cain and abel

Happy Sunday everyone!

How's it going? The New Year is well underway and I hope it's treating you well. Little by little, my family is getting into the swing of things now that the holidays have passed . Cristina and the girls are safely home in Chicago. She was SO excited to be back home, partially because she's been living out of a suitcase for six months or so! From what I know, Angelica and Chloe (the older two) will be heading to pre-school from now until May and Cristina will fully enjoy being a stay-at-home mom. They are definitely quite the little munchkins, so I know she'll have fun (and always have a story!) as she raises them. Oh and my parents are getting some much deserved vacation/relaxation time in Florida - YAY!!!! So happy about that.

Yesterday I was reading Hebrews 11 and finally stopped to ponder something that had been bugging me a long time. It comes from Hebrews 11:4.

"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh"
I've always read this verse and thought what did Abel believe? He simply had a better sacrifice than Cain. So I went back to Genesis 4:3-4.

"And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect."
Last night, I came to the conclusion that Abel believed that God deserved his best. I'm not sure if Adam had taught his sons to bring something particular to the Lord or not, but I think whether he had or not, Abel had faith that God was real and that God deserved his best.

You can come to your own conclusions; I just thought I'd share my take on those verses.

Anyway, I'm off to get ready for church and then a day of football and relaxation. Sounds nice. :) And yes, today we'll be cheering for the Green Bay Packers. We're a household with two allegiances right now. And for a moment, let's pretend all is well in our world and the Vikings and Green Bay Packers meet in a head-to-head game in the playoffs? I'm not sure who we would want to win!
I had a nice walk outside with Tucker this morning and God made me smile. That always brightens a day. May He make you smile today as well.

Hugs~