Now Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. 

Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must master it.

Genesis 4:2-5, NIV (1978)

Most people are familiar with the account of Cain and Abel, and how Cain would eventually murder his brother over his jealousy of God's acceptance of Abel's sacrifice, but have you ever considered why Abel's sacrifice was better than that of Cain? It is important, for if we can understand what made one sacrifice pleasing and one displeasing, we can learn something about how God expects us to live in a right manner before him.

While there very likely was some instruction concerning sacrifices that we are not made aware of, (the Bible would be a whole lot longer if we had every detail from every conversation that God had with men) there are still some conclusions that we can draw from that which is written. In this particular case we see both brothers bringing an offering to God from the results of their occupations. We are told that Cain brought "some of the fruits of the soil as an offering" but that Abel brought "fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock".

So, the similarity is that they both made a sacrifice of some of their produce. However, Abel went beyond by providing fat portions of the firstborn. In other words, Abel brought the first and the best of what he had to God. And while we are not specifically told what it was about Cain's offering that was displeasing to God, the fact that his offering was not described in any way as to give the understanding that it was the first and the best, we are left with the impression that Cain just gave in a less thoughtful and less purposeful fashion by simply offering some of his produce.

And in this occasion at the earliest of times, mankind was given a lesson as to what is acceptable to God and what is not. The fact is that God expects the first and best from us. He desires for us to give Him the first consideration in all that we do, whether we are talking about the sacrifice of our time, or possessions or talents. But men being who we are, are often tempted to give God the "leftovers" of what we possess, if we decide to offer Him anything at all. Furthermore, we are often quite unhappy at being expected to give our possessions to anyone.

When it comes to our time, do we set aside our first and our best? Is it your habit to meet with the church on the first day of each and every week, or does God get whatever time you can spare? In your budget, does God get the first consideration, or do you pay everyone else first and see if you have anything left over for God? When it comes to the abilities that God has blessed you with, do you use them first for God, or is any work that you might have done for him all used up by the time you even think about doing something in His service?

The amounts here are secondary. Two people might spend the same time at the worship, but one might be honored to even be considered worthy of offering praise to God, while the other might feel put out (and believe me, they will let you know about it) at the thought of having to take time for God. One may actually give a much greater sum in the offering, only to find that it is looked upon with displeasure by God because of the poor attitude displayed in the giving, while the widow's offering might be held in high esteem by God because she gave the "mites" that she had as a first fruits offering to the Lord.

The point of this is that our attitude, our regard for the Lord, and our desire to give God from our first and our best, all go in to making our offering something that is pleasing to God. Should we ever feel tempted to give God from our "scrap pile of leftovers" then perhaps we would be better off not giving to God in the first place. After all, how would you feel if people's gifts to you were made in such a begrudging fashion as to let you know that they were really not all that happy about giving them in the first place? I imagine you would have preferred for that person to keep what they have, rather than offering up some miserly gift that they clearly were put out over.

The fact is that God has always desired our first and our best, but it has never been something that He commanded because He had need of anything. The creator of all things does not need us to supply Him anything. What He does want, however, is for His people to love Him enough and appreciate Him enough that they are wanting to give Him the first and the best of whatever they have. In most instances, such a giver will wish they could have given more, but they are satisfied with the knowledge that what they are giving is what they can afford and that God will be pleased with such a sacrifice.

It is when we can learn to give of our time, our resources, and our talents, in a cheerful and thoughtful manner, that we will become pleasing to God. And when you think about it, what could be better than to be able to please God in any small way as to have Him show favor to you for your efforts? The fact is that God has an eternity waiting for those who are highly desirous of serving Him in the best way that they can. But for those who are greedy, self-indulgent, and begrudging in their offerings? Well, there is another eternity planned for them that is entirely different than the reward God has in mind for those who appreciate what He has done for them and who want to show that appreciation by giving back the first and the best of everything they have.

What kind of a giver are you?