Hate, Murder, Judgement, Mercy

Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

"Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

This is part of the story of Cain and Abel from Genesis Chapter 4. I only have one older sister and I have never really grown up with her. I don't think I have ever hated her. I know for a fact I have hated other people in my life though. I have never hated someone so much that i wanted to murder them though. There is a part in Matthew chapter 5 where Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.

What I got from this statement is that hating somebody is the same as murdering somebody. After Cain kills Abel, the Lord said that Abel's blood was crying out to him. I wonder what that sounded like. I also wonder the pain that God goes through when he hears that. This really convicted me not to be hateful towards others. I don't want God to hear that sound.

It is especially hard for me to show mercy for people who I felt have wronged me. My basic reaction is have anger and resentment stored up inside me. By being merciful however, I can be an example. 1 Timothy 1:16 says "But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life."

I'm going to end with Hebrews 4:16. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

The Gift

I’ve got a gift and it blew me a way
From the far eastern sea straight to here

And suddenly
You’ve done it all
You won me over
In no time at all

Green trees were the first sign
The deepest blue, the clearest sky
The silence came with the brightest eyes
And turned water into wine
The children ran to see
The parents stood in disbelief
And those who knew braced for the ride

Like God himself is coming home to say

I, I can do anything
If you want me here
And I can fix any thing
If you let me near
Where are those secrets now
That you're too scared to tell
I'd whisper them all aloud
So you can hear yourself

Children

An awesome example of 1 Timothy 4:12

http://charitywater.tumblr.com/post/366957421/campaign-to-watch-beans-n-rice-for-a-month

So last night in bible study, we talked about having faith like child from Matthew 18. Now since my car decided to swallow my study book, I can't remember the questions that it asked. One of the questions I remember however, asked: What qualities does a child posses that makes us want to have faith like a child? My answer went along the lines of a child is humble, willing and eager to serve their parents/master. So when i stumbled on the link above, all the qualities i listed applied. My mind pretty much exploded when I saw this. Because of this child I got a glimpse of why a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.