Why Abel’s "Best" Still Speaks: Faith, Offerings, and a Lasting Legacy

We open our Heroes of Faith series with Abel, tracing why God favored his offering and how heart posture, not category, marked his worship. We press into cheerful giving, the cost of obedience, and how a quiet life can leave a loud legacy.

Reflection Questions:

1. Am I offering God my very best, my  leftovers, or what’s convenient?
2. What kind of legacy will my faith leave behind for others to “hear and observe” even after I’m gone?

Transcript

Welcome & Series Kickoff

Hodaiah 0:00

Hello everyone. My name's Hodaiah of Ordinary Doing Extraordinary Ministries. And with me is my wife, Dominique.

Dominique 0:06

Hey y'all.

Hodaiah 0:08

Today we'll be diving into the first episode of the Heroes of Faith series. Today's episode will focus on the life of Abel. Dominique has worked very hard making the notes for this episode.

Dominique 0:19

Very hard.

Hodaiah 0:20

Yes, she has, very hard, and will be taking lead in this discussion.

Dominique 0:25

Yeah.

Hodaiah 0:25

And with that, Dominique, let's get it.

Dominique 0:28

Let's go.

Hodaiah 0:29

Let's go. Come on, man.

Dominique 0:32

Okay, okay, okay. All right, all right. We got it.

Hodaiah 0:35

Too much.

Dominique 0:35

Too much. Too much.

Hodaiah 0:37

Let's go.

Dominique 0:38

All right. So we are doing this series on heroes of the faith. We're getting started here with Abel. I'm so excited to get started and really just introduce you all to these heroes of the faith. And hopefully their stories can encourage you as you go

Reading Hebrews 11 On Faith

Dominique 0:57

through life. So we're starting with Abel here. Uh the first thing we're going to actually do is read Hebrews 11, 1 through 4. And then we're going to actually jump into Genesis to talk about Abel's story. So let me read Hebrews 11. I'm actually in the CSB translation because that's honestly my favorite. And you can use whatever translation you want to use. So here we go. Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For by this our ancestors were approved. By faith, we understand that the universe was created by the word of God so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith, he was approved as a righteous man because God approved his gifts. And even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

Hodaiah 1:55

Amen.

Dominique 1:56

Amen. I'm going to also just give you guys a summary of Abel's story. So if you haven't read Abel's story, you'll know what's going on. I'm actually going to have to pull it up in Genesis 4. Give me a second, y'all. Let's see. I got my Logos

Genesis 4: Abel And Cain Recap

Dominique 2:12

Bible software up here, Genesis 4. It says the man was intimate with his wife Eve. They're talking about Adam, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, I have had a male child with the Lord's help. She also gave birth to his brother, Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground. In the course of time, Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also presented an offering, some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious and he looked despondent. Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? If you do what is right, won't you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it. Cain said to his brother Abel, Let's go out into the field. And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel? I don't know, he replied, Am I my brother's guardian? Then he said, What have you done? Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. So now you are cursed, alienated from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood you have shed. If you work the ground, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. But Cain answered the Lord, My punishment is too great to bear. Since you are banishing me today from the face of the earth, and I must hide from your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me. Then the Lord replied to him, In that case, whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over. And he placed a mark on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him. Then Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod east of Eden. So I read all of that, you know, to kind of give you more of an insight into the story of Abel. Cain is very much involved in Abel's story. So as you saw there, Abel and Cain were brothers, obviously children of Adam and Eve. Abel grew up to be a shepherd while Cain cultivated the ground. They both brought an offering to the Lord. Cain brought some of his crops, but Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock and

Why Firstborn And Firstfruits Matter

Dominique 4:48

their fat portions.

Hodaiah 4:49

All right. And you know what, Dom?

Dominique 4:51

Yeah.

Hodaiah 4:52

If you don't mind, I'm just gonna come in and I just want to elaborate a little bit more on that. I want to talk about the importance of the firstborn in that culture at that time and why it was so special. So when it came to God and the firstborn, the firstborn belonged to God. From the beginning of scripture, God establishes a principle. The firstborn is mine. You'll find that in Exodus 13, verse 2. The firstborn represent the first and the best. They represent the future, they represent strength and inheritance. This is why God repeatedly commands Israel to consecrate the firstborn, to offer the first fruits, to redeem the firstborn son, to sacrifice the firstborn of the flock. God was not after animals, he was after faith-filled obedience.

Dominique 5:44

Right, right. And Abel's offering was faith-filled. The Lord was pleased with Abel's offering, but not with Cain. And we'll get into that a little bit deeper in a second. So Cain, we saw he ended up killing Abel out of anger and envy.

Abel's Faith in Action

Dominique 6:02

So when it comes to Abel, how did he show his faith? Well, Abel showed faith by presenting God with the best of his offering. There was nothing inherently wrong with Cain bringing grain to the Lord. We see in Leviticus 2, which I recommend you go check it out, that there was such a thing as grain offerings. But even with grain offerings, they had to do it in a certain way. It had to be of the finest flour, it had to have olive oil and incense on it, had to be seasoned with salt. The Bible doesn't go into detail on if Cain did all that, but we just know that the Lord was not pleased with his offering. Cain's offering of grain wasn't necessarily the issue. The issue was his heart posture.

Hodaiah 6:55

Posture of his heart.

Dominique 6:56

Yes. His heart indicated that he didn't trust in the Lord. He was fearful and he may have been quite selfish. You know, all of these are not attributes of faith. But Abel, by his sacrifice or what he had given God, he knew the true source. He knew that God was his provider and ultimately everything belonged to him. And therefore, he was willing to give the Lord the best that he could offer. He had a submissive and obedient heart. So when your heart is in the right place, you give the best that you can give. Cain's offering was not rejected because it was from the ground. As we said, grain offerings were acceptable to the Lord, and we see in Leviticus 2. But scripture emphasizes the quality and intent of the offering. So while Abel brought the firstborn and fat portions of his flock in Genesis 4:4, we see that, Cain merely brought some of the fruits of the field. Genesis 4:3, we want to emphasize the word "some." You know, this is significant, especially in light of Exodus 23: 19, where God commands, bring the best of the first fruits of your soil. He didn't say, bring some of the first fruit, but the best. So grain offerings were required to be of the finest quality and offered in a specific way. And so Cain's offering likely lacked the faith, excellence, or wholehearted devotion that God desired, which ultimately made the difference.

Faith Challenges In Abel’s Life

Dominique 8:35

So now we're going to get it into the faith challenges. These are just some challenges that Abel faced when it came to his faith. So the first thing he had to do was trust God with the best. So he had to choose whether to offer God the very best or to keep them for himself. And in this case, he chose obedience and trust over selfishness. The next challenge, he had to stand alone in obedience. There is no record of encouragement from others, including Adam and Eve. Abel acted in faith on his own, possibly even without the understanding from his brother and even his parents. We don't know. So he had to stand alone in obedience, remaining faithful in the face of hostility. Abel's genuine offering stirred Cain's jealousy and anger. His obedience led to rejection and ultimately death, but he remained faithful. And then the last one is giving without visible reward. So Abel didn't live to see the results of his faith. He gave purely to honor God, not for recognition or blessing, and yet his faith still speaks. We saw that in Hebrews 11:4.

Spiritual Lessons & Takeaways

Dominique 9:57

So let's talk a little bit about the spiritual lessons and things that we can take away from Abel's story. The first point is that you should give God your best. So whether it's your time, your resources, or energy, God deserves your first and finest, not what's left over.

Hodaiah 10:18

A little I want to add to that is like are you giving God your best? For instance, when it comes to giving the Lord praise, are you just going to church on Sunday? Is that really enough? Just going to church on Sunday? Is that really the best that you can give? We should be spending time with the Lord daily throughout the week. Christian community. Give God your best, your resources. Where are your resources going? Where's your energy going? Are you investing your resources and your energy into something else? Is it all going into your job? See how those things can easily become an idol. You're not giving, you're not giving those things to God. God wants all of you. When we talk about even submission to the Lord, He needs everything. That is true submission to the Lord. He wants your best. It's an expectation.

Dominique 11:23

Yeah. And that leads in to the second part.

Hodaiah 11:26

Check your heart when you give. Give out of love, not fear or guilt. God delights in cheerful, generous hearts. A scripture that comes to mind is Deuteronomy 15, verse 10. That states, give to him and don't have a stingy heart when you give. And because of this, the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do. Another scripture that comes to mind, 2 Corinthians 9, verse 7, that states that each person should do as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. Don't be that person who whatever you are giving, let's say to your church, when it comes to tithing, when you are giving, don't be a person who's like in misery. You're sitting there looking miserable, like, oh great, I gotta do this again. No, have a generous heart. Look, I'm not sitting here telling you to give a certain number, but have a generous, genuine giving heart. Whatever you give, give and know that it is to a greater purpose. It is to the body of Christ, it's for God's kingdom purpose.

Dominique 12:38

Yeah, it's it's so important. And in all honesty, if you're giving and you got an attitude, you could just keep it.

Hodaiah 12:45

Keep it.

Dominique 12:46

You can keep them a little money. He don't need that change.

Hodaiah 12:48

Don't need it.

Dominique 12:49

Keep it, you know.

Hodaiah 12:50

But that's okay.

Dominique 12:52

Yeah, he loves a cheerful giver. So make sure you give with cheer, with joy in your heart, knowing that you are helping the kingdom of God, you know, progress the kingdom of God. So that's just one example.

Hodaiah 13:05

Hallelujah.

Dominique 13:06

Hallelujah. So the next point, faith may cost us something. So Abel's faith led to rejection and death, but he remained faithful. True faith is often costly, but it honors God. Obedience is greater than sacrifice. So what you'll find as you follow Christ and you do things faithfully for God, you're gonna find that it might cost you your relationships with people, it might cost you friendships, it might cost you your job. And in Abel's case, it cost him death. And that's hard to that's a hard pill to swallow.

Hodaiah 13:46

Yes, it is.

Dominique 13:47

It is, but are you gonna remain faithful despite the challenges that come because of your faith? You gotta you gotta you gotta remain faithful, like Abel, even up to death. So that's that's a hard one, but it it's the truth.

Hodaiah 14:06

Yeah, he he was a real one. Abel was a real one.

Dominique 14:09

He was a real one, yeah. Next point.

Hodaiah 14:12

So worship is more about the heart than the act. God sees the heart behind the offering. Sincere faith-filled worship matters more than the form. All I really have to say on this is that like you can just see it when it comes to the life of Abel. Heart posture is so important. You cannot deceive the Lord. You cannot deceive the Lord. He already, he already knows, he already knows you cannot deceive the Lord. So just have a genuine, genuine heart. And the truth is, when we are rooted in the Holy Spirit, when we're rooted in Christ, as y'all will hear about the fruits of the Spirit, not trying to get too far ahead of myself here, but the fruits of the Spirit, it naturally breeds, it just naturally breeds just genuine, genuine fruits, genuine fruits, genuine love, genuine kindness, just everything is genuine, right?

Dominique 15:16

Right. And remember, your faith can outlive you. That's another point. So Abel's life was short, but his faith still speaks. A faithful life leaves a lasting impact. So even though this happened at the beginning of time, we are still talking about Abel's story. How you live, people are gonna remember that. So even if it's bad, they gonna they'll remember. And so just remember that your life leaves a lasting impact. So you want to be faithful in that.

Hodaiah 15:48

Yeah.

Dominique 15:49

So

Closing Thoughts

Dominique 15:50

here's our closing thought: something for you to remember as you go into your week. Abel didn't perform miracles or lead nations, he was an ordinary man who made an extraordinary choice, and that choice was to trust God enough to give him the best. And that's the kind of faith that still speaks today. You don't have to be big to be bold in faith. Like Abel, you can be an ordinary person doing something extraordinary, living by faith, giving from the heart, and letting your life speak long after you're gone. So we're gonna leave you guys with some reflection questions. Think about it throughout the week. And if you want to leave comments, if you're listening on YouTube, you can leave comments and we can interact with you there. But here are your two questions. The first one, am I offering God my very best, my leftovers, or what's convenient? And your second question, what kind of legacy will my faith leave behind for others to hear and observe even after I'm gone? See, these are hard questions, and they're hard for me. I don't know the answers to them.

Hodaiah 17:00

Well, let's go. We're not gonna beat around the bush. Let me go ahead, let me step in here and let me just

Dominique 17:06

uh oh

Hodaiah 17:08

Am I offering God my very best, my leftovers or what's convenient? I think if we're all honest, we we all fall short.

Dominique 17:15

Yes.

Hodaiah 17:16

You show me one person who raises their hands and says, Well, I'm offering God my very best. Uh no, sir. No, ma'am.

Dominique 17:23

No.

Hodaiah 17:23

Step aside, take a seat. No, sir. Why not? Can we get some humility in the room, please? Um, we all fall short.

Dominique 17:32

Yeah.

Hodaiah 17:32

But God loves us, and once again, it's about heart posture more than anything. The Lord sees your heart. He sees your heart. It's about your heart posture.

Dominique 17:42

Absolutely.

Hodaiah 17:43

What kind of legacy will my faith leave behind for others to hear and observe even after I'm gone? I think everything that we've gone over in just this little time that we spent going through the life of Abel. You see, Abel, it doesn't appear like he had a long life, but just look at the impact that his life had, the example, the legacy that his life really represented here.

Dominique 18:09

Yeah.

Hodaiah 18:09

It's it's powerful.

Dominique 18:11

Yeah.

Speaker 4 18:11

It's it's it's powerful. Abel, he had a truly a genuine heart, and it's an example for all of us believers.

Dominique 18:19

Yeah, yeah. And remember your legacy, whether you had a legacy of faith or a legacy of hate or a legacy of craziness or whatever it is, people will remember. And it maybe not the people a hundred years from now, they they probably ain't gonna remember, but at least the ones that interacted with you and the ones who are close in family lineage, they will remember how you lived. So if they're gonna remember, you might as well live right. Right. Let's keep it real. You might as well do the right thing. So yeah, think about those questions and um leave your comments on YouTube or wherever you want to leave them. Spotify. I don't know.

Hodaiah 19:02

Ay man. Don't none of y'all be leaving messages saying, I'm giving my absolute best.

Dominique 19:08

Who are you to tell me I'm not?

Hodaiah 19:11

All right, we just having some fun now.

Dominique 19:13

Yeah, yeah. We're just having a little fun. Yeah, we we just playing. We playing, y'all. Um well that wraps up episode one on Abel. We are so excited to be doing this together as husband and wife, and just working together as a team on this ministry. So we hope that you all enjoy episode one.

Hodaiah 19:34

It's been a blessing.

Dominique 19:35

It's been a blessing, it's been fun, and we look forward to episode two where he will be leading Hodaiah.

Hodaiah 19:41

This was Heroes of Faith, episode one.

Dominique 19:45

All right, y'all, we out. Hey, this is Dominique. We'll close out today's episode with an exclusive track inspired by Hebrews 11. We hope it encourages you to walk by faith this week. Thanks for listening.

Music Track 19:59

We walk by faith, not by sight, trusting the one who brings dead things to life. From Abel down that cloud still sings. We run this race with our eyes on the King. By faith we move, by faith we stand. Every promise sitting in your hand. We won't turn back, hearts steady and true, same God of Hebrews 11, that's you.

Speaker 2 20:28

We walk by faith not by sight.