Do What Is Right

In Genesis 4, we read the story of Cain killing his brother Abel.  Cain made an offering to God from his garden, Abel made an offering to God from his finest flock.  God was pleased with Abel’s offering and not so much with Cain’s.  This caused Cain to become angry and his face showed it.

God recognized Cain’s anger and said to him “Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” (4:7, The NET Bible First Edition).

We often know what is right, but we want to try things our way, or we think that it’s no big deal, or we are full of pride and fight against anyone telling us what to do.  The happens a lot when it comes to our response to God or the church or those preachers who seem to get in our grill.  Proverbs also warns us that a fool cannot accept wisdom.

The more bad situations or relationships or stressful moments we find ourselves in, the more hard-hearted we get towards people, the more we react harshly, the more we can’t seem to control ourselves out of anger.  Sin has already at this point dominated us.  But that doesn’t have to be the end of it.

The choice is constantly ours.  Do what is right and subdue sin from taking hold and we’ll be fine; or don’t do what is right and sin is waiting to dominate every action and attitude.  Sin will take us further than we wanted and cost us more than we wanted to spend.