How Is Your Offering?
Bible Characters: Cain & Abel
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Genesis 4:3-4
One of the Old Testament practices was giving sacrifices to God. In Genesis 4 we see the first gifts to God that anybody gave.
What can leaders learn from Cain and Abel’s offerings?
The very foundation of giving an offering was showing your dedication to God. From this very first sacrifice we can see a big difference in the brother’s commitment to the Lord. Abel sought the precious fat from the important firstborn of his flock, Cain just selected various fruit.
Motivated leaders find a way to give their very best to the purpose at hand. Their commitment is pure and they are often willing to sacrifice time, energy and even status for the mission.
Give to Receive
What were the people in the Old Testament desiring by giving burnt offerings? They were seeking atonement with God; they wanted to be close to him. To do this they needed to give their very best offering, so the God was pleased with them.
This very basic concept can be applied to our everyday leadership. By sacrificing and giving to those around us, the overall team spirit will be positively affected, bringing everyone closer together.
The overall result of this is more unity, which is very important to an organization’s success. Sports teams with unity and good chemistry can often defeat opposing teams that possess more talent.
The good news is Jesus Christ came to earth and sacrificed himself for us, so we no longer need to offer burnt sacrifices. Nevertheless, current leaders can still learn from its basic application.