You Can Do Well (Part 1)

“And the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.’”

Genesis 4.6-7 (AMPC)

You can do well! But maybe, you are not doing well. Maybe, you find yourself consistently angry, sad, and depressed. Maybe, you see others getting blessed by God and it bothers you. Maybe, you firmly believe you are doing all the right things, but something is still off. It’s time for a heart check. It’s time to be honest. Here are 3 indicators that you are not doing well and what it signifies.

1.      You lack love for God.

Before Cain even committed murder, his deeds were recognized as evil. 1 John 3.11-12 states, “For this is the message which you [believers] have heard from the beginning [of your relationship with Christ], that we should [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another; and not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother [Abel]. And why did he murder him? Because Cain’s deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”

What made Cain so different from Abel? They both offered sacrifices to God. However, Hebrews 11.4 distinguishes that “by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.” By faith, Abel gave an offering that God respected and regarded “for without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11.6). Abel’s faith set him apart from Cain, and faith works and expresses itself through love (Galatians 5.6).

1 Corinthians 13.1-3 states, “If I [can] speak with the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody). Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing.”

God is love and, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He abundantly pours out His love into your heart through the Holy Spirit (1 John 4.8, Romans 5.5). Without God’s love in you, your faith means nothing. Without God’s love in you, any external, religious acts you perform unto God ultimately mean nothing. Without God’s love in you, you are nothing.

        Matthew 22.37-39 states, “And Jesus replied to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’” Loving God is the greatest commandment and the most important thing you can do.

  When you love God willingly and with all your heart, you can live a life defined by faith because you know and trust Him. When you truly love God, you love others. When you love God, you obey His commandments. When you love God, you can give Him the right sacrifice with the right motive. Abel sacrificed the firstborn lamb, a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord (Genesis 4.4). Jesus willingly laid down His life because He “loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance” (Ephesians 5.2). You are called to offer your life as a “living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship” out of sincere love for God (Romans 12.1).

You can only do well when you love God, and then everything you do will be motivated by love for Him.

2.      You are proud.

When you are proud, you are unteachable. You refuse to be accountable for your actions. You refuse to admit that you’ve done wrong.  When God reproved Cain, Cain should have humbled himself, repented, and received the correction. However, Cain’s heart was hard and callous from pride and he refused the Lord’s chastisement. Proverbs 16.18 states, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” When Cain refused to humble himself and submit to the Lord’s correction, his pride allowed sin to master him, which led to his destruction.

James 4.6-7 states, “But He gives more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].’ So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.” By the grace of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, you can live in obedience to God and in victory over sin. First, you must humble yourself and submit your life wholly to the Lord – loving, trusting, and obeying Him (1 John 5.1-3). Then, through the Holy Spirit, you will have the power to resist the devil, defy sin, and victoriously overcome the world by your faith in Jesus Christ (1 John 5.4-5).

You can only do well when you humble yourself and submit your life to the Lord.

3.      You compare yourself with others.

Cain’s negative feelings flared up because he knew his deeds were evil and Abel’s were righteous. His comparison led to envy, envy led to hatred, and hatred led to murder. 1 John 3.15 states, “Everyone who hates (works against) his brother (in Christ) is [at heart] a murderer [by God’s standards]; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” God’s correction was a chance for Cain to self-evaluate and change his ways, yet Cain wanted to lash out in anger and kill his brother. 

You can’t compare yourself with others. It can lead to rivalry, dissension, discontentment, envy, and hatred. It can create opportunities to vent negative emotions towards others that you feel inside of yourself. It will never address the underlying issue in your heart or your circumstances.

Galatians 6.4 states, “But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor.” When you humble yourself, self-evaluate your behavior, and align your ways to God’s Word, your correction will bring true satisfaction and joy. It will eliminate the source of your negative feelings. It will eliminate the need to compare yourself with others. It will assure you that you have done well and are in the right standing with God.

You can do well! It is possible! Crooked paths can be made straight, the wayward can gain understanding, your old moral and spiritual condition can pass away and all things about your life can be made new! You can do well - Love the Lord with all your heart, humble and submit yourself wholly to Him, and evaluate your behavior and align it with God’s Word. Then, you will be accepted and succeed.