Part 1 – Flexibility Training – Reading
Have you noticed that drivers are more angry than they used to be? Pull up to the four-way stop and count the number of times people yell at you, or flip you off, because you didn’t move quickly enough, or because they thought it was their turn to move, or who knows why. And at the grocery store, the people in line are mean. They yell at the checker, at the bagger, at the stock boy, using language once only heard in R-rated movies.
What does this have to do with Genesis? Everything. The people of the US are an angry people these days. There are some horrible things happening that justify anger. But a lot of it goes back to the oldest story of anger in the book – the story of Cain.
Take a few minutes and read about the first brothers.
Watch specifically for the things that Cain does, the decisions he makes.
There is a lot of speculation about why Abel’s offering was accepted but Cain’s was not. We’re not told directly. But we do know that Cain knew why his offering was not accepted and that he knew how to correct things. God even took time to meet with Cain and warn him about the temptation that he was facing, to encourage him to do the right thing. But Cain ignored God’s words and instead went ahead with the plot to kill his brother.
PART 2 – Strength Training – Memory & Thinking
Keep going on your memory work! Memorize the verse below and review the verses from the previous days.
Genesis 4:7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
There are several reference in the New Testament to the story of Cain and Abel. They make clear that Abel was a righteous man and Cain was not.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. [Jesus’ teaching that what evil you think in your heart is as bad as having done it with your hands.]
Luke 11:50-51 (NLT)
“As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world— from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation. [Spoken by Jesus to the Pharisees about how they were experts in the law but did not recognize the authority of the prophets through the ages. Interesting that Jesus referred to Abel as a prophet.]
Hebrews 11:4 (ESV)
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
1 John 3:11-12 (ESV)
For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
Part 3 – Cardio Training – Prayer
As you ponder these verses, ask God to show you where you are like Cain, unforgiving of another for succeeding where you failed, or perhaps where you knew what good thing to do but you chose to do something else. Ask God to help you confess these times that you blew it and to make things right. You might say something like this:
Dear Father, I don’t always love my brothers and sisters, my fellow Christian brothers and sister, as I ought. I find that, like Cain, I let my anger rule my mouth and my frustrations lead me to sin. I may not have actually killed anyone. But as Jesus said, thinking about harming my brother makes me as guilty as if I had carried out my thoughts. Open my eyes to my sins and where I fail in doing what You have made clear I should do. These are the things that come to mind as I pray…
Part 4 – Endurance Training
Enduring in the midst of temptation is difficult. But bringing these verses back to mind when you are angry or frustrated is a way that God speaks to you and warns you about the bad choices you are tempted to make. Let that encourage you to keep working on memorizing His words. Ask Him to help you continue to read and study the Bible.
Then come back again tomorrow and get to know more of God’s amazing Word.
Faith Gym 