He Didn't Say

“Where’s your brother?”

“How should I know? Am I my brother’s keeper?”

“What have you done?”

The first son out of the womb, killed the second.

He didn’t say to the parents, “This is your fault. You should’ve raised him better.”

He didn’t say, “I never should've made those rocks. I need to ban all rocks from the earth; they kill people.”

He didn’t shift the blame. “Abel must’ve offended you by the way he worshipped.”

He didn’t berate Cain. “You stupid fool! I wish you’d never been born. What’s wrong with you?”

He didn’t take the blame and say, “It’s all my fault. I never should’ve given them freedom to choose.”

He simply announced judgement.  

“The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Cain knew he’d done wrong. He had no one to blame. He’d already been warned.

Cain and Abel brought an offering.

Cain’s offering was some leftover scraps.

Abel brought the very best he had.

The difference was as obvious as a convenience store rose, picked up at the last minute on the way home from work, verses a dozen roses delivered with a beautiful hand written card expressing gratitude and love and an invitation to dinner.

Cain, should’ve thought, I’ll do better next time. Instead, he got mad at Abel for doing so good.

The attitude of his heart was written all over his face before the blood was spilled on his hand.  

God saw it. “Cain, why are you angry?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”

Aha, there it is. Sin. God placed the blame squarely on the problem; sin.

In the same breath, the responsibility for dealing with sin, fell squarely on Cain.  “You must overcome it.”

I’ve gotten side tracked lately. With all the news and political battles, I started thinking that all the worlds woes were due to democrats.  I’d lost sight of this simple lesson, that the snake by the door ready to strike, isn’t one political party or the other, it is sin. Period.

I’ve offended friends and family by attacking democrats. I was trying to attack evil. But, in my mind, democrats and evil had become one and the same.

I wanted my loved ones to know the side they were standing on was doing all sorts of evil. I thought they’d want to know. I figured they’d be glad I told them. I assumed their eyes would be opened.  It didn’t exactly work out that way.

They thought I was attacking them.

As long as they can remember, they’ve considered themselves to be democrats. They’d probably feel like traitors to their beloved, respected, dearly departed parents and grandparents, if they doubted the democratic party.  

Tradition runs deep. “You make of none effect the word of God, by your tradition” said Jesus to the religious leaders.

My "attack" on the democrats was viewed by my precious friends and family as an attack on them personally. I didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t mean it as a personal attack on them. I don’t see them as democrats or republicans or red, yellow, black or white…they are abundantly loved, fearfully and wonderfully made, people. My people. Those I love. Family.

I simply wanted to warn them of the snake I see coiled by the door; fangs dripping with venom desiring to kill, steal and destroy. Alas, they thought I was calling them, the snake.

God didn’t mince words with Cain. He won’t with us. He calls an ace an ace and a spade a spade; and sin—sin. From now on I’ll endeavor to do the same.

Let’s be real. When it comes to sin, I've done more than my share. "Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone." I have no place in that line, or any stones to throw. And, President Trump? Well, he's no saint. I wouldn’t recommend him as a marriage counselor or to lead your Bible study. But, to manage a hunk of real estate the size of a nation—he’s your man. The nearly half a million more paychecks being taken home every payday speaks for itself. Of course, that's just my humble opinion. 

What's important to remember, no matter where you stand, we all must deal with the sin problem and for that Jesus is your man. There is no other way.

Remember, you are awesome, you matter, I love you. 

Most important of all, know that Jesus loves you.  He is your answer.