But he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain very angry and dejected.
Gifts are the types of things that are typically reserved for special occasions like Christmas, birthdays, and weddings. The first instance in the Bible of gift-giving is found in Genesis 4:5 where Cain and Abel bring their gifts to the Lord, and God finds Cain's gift unacceptable. His reaction begs us to ask ourselves the question, "Is there such a thing as unacceptable gift?" After all, gifts are meant to be sincere, right? Well, I can recall a Christmas party where someone received a gift and responded to the giver by saying, "Wow! This was the gift that I gave to you last year!" Getting caught "re-gifting" can be pretty embarrassing, and it's certainly a picture of giving an unacceptable gift. 1 Samuel 16:7 teaches us that, "The Lord doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions." Knowing this, make sure that when you give an offering to the Lord, whether it be time, work, money or actions, that it's acceptable on the inside and out. After all, the Lord is looking at both your thoughts and intentions.
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