Tuesday, July 3, 2007

The Way of Cain

But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain. . . .

—Jude 1:10–11

A fisherman who filled a bucket with crabs to take to the market every day was asked why he never put a lid on his catch. Wouldn’t the crabs climb out? The fisherman replied, “I don’t need to put a lid on the bucket. As soon as one starts to climb out, the others reach up and pull him down.”

People can be the same way. As long as we are all equal and on the same level, we can live with that. But as soon as someone starts doing a little better than the rest of us, we want to pull that person down.

The Bible warns of going “in the way of Cain.” The way of Cain, simplified, is the way of hatred. And so often, hatred is rooted in envy.

Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve. But instead of growing up to be a godly man, he became a wicked man. He even turned out to be a murderer. When God accepted his brother Abel’s sacrifice but rejected his, Cain was angry. His heart was filled with envy, which turned into hatred. And when Cain gave in to hatred, he ended up murdering his brother.

The way of Cain is to have a heart and life that is filled with jealousy, envy, and hatred. It is to reject all responsibility for your actions. It is also to lie to God about what you have done. The way of Cain leads to the curse that came upon Cain. That is why we want to make sure we don’t harbor anger or bitterness.

If you are experiencing envy or hatred today, nip it in the bud. Don’t allow it to continue.


For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to  www.harvest.org.

 

Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries.  All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.  Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.