Why do I ask how you read your Bible? Because how you read/interpret your Bible will have a lot to do with how you process the Bible’s first chapters (which we just read), and how you are going to deal with the chapters we are about to read. Many people will say the Bible is the Word of God. Okay, sure. What do you mean by that phrase? And then, how do you read the Bible? Let me tell you what I mean by saying the Bible is the Word of God.

As if things weren’t bad enough with Adam and Eve having to leave the Garden, we now read about a murder. Cain and Abel… how do you process this story? Is there anything to learn from it? Asking these questions leads me to look at this story of Cain and Abel from a few perspectives. First, I want to simply look at why God might not be impressed with Cain’s gift. I don’t want to stop there. I want to then note what God does. Finally, I want to simply ask, “What is Cain’s problem with God?”

When was the last time you learned a new skill? Maybe a new language, a musical instrument, or a hobby, like painting or golf? You have to start at the beginning. Getting better at something, creating new habits and routines, building our “gut responses” and “instincts” – all that takes time and repetition, doesn’t it? We have to “drill” the basics in order to get somewhere, and to know how to respond when we’re met with a challenge.