Sunday Musings - Rule Over Sin

So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

Genesis 4:6-7

This scripture grabbed my attention this week. It seems like I've known the story of Cain and Abel all my life. They both bring a sacrifice to God, and He accepts Abel's sacrifice but not Cain's. Cain becomes angry, and God questions him in the above verses. Cain does not heed the Lord's warning about sin and kills his brother. He then becomes a vagabond and fugitive "cursed from the earth."

Yet, based on the Lord's comments, Cain did not have to give in to sin. He could have ruled over it! This is true for all of us. Sin is all around us, yet with God's help we can rule over it.

When God spoke to Cain, he was not yet a murderer (although we read in I John 3:12 that Cain's "works were evil"). Cain gave in to the anger and jealously and resentment he felt when God accepted Abel's sacrifice. How easy it is for us, too, to give in to our anger or jealously or resentment or hurt feelings and allow them to lead us into sin or to grow a root of bitterness in our soul. But with God's help, we can rule over sin!!

This is the thought I've been pondering this week, seeking help to overcome some hurts in my life. I have to admit that it's not always easy to overcome the temptation to strike out and hurt someone back, and I'm not always successful at ruling over that temptation. But my heart's desire is to lean on the Lord and learn to more and more rule over sin and its desire in my life, so that I can allow the Lord's light to shine through me.

Joining in with Cheryl's Scripture and a Snapshot.

The best way I know of to learn to overcome sin is to consistently spend time in prayer, study, and Bible reading. Just spending time with the Lord so that He can help me and guide me each day.

Are you ever tempted to strike back at someone who has hurt you? (Please tell me I'm not the only one!)


BTW - I'm excited to announce that I've scheduled my first Bible Journaling Workshops and Events for 2016. I'll definitely be making progress on my TEACH focus goal over the next couple of months. I have six workshops and two "crops" scheduled from January 30 to March 3, some at Personal Scrapbook in Allen, Texas, and others at Scrappin' Goodtime in Corsicana, Texas. I've updated the list on my Upcoming Classes page with links to all the information!