why did God reject Cain’s offering? Some Christians believe that Cain’s offering was rejected because it consisted of vegetables instead of a blood sacrifice. But Leviticus 2 tells us grain offerings can be pleasing to God. Other Christians point out that Cain brought “some of the fruits of the soil,” but Abel brought “fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock” (vs. 3-4). In other words, Cain brought a generic vegetable tray, but Abel brought the prime rib. So, you could make the case that when Abel came to worship God, he offered God his very best. But when Cain came to worship God, he offered Him his leftovers.

We can’t be sure. But Hebrews 11:4 sheds more light: “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.” According to this verse, Abel’s offering was given in faith, but Cain’s wasn’t. In Hosea 6:6 God says, “For I desire faithful love and mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” From these verses we can gather that Abel gave His offering in faith, love and obedience to God, while Cain did not.

Here are three life lessons we can draw from this passage:

Life Lesson #1: When you bring an offering to God, bring Him your first and your best. If you really love God and desire to worship Him in spirit and in truth, don’t bring Him your leftovers. Bring Him the best of the best.

Life Lesson #2: When God offers you a second chance, humble yourself in His presence and take it. Cain was a fool. God gave him every chance to change course, but he refused to trust and obey. Don’t be like Cain.

Life Lesson #3: You must know Jesus Christ in order to be right with God and man. Answer the two questions that God asked Adam and Cain: “Where are you?” (when Adam was hiding after his sin) and “Where is your brother?” (after Cain murdered Abel). Where are you in your relationship with God today, and where are you in your relationships with the people around you?

If you’re not right with God or you’re not right with others, Jesus Christ is your only hope. He’s the only one who can restore your relationship with God AND your relationships with your family and friends.

 Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley.

How Can I Vote Like Jesus?

 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You.” – Psalm 89:14

If you didn’t know it already, let me be the first to tell you: Jesus ISN’T running for President. Instead, we have two presidential candidates who aren’t in the same league as Jesus. So, choosing between them can be tough.

As a pastor-teacher, it is NOT my job to tell you who to vote for. My job is to teach God’s Word, which will equip you to think like Jesus. When it comes to deciding who or what to vote for, I believe we have two goals: 1) To determine the heart of Christ on the issues; and 2) To prayerfully decide which political candidates, propositions and measures are most in sync with the heart of Christ. 

In Psalm 89, a Jewish religious leader longs for God to restore the throne of Israel to one of King David’s descendants. From a New Testament perspective, we know that descendent to be Jesus Christ. The psalmist says: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You” (v. 14). In this verse, I believe we find the heart of Jesus Christ’s kingdom: It is built on the foundation of righteousness and justice.

Interestingly, Republicans tend to place a greater value on passing policies that are righteous (morally right), especially when it comes to the unborn child, marriage, gender, and sexual purity. Meanwhile, Democrats tend to place a greater value on passing policies that are morally just, especially when it comes to health care, the treatment of minorities, criminal justice reform, and ending poverty. But these few examples just scratch the surface of the matters of righteousness and justice that are addressed in the two party platforms.

So, you have some homework to do. Review the Republican and Democratic party platforms that are available online. (Once elected, political leaders vote in line with their party platform more than 3/4 of the time.) DON’T assume that your favorite news source is telling you the whole truth. Almost all news sources these days are slanted, either to the right or the left. But you have the tools necessary to make God-honoring decisions about who and what to vote for. You have the Word of God. You have access to God’s wisdom through prayer. And the party platforms are just a click away. Read them with righteousness and justice in mind.

Here are two very important lessons that I’d like every one of us to take to heart:

Lesson #1: Our primary job as Christians is to lead people to Christ, not to an elephant or to a donkey. So, don’t let your politics sabotage your witness to unbelievers or your fellowship with believers. Let’s be honest: If Jesus was an American citizen, He probably wouldn’t be a Republican OR a Democrat. Jesus isn’t a “party” guy. So, don’t damage your witness by coming across like it’s your way or the highway.

Lesson #2: Pray for right and just leaders. Vote for right and just leaders. And if the candidate you vote for doesn’t win … pray for the person who takes office, just the same.

For months I’ve been praying every day for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Governor Newsom and Donald Trump to be saved. I hope that you’ll pray for that as well. We need Christ-loving, Bible-believing Christians in our government now more than ever. So, pray for ALL of our leaders as you pray for our nation.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley.

Our Spiritual Secret Weapon

 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” – 1 Peter 4:8

Jesus Christ, through His Holy Spirit, has given every Christian at least one spiritual gift, which enables him or her to perform an important spiritual function in the Body of Christ with joy and effectiveness. So, how can we use our spiritual gifts to make the biggest positive impact in the lives of others? The apostle Peter answers by revealing our secret weapon.

1 Peter 4, Peter tells us, “The end of all things is near” (v. 7). Or, as the New Living Translation puts it, “The end of the world is coming soon.” Christians in the early church believed that Jesus would return in their lifetime. And over the past 2,000 years, Christians in every generation have thought the same thing. Jesus is okay with that – because He wants us to live expectantly. In every generation, Jesus wants Christians to realize that His return is closer than ever before. He truly IS coming soon, so there’s no time to lose. We need to serve the Lord.

Peter goes on to say, “Therefore, be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (v. 7). Because the window of opportunity to reach this world for Jesus Christ is shrinking, you and I need to be at the top of our game. We can’t indulge in drugs, alcohol or trashy entertainment, because those things cloud our thinking and sabotage our self-control. And if you and I are not clear-minded and self-controlled, we won’t be able to pray as Christ needs us to pray. And if we don’t pray as Christ needs us to pray, His life-changing work won’t get done.

Then, in verse 8, Peter mentions the priority of love: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” This isn’t an unrelated topic. If you look at all four chapters in the New Testament that deal with spiritual gifts (Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 4, and 1 Peter 4), you’ll see that love is right there—every time. In Ephesians 3, right before the chapter teaching us about spiritual gifts, Paul prays that we will grasp how long and wide and high and deep is the love of Christ (v. 18). In Romans 12, Paul teaches about love right after highlighting seven of the spiritual gifts. And in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul spends a whole chapter on love in the middle of his teaching about spiritual gifts.

In the New Testament, we see agape love emphasized before, after and during the teachings on spiritual gifts. You see, it’s not enough to just HAVE a spiritual gift—you must USE your spiritual gift. And it’s not enough to just use your spiritual gift. You must use it … in love. So, why should you use your spiritual gifts to serve others? Because you love God deeply, and you love others deeply. Sometimes Christians are hard to love. But love us deeply anyway.

 Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley.