By [Read Genesis Chapter 4]
Chapter 2 was all about the innocent life of Adam and Eve. The chapter is a pleasant aroma of life and peace. Chapter 4 is about the sinful life of our first parent’s offspring. The chapter has pungent aroma of sin and death.
Abel was the innocent son of Adam and Eve. His life was short. He never married, nor had any offspring. The words written of him speak of his faith and love for God.
Cain was the callous and deceptive son who murdered his own brother because of jealously and anger. The Lord saw the fate of Abel coming and warns Cain beforehand that he must do what is right, and rule over the tiger of sin that was about to attack.
The Bible personifies sin. Verse 6 pictures sin as a ferocious tiger crouching on the other side of the door, ready to attack the moment the door handle is turned. This is a disturbing picture and meant to warn us of the risk we take every time we cling to our sin. It is as if we are snuggling up to a sleeping tiger who may awake at any given moment to devour us in our slumber. Sin is a monster, and we must rule over it.
Jesus does not leave us on the earth as helpless victims of sin. He died to pay the penalty for our sin, gives his Holy Spirit to be our helper, and outfits us with armor to fight our enemy. Ephesians 5 tells us to put on the full armor of God, and be strong in the Lord. We have been enlisted in his army and have no command to ever lay down our weapons.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. -Ephesians 6:10–17 NIV
Leading Family Devotions 