"Here comes my favorite part of the worship service—the offering."

Well, I guess I've never heard anyone say that, but I know some people who feel that way. I think one of them was named Abel.

Abel's faith demonstrated

In what must be one of the most tragic stories in the Bible, the first child born here on earth kills the second. Cain and Abel were born into the sinful world that Adam and Eve had caused with their sin. We know that sin is a powerful force, but to murder your brother?

Moses explains what happened in Genesis 4:2-5: "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." Then we read that Cain killed Abel (v. 8).

Why was Abel's offering acceptable to God and Cain's was not? It sounds as if Abel went out of his way to choose the very best that he had, and Cain didn't. But God does not reject our offering if it isn't the very best we could give. Instead, the problem with Cain's offering was not what was on the altar, but what was in his heart—or better, what wasn't in his heart. The writer to the Hebrews explains that faith wasn't in Cain's heart.

Abel knew the promise of God to send a Savior to wash away his sins. Abel could see from the world around him that he had a God who loved him and cared for him. He knew God's promise to send someone to erase the sin and death caused by his parents. So when Abel looked for a gift to give God, he did it with love in his heart. How could he not give his best?

Our gifts of faith

It's not easy to make an offering to God. I'm not sure it is supposed to be. The economy has been struggling lately. Sometimes the bills seem to be greater than the income. Just think of what you could buy with the money you give to God. God doesn't need it. He didn't need Cain's or Abel's offering either. That is what it looks like when you focus on the offering.

It works better to focus on who receives the offering. Here is God, who for some unknown reason—it's grace—loved me. Here is God, who in spite of all my failures, sins, and selfishness, wrapped his arms around me and made me his own. Here is God, who says to me, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). This is the God for whom I want to pick out a gift. And I want my gift to say something. I want it to say "Thank you," but more. I want it to say, "I believe you."