3.023 We All Have The Choice

In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world, reminding us that our lives are meant to preserve, illuminate, and point others to Him. This season on Savory Salt, we'll walk through the Old Testament, one verse and one thought each day. Perhaps these moments will add greater savor and brighter light to our lives as we seek to truly live as Savory Salt.

Hello, my friends. It's a new day with new opportunities. Choose ye this day whom you will serve.

This may be a tough one for all of us. How do you receive constructive criticism? We are reading this week Genesis chapters 3 and 4 as well as Moses chapters 4 and 5 as we look at the fall of Adam and Eve as well as the struggle with Cain and Abel.

While I love the additional insights that come from Moses chapter 5, we're going to bounce back over to Genesis chapter 4 today and then back over to Moses chapter 5 tomorrow. What we're going to do with our verse today deals with the middle of the Cain and Abel story. And while you really could grab a verse from either Moses 5 or Genesis 4, I wanted to work from Genesis 4 here today.

I wanted to use the King James Version, and I wanted to use the NIV as well, the New International Version as well. So let's take a look at these two verses and see what it has to do with constructive criticism for each one of us. Dun dun dun.

Our verse for today is Genesis chapter 4 verse 7. I'll do the King James Version first. It says, this is the Lord talking to Cain.

And by the way, we might want to make a quick note, I guess, before I dive into it. Cain has just found out sacrifice was not accepted, right? And the offering that he provided, right?

It says he's wroth, and his countenance fell. So we've got these two components playing. He's wroth and his countenance fell.

And then the Lord says this: "And unto these shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." And you're kind of reading that and you go, I think I get some of that, but do I understand all of that there? And then the NIV kind of helps, I don't know if simplifies the right word, but maybe clarifies the right word. In verse 7 in the NIV, it says, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?

But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must rule over it." Now, I love the clarity that comes on that side of things. I love the image, first of all.

Right? Just simple: Do what is right and you accepted. Do not what is right.

And sin is crouching at the door. Isn't that a great kind of modern translation for sin? It's always just kind of lurking in the corner or around the bend or in the dark seat in the corner of the room, right?

It's there, and it wants to get you, but you must rule over it. Now, did you catch those pieces in where Cain's mindset was when the Lord was talking to him? He wasn't really in the most receptive mood.

And we know through the Moses translation, we know that he's already, you know, kind of made deals with Satan. He's already working with Satan. And so that influence is already there.

But I think the combo of wroth and his countenance fell really gives us some insight for how we can take constructive criticism inside of our own lives. And yes, I may even say inside of our callings and inside of our ward families. My friends, sometimes people say things at church or say things about how we're doing our callings that just kind of rub us the wrong way.

But do we take it through the lens of wrath with our countenance fallen? Or do we have an opportunity to choose what is right and to do what is right? I think this moment here in Cain's life is a pivotal moment.

He feeds on his wrath, he feeds on his fallen countenance, and that only takes him down a path of murder and despair, an ultimate suffering for a long time, right? For all time based on it, but a long time. And so for you and for me, what could it mean for us to be able to perhaps not be full of wrath when others are trying to help us improve?

Maybe not be frustrated or angry? Maybe instead of our countenance falling, maybe we lift ourselves up and seek to feel the Spirit and its promptings and see if it can help us choose the right? Definitely a mirror moment here for us and a chance for each one of us to take a little bit of a check up from the neck up and see how we're doing when it comes to constructive criticism, especially when it comes from the Lord and his chosen servants.

That's all for today, my friends. You and I have come here for such a time as this. Step forward in faith and let's be savory salt. We will be here tomorrow and we hope you are too.