*DAILY DEW 29/JUNE/2023* *The Way of Cain* (IV) _Key Bible Text:_ *"And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."* (Hebrews 12:24 (KJV)) _Bible Insight:_ But I see a God of grace in this story (of Cain and Abel) as well. 1. “Lift up your face,” God says to Cain after his rejected sacrifice even while knowing his heart. You get to try again when you fail in the Kingdom of God. God does not intend for your downcast face to remain downcast. He gives a warning: “If you continue to be angry, you will walk right into the demon crouching outside the door. Lift up your face. Look at me.” 2. God will give you a chance to own your sin (“Where is Abel?”) Repentance is always an option. Always. When God says, “What have you done?” don’t shrug your shoulders or point at someone else. Say what David said in Psalm 51:4: “I have done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” 3. See the promise of the Big Picture: God’s promises and purposes cannot be thwarted. Keep in mind that as Moses wrote or compiled these accounts while they were in the wilderness between the land of slavery and the land of promise, he was reminding them of their history. Time after time it looked like the promises of God would fail— like in the murder of Abel, when Cain, the firstborn, was supposed to crush the head of the serpent and instead began the line of the serpent. But then there was Seth, which brought about Noah, who brought about Abraham… God’s promises and purposes will not be thwarted. Lift up your face. 4. And finally, the Messianic connection: there is spilled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:24). _MEDITATION:_ *“See the promise of the Big Picture: God’s promises and purposes cannot be thwarted"* *#TheChurchofTheLivingGod* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_JUNE,2023* ❤ *#Guest_Message* Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you.....

*DAILY DEW 28/JUNE/2023* *The Way of Cain* (III) _Key Bible Text:_ *"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."* (Galatians 6:8 (KJV)) _Bible Insight:_ No scripture sheds one gleam of hope upon the way of Cain. Direct reference is only made twice to him in the New Testament, and in both instances he is held up as a warning, and nothing else. His last descendent recorded, Lamech, is so violent his only words in Scripture are traditionally called “The Song of the Sword.” His line is so bad they even absorb the line of Seth – the line of promise - to such a degree that only Noah is righteous when the Flood hits. The way of Cain, which is the way of false teachers, leaders, preachers, & followers: · a rebellious heart clothed by religious rituals · worship (obedience) on their own terms · disdain of the those worshipping rightly · destruction of others · unrepentant rebellion at (God’s) correction · resentment at the consequences of sin · lack of appreciation of God’s ongoing mercy · legacy of corruption If you read through Jude, you see this “way of Cain” over and over in the description of the false teachers, leaders, preachers, & followers: · God wants obedience? Nah · God wants our bodies as a living sacrifice? What about parts of our bodies, but not other parts? · God wants our money? How about we take money? · God wants humility? Nope. · God wants gratitude? Grumbling. · God wants us to respect authority? Nah, just me. I’m the authority. · God expects me to honor people? How about I slander them? · God wants his shepherds to feed others? We will stuff ourselves, thank you. Church is about me! _MEDITATION:_ *“Jude was written for our guidance. For me as a pastor, I need to see what not to do in the service of Christ. For you, it’s a punchlist of warning. When this begins to characterize those in spiritual leadership, confront them or run"* - *#David_Guzik* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_JUNE,2023* ❤ *#Guest_Message* Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you.....

*DAILY DEW 27/JUNE/2023* *The Way of Cain* (II) _Key Bible Text:_ *"But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."* (Genesis 4:5 (KJV)) _Bible Insight:_ Here the parallels between Genesis 3 and 4 become even more pronounced. God questions Cain just as He questioned Adam. To Adam: “What have you done?” To Cain: “ Where is Abel your brother?” God gives him a chance to come clean. Cain could have confessed. But Cain says, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9-10)[6] There is a Jewish parable that goes something like this: “A thief who stole things in the night and was not caught. In the morning the gatekeeper caught him. He said to the thief, “Why did you steal those things?” He said, “I am a thief and I didn’t let down my profession, but you, your profession is to guard the gate, why did you let down your profession? And now you ask me this?” In other words, Cain is blaming God. “You are the guardian. You are the shepherd of that shepherd. He was your responsibility.” Like father like son. Adam: “The woman you gave me gave me the apple.” Cain: “This happened on your watch. You are the “shepherd” of this shepherd. You could have stopped it.” So Cain, rather than confessing, becomes belligerent and insulting. God explains consequences: Just like the serpent was cursed min (relative to) the other animals, Cain was cursed min (relative to) the ground. The ground Cain love has soaked up the blood of his brother. Cain sowed death into a ground meant to give life. And you sow what you reap. If you want to sow death, the ground will only yield death to you. _MEDITATION:_ *“If you want others to value you, place value on yourself & what you do. Do things that give value, and value will come back to you. If you don't give value, you will not be valued* EDJ *#David_Guzik* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_JUNE,2023* ❤ *#Guest_Message* Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you.....

*DAILY DEW 26/JUNE/2023* *The Way of Cain* _Key Bible Text:_ *"Woe unto them! for they have gone in THE WAY OF CAIN, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core."* (Jude 1:11 (KJV)) _Bible Insight:_ Let’s revisit the story of Cain. It contains a warning – the way of Cain – but in the telling you will see that God also reveals the way of Life. Cain (Genesis 4) was the firstborn of Adam and Eve, brother – perhaps twin brother – of Abel. Cain followed in his father’s footsteps and became a farmer; Abel tended flocks. The rabbis speculate that there was tension between them for a variety of reasons. It doesn’t help that Cain’s name means “gotten” – “I’ve gotten a man” says Eve, a man who will be the serpent crusher God promised - while Abel’s name means “vanity, vain, meaningless, empty.” In Ecclesiastes, when Solomon says “all is vanity,” Abel’s name and the word for vanity are derived from that word. Because names were associated with character, many rabbis speculated that this vain and empty Abel was trying to undermine Cain and get what belonged to the first born. Think Jacob and Esau. The story picks up in Genesis when Cain offered vegetables to the Lord as his way of worshiping (Genesis 4:3) and Abel offered animals from his flock (Genesis 4:4). The Lord accepted Abel's offering, which was offered in faith (Hebrews 11:4), but He rejected Cain's offering (Genesis 4:4–5).[1] What does “offered in faith” mean? It appears to simply mean that Abel followed instructions. He believed God had the authority to determine the path of life. When God later confronts Cain, the language suggests that Cain knew what to do and just didn’t do it. He had experience knowing what it was like to have his offering accepted. Depending on the translation that you read, God tells Cain that he rejected his offering because it was not divided correctly. Assuming that food in these offerings was not wasted (the priests under Moses were fed by the food offerings), it seems Cain did not properly divided his offering for others per God’s instructions (or so the rabbis speculated). He also chose “some” of his crop rather than his choice crop (Genesis 4:3-5). _MEDITATION:_ *“Having faith is having the obedience to do what you know is right. As James 4:17 says *"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."* EDJ *#David_Guzik* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_JUNE,2023* ❤ *#Guest_Message* Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you.....

*DAILY DEW 25/JUNE/2023* *EXHORTING YOU TO CONTEND* (VIII) _Key Bible Text:_ *"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,* son of the morning! [How] you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High."* (Isa 14:12-14 (NKJV)) _Bible Insight:_ i. The warning through Jude is clear. The people of Israel started out from Egypt well enough. They had many blessings from God along the way. But they did not endure to the end, because they did not believe God’s promise of power and protection. ii. This example gives two lessons. First, it assures us that the certain men causing trouble will certainly be judged, even though they may have started out well in their walk with God. Jude says, “The certain men might have started out well. But so did the children of Israel, and God afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” Secondly, it warns us that we also must follow Jesus to the end, and never be among those who did not believe. *The final test of our Christianity is endurance. Some start the race but never finish it.* The example of the angels who sinned should never be forgotten in a hurry. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; a. The angels who did not keep their proper domain: Jude’s letter is famous for bringing up obscure or controversial points, and this is one of them. Jude speaks of the angels who sinned, who are now imprisoned and awaiting a future day of judgment. b. Angels who did not keep their proper domain: There is some measure of controversy about the identity of these particular angels. We only have two places in the Bible where it speaks of angels sinning. First, there was the original rebellion of some angels against God (Isaiah 14:12-14, Revelation 12:4). Secondly, there was the sin of the sons of God described in Genesis 6:1-2. _MEDITATION:_ *“The final test of our Christianity is endurance. Some start the race but never finish it."* *#David_Guzik* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_JUNE,2023* ❤ *#Guest_Message* Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you.....