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Ungodly Leaders

13 Mar
Ungodly Leaders

We’re continuing our walk through the epistle of Jude. He’s been showing us how to spot and avoid false teachers.

He used a lot of analogies in his writing. Now we come to his conclusion of this section. He makes his description plainer.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

Jude 14-16 NIV

I think it’s clear from this section that the key word is “ungodly”. Their life and “ministry” are all about themselves and what people think about them.

One important thing we need to realize is that ungodliness itself does not make you unsaved. There is a such thing as an ungodly Christian. However, if you continue long enough and far enough into ungodliness, you could lose your standing in Christ.

A number of years ago I was leading a high school boy’s Bible Study at a Christian school. A question that I got asked on a regular basis was, “Can I ___________ and still be a Christian?”

The blank was different every time, but the attitude was the same. It might have been about alcohol, dancing, R-rated movies, or rock music. The focus was the same each time it was asked. They were basically asking me, “How close to the world can I go and still make it to Heaven?”

Unfortunately, that’s the way a lot of Christians live out their lives. They look at the “religious” side of their life. They read the Bible, pray regularly, and go to church. So, they’re okay. The rest of the time they do what they want. In our society they’re considered good Christians.

That’s what ungodly church leaders are like. They want to look the part – super spiritual in front of others. All the while they’re self-absorbed. Many times, you can see it in their conversation.

Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.

2 Timothy 2:16

Here Paul is warning a young pastor not to get involved in godless talk because it leads you further into ungodliness. That makes it clear that a Christian can be ungodly to a point. But what does that mean?

Simply put, ungodliness means that you live each day with no thought of God being involved in your life. You can be saved, on your way to Heaven, and love Jesus. But in your daily life you don’t look for God to have a big role.

You make your plans for the day or the week ahead. Then you go before God in prayer and ask Him to bless it. You may not want to hear this, but that is an ungodly lifestyle. You’re not unsaved, you’re not an evil person; you’re just living a godless lifestyle.

Godly leaders cannot live this way. The Scripture gives us the pattern of life that will bring God, Himself into our daily lives. He should affect all that we do.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…

Titus 2:11-13

Jude wants believers, especially church leaders, to avoid the traps of ungodliness.

Question: What does it mean to get God involved in our daily lives?

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on March 13, 2026 in Leadership, Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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Wandering Stars

11 Mar
Wandering Stars

We’re currently studying Jude’s small letter. He’s dealing with the subject of false teachers. He wants us to be able to spot and avoid their ways.

They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude 13 NIV

In my last post we looked at Jude’s wild wave analogy. Today we see that he calls them wandering stars.

That’s an interesting way to look at them and I need to explain it. First, we need to see that stars in general seem to rotate around the earth. Now, we know that’s not actually the case, but it appears that way because it’s the earth that’s rotating.

So, to the ancient people, all of the stars seemed to be marching in unison through the night sky. There were some notable exceptions to this. I’m talking about the planets that we can see with the naked eye. These are Mercury, Mars, and Venus to name a few.

The thing about planets is that they don’t travel through the sky with the stars. They take their own path because they orbit the sun.

Why am I talking about planets? Because that’s what Jude is referring to in this section. The Greek word for wandering in this verse is actually planetai, from which we get the English word, planet.

Why is this important? It’s all about agreement.

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV

The analogy is this: All of the stars agree on the direction they’re heading. The planets, however, have their own idea of where they should go. These false teachers are not following the sound doctrine of Christ. They have their own way of thinking.

Please remember, agreement is not about you agreeing with what I say. It’s both of us agreeing with what the Word tells us. We need to all be following the path that Jesus laid down for us.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:5-6 NIV

False teachers don’t live this way. They have their own beliefs that they are trying to convince others to follow. They try to get you to believe that they’re living on a higher level than others.

Unfortunately, according to Jude, they’re operating in perpetual darkness. Darkness is the absence of light. God’s Word is light. These people are living according to their own thoughts. They don’t know the destruction that their path is leading them to.

That’s why it’s so important that we stay in prayer and in the Word. In that way we can hear the Holy Spirit’s warning to avoid these pitfalls.

Questions: When has to Holy Spirit kept you from spiritual harm?

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on March 11, 2026 in Leadership, Prayer, Spiritual Walk, Word of God

 

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Wild Waves

09 Mar
Wild Waves

As we continue through the book of Jude, he’s giving us an understanding of the way false teachers operate. This will help us to steer clear of their influence. Hopefully, it will also help leaders to avoid taking their path.

They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame…

Jude 13a NIV

Here is another description Jude gives us to reveal their character. He calls them wild waves of the sea.

If you remember, at the start of this series I talked about the fact that Jude was the brother of James, who wrote the book of James. It seems to me that the two of them had discussions about this.

Listen to what James wrote. In context, he’s talking about someone asking God for wisdom.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

James 1:6-8 NIV

The first insight James gives us is that these false teachers are actually doubting God. The word doubt in the Greek actually means to thoroughly judge, discern or discriminate in the decision making process.

The problem is that these teachers are judging God’s Word. It’s not up to us to decide whether God means what He says or not. His Word is truth. It doesn’t matter what things look like from our perspective.

The next thing I see is that these people are like a wave on the ocean. But it’s not just any wave. It’s a wave that’s specifically formed by the wind blowing across the water. That kind of wave only moves in the direction that the wind is blowing.

False teachers are really good at discerning what it is that people want to hear. Then they package it in an exciting, and even Scripture based message. Little do the hearers know that they’re being led astray by wrong interpretations of the Bible.

This person is also called double-minded, or literally double-souled. It’s like they have a split personality. When they’re around God’s people it seems like they’re super spiritual. But, many times, in private these teachers are just the opposite.

According to James, this person is unstable in all he does. That literally means that the road he’s taking has no permanent direction. These false teachers are continually updating their message to keep their followers entertained – and to keep the money train rolling.

That’s why we need to be constantly aware in the spirit. Regularly spend time in God’s presence. That’s what will keep you safe from their influence.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

Ephesians 4:14 NIV

Paul understood all of this. We need to heed his exhortation. Spend time reading the Word and in prayer each day. Stay strong and alert in the spirit.

Question: How do you keep yourself spiritually vigilant?

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on March 9, 2026 in Prayer, Word of God, Faith, Ministry, Leadership, Spiritual Walk

 

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No Rain, No Fruit

06 Mar
No Rain, No Fruit

We’re continuing our study through the epistle of Jude. He’s been talking about false teachers and their effect on the body of Christ. We’re experiencing an epidemic of this in our modern American Christian culture. Jude wrote about this problem almost 2000 years ago.

These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm – shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted– twice dead.
Jude 1:12

This rebuke describes a growing segment of the church. What an appropriate editorial on many of the “ministers” we see on Christian cable, radio, and online.

Jude describes them as shepherds who feed only themselves. They preach messages that excite people in order to keep their cash flow going strong. They’re clouds and wind with no rain – autumn trees with no fruit.

If there’s no fruit, then there’s no seed to plant. But that doesn’t matter. With no rain they couldn’t water them either.

This calls for maturity and discernment for God’s people. That’s especially true when it comes to the teachings we listen to on the radio, TV, or the internet. We need to be asking the Holy Spirit to show us the motives behind the ministry.

It’s a part of the times that we live in. There’s an abundance of the Bible being preached in America these days. How much of it is a Word from God? How much of it speaks what God wants said to this generation, for this time in history? How much planting and watering is being accomplished?

For the amount of Scripture being sent through the airways and over the internet, there is very little fruit to harvest.

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.”
Amos 8:11-12

The prophet Amos predicted the days when there would be a famine of the Word of God. What is a famine? It’s usually a dry weather pattern. As a result there’s no rain, no crops, and no new seed. This must go on for years to qualify as a famine.

During the time of spiritual famine that Amos wrote about, Israel had many synagogues. These were places where the Scripture was taught. There were people teaching the Scripture all over Israel. Scripture reading abounded – but not the Word of God.

It grieves me to look at the United States in light of this Scripture. We are in that exact same place. An abundance of the Bible is being preached and taught from every possible media outlet. Yet for all of this, the church of Jesus Christ is, for the most part, marginalized.

We need to hunger and thirst for a revival of the Word of God in us. Of course we need Scripture as our foundation – to keep us on track. But we must seek God Himself so that we can receive the Living Word to burn within us.

That’s why I’m so insistent about believers being a part of a local congregation. Yes, I’ve heard the excuses. “You don’t know the pain I suffered from that church.”

I understand; I’ve been there. The truth is that no one can hurt you more than family. But, then again, no one can help you to heal better than family.

Being a part of a local church does open you up to possible hurt. But it can also help to protect you from the spiritual wolves that are out to destroy you.

Question: How have you grown as a result of the local church?

©2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on March 6, 2026 in Leadership, Revival, Spiritual Walk, Word of God

 

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Rebellion

04 Mar
Rebellion

We’re continuing our look at the book of Jude. He’s been writing about false teachers. So far he has used the examples of Cain and Balaam. Now Jude move on to another Old Testament problem.

…they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.

Jude 11 NIV

The first thing we need to do is understand the background of Korah and his rebellion. Korah and Moses were cousins, so you might have expected them to be close. But that’s not the case.

As it happens so often in families, there was a great deal of competition and jealousy on Korah’s part. At some point he began to amass a following who felt the Korah was the better leader. You can read the whole story in Numbers, chapter 16.

Here’s the problem that we even see today in many churches. God calls and appoints leaders based upon His own criteria. So often that doesn’t involve outward ability, but inward character.

…“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7b NIV

Eventually Korah surrounded himself with over 250 others who openly opposed Moses and Aaron. Their argument was that the whole congregation of Israel is holy. So, Moses and Aaron shouldn’t put themselves over the people.

Unfortunately these men were working with a false assumption. Moses and Aaron did not put themselves over Israel. God Himself was the One who placed them in authority.

The end of this rebellion was quick and decisive. The ground opened up under these men and swallowed them alive.

This is what Jude is referencing in his writings. It’s a problem that’s all too commonplace in the modern church.

I believe it’s a result of this generation’s misconceptions of the church. In many places churches are established and structured according to an American business model. They come complete with CEO, CFO, and governing board members.

Please understand – that’s not how God establishes His church. The true church is a theocracy with Christ, Himself as the Head. He calls and appoints leaders as He sees fit.

Too often there are those in the congregation who feel that they know better than the pastor or leaders God has placed in ministry. They end up trying to get people to join their ranks and agree with them. They’re trying to establish their own little kingdoms.

This is what Jude is referring to here. What these rebellious individuals forget is that God hates such rebellion to His established authority. Even James warns us about this.

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:6 NIV

We even see this in the early days of the apostles. When they were called before the rulers of Israel, these leaders wanted to stop their preaching. However, a wise teacher named Gamaliel stood up and spoke this truth. He told the assembly to not attack them.

“But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Acts 5:39 NIV

I believe we have to be very careful not to join with those who are in rebellion against God-given leadership.

Question: What is your attitude toward leaders you disagree with?

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on March 4, 2026 in The Church, Anointing, Leadership, Spiritual Walk

 

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For Profit…or Loss?

02 Mar
For Profit…or Loss?

I have been going through Jude’s tiny epistle. He’s giving us the characteristics of false teachers and preachers. Now he goes on to a new description.

…they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error…

Jude 11b NIV

To understand this one, we need to know about Balaam, from the Old Testament. His story is found in the book of Numbers, chapters 22-24. You can read that section to get all the details.

Basically, this event took place while Israel was wandering in the wilderness on their way to the promised land. As they were going through Moab territory, the king of Moab got worried.

The king summoned a local, pagan, enchanter named Balaam. He was told that the king would reward him handsomely if he cursed Israel. This was to be done so that Moab could defeat Israel in battle.

God then got Balaam’s attention, and He warned him do only what he heard from the Lord. Balaam must have been planning on ignoring this warning because God used a talking donkey to reiterate this.

He then tried three times to bribe God with sacrifices. He wanted God to curse Israel or parts of Israel. Each time, God made it clear that He would only bless them. Finally, unable to curse Israel, Balaam went back to his home.

Jude uses this event in Israel’s history to reveal a motivating factor in false teachers. He’s saying that these charlatans are in it for the financial gain they receive.

Many times, this is evident on TV and online. Of course, not every famous preacher is looking for financial gain. Most are truly bringing God’s Word to their hearers.

However, there are a few who are greed driven. I am convinced of one thing when I view their show. The only reason they study the Bible is to find Scriptures that will convince you to take money from your pocket and put it in theirs.

Paul dealt with that issue as well.

Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

2 Corinthians 2:17 NIV

We have to be careful where we sow our seed (financially). If their entire message revolves around sending them an offering, something’s wrong.

When a godly teacher stands before the people of the Lord, it’s not about what they want to hear. His or her message must be the result of time spent with the Holy Spirit. What does the Lord want the people to hear.

I can’t teach something because I know it will get everybody excited. Then, I’ll get a bigger offering. That’s not how it works in the Spirit. I preach what the Lord dictates and He provides for my needs.

Paul sums it up well. He speaks of these false teachers as…

…men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain.

1 Timothy 6:5-7 NIV

This is why we have to be careful who we support with our finances. That support will cause us to share in their blessings or their God-given discipline.

Question: What experience have you had with ministry for financial gain? If you leave a comment, DO NOT name names.

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on March 2, 2026 in Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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Repentance Breaks the Curse

27 Feb
Repentance Breaks the Curse

We’re currently going through the book of Jude. He’s writing about false teachers.

Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain…
Jude 11a

I’m posting about Cain’s experience. He murdered his own brother because he thought that it would allow him to worship God on his own terms. It didn’t work.

He found himself away from his calling, and hidden from God’s presence. He even feared that he would be killed for his actions. But God did something surprising.

But the Lord said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
Genesis 4:15

God gave Cain the world’s first tattoo. It read, “Kill him and answer to Me – signed – GOD.”

Why would God do such a thing? Throughout His Word the Lord has said that murder is punishable by death. The answer is in His mercy.

Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”
Genesis 4:25

This is a very strange statement for Eve to make. At this point she already had over 100 children. Why did she see the need to specifically replace Abel? The name Seth means to place in as a substitute.

Here’s where we see God’s mercy.

Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 4:26

What this verse tells us is that something happened when Seth was old enough to have children. The Bible literally says that calling on the name of the Lord was opened up. (The word men is not in the original Hebrew)

Why did God not allow Cain to be killed? The Lord wanted Cain to see the day when a new prophet would rise up. Seth could now offer the sin-offering for Cain’s forgiveness. I’d like to think that Cain took God’s offer of a second chance. I believe that we’ll see him in Heaven.

Remember – Cain’s curse was that he would be a restless wanderer.

Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
Genesis 4:17

Do you hear that? Cain built a city. He’s not a wanderer anymore. It sounds like the curse was broken over his life. I believe it’s because he took God’s offer of forgiveness.

What can we learn from all of this – the way of Cain? I can’t worship God on my own terms. It’s an epidemic of our generation of believers.

Many people say that they’re pursuing God. The truth is that I can only pursue God the way God wants to be pursued. Anything else and I’m just a spiritual wanderer.

We must worship God the way He wants to be worshiped – in spirit and in truth. Anything else misses the mark.

Question: What curses has God broken from over your life?

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 27, 2026 in Power of God, Worship, Faith, The Gospel, Spiritual Walk

 

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Worship on My Terms

25 Feb
Worship on My Terms

As we go through Jude’s epistle, I’ve been posting about the offerings of Cain and Abel.

Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain…
Jude 11a

What we’ve seen is that Abel was God’s designated prophet. If Cain’s gift was to be accepted, he had to bring it to Abel. This would have required Cain to humble himself.

“You mean I have to go to my little brother for God to accept my offering?”

The truth is that there’s only one way to worship God acceptably – God’s way. Cain had a problem with that.

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Genesis 4:8

The result was that Cain killed Abel. Cain’s thinking was that God wanted him to worship through the prophet. But what if there was no prophet? Then God would have to accept an offering from Cain’s hand.

Cain wanted to worship God on his own terms. He thought that God would have to accept his offering regardless of how he brought it. But that wasn’t the case.

Cain became the world’s first murderer. He was cursed for this sin.

The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Genesis 4:10-12

What was Cain’s response?

Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
Genesis 4:13-14

Cain said that his punishment would be unbearable. Why? Not only was he driven from the land, but he would be hidden from God’s presence.

Does that sound like an angry, hardened reprobate to you? I don’t see any of that as he stands before God.

He is starting to understand his situation. He can no longer fulfill his calling – being driven from the land. He can’t find forgiveness in the presence of God. The only advocate that he could have gone to – Abel – is dead. It even dawns on him that he deserves death.

His answer to God sounds sorrowful to me. He sounds more humble that Adam and Eve did when they sinned.

This shows the mercy of God. The conversation between Cain and God still sounds like the interactions of a father and a wayward son.

We serve a God who always desires restoration over judgment. The outcome of this event is no different. Cain was sorry for what he had done. God had a remedy.

In my next post you’ll see how the story ends. It’s probably different than you think.

Question: How has God’s forgiveness affected your life?

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 25, 2026 in Prayer, Worship, The Gospel, Spiritual Walk

 

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Acceptable Offerings

23 Feb
Acceptable Offerings

We are currently studying the book of Jude. In his epistle he writes about identifying false teachers. Jude is using Cain as an example.

Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain…
Jude 11a

As I look at Cain and his unacceptable offering, it’s not really complete unless we understand why Abel’s offering was accepted. After all, why would Cain kill Abel if he was really mad at God?

The truth is that there’s an offering that’s acceptable to God. The question is; what makes it acceptable?

But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering…
Genesis 4:4

Some say that God accepted Abel because he brought a blood offering, but that’s not the real reason. We must also remember that God called for many offerings of firstfruits from the Israelites. So there’s no law that says God only accepts blood offerings.

You need to understand the times that Cain and Abel lived in to see the issue. In talking about Abel’s birth, the Bible says…

Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
Genesis 4:2

Why was Abel a shepherd of flocks? I ask that because God did not give mankind permission to eat meat until after the flood.

When Adam and Eve sinned and were removed from the garden, God did something interesting.

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Genesis 3:21

In order to cover their sin and nakedness, God slaughtered an innocent animal before them. He showed them the way to sacrifice a sin offering.

Abel was the shepherd of the flock. That means that Abel was the priest designated by God to offer sacrifices and offerings. Even the Lord Jesus referred to Abel as the first prophet (Luke 11:50-51).

Because Abel was God’s chosen priest, he was the only one who could offer sacrifices before God acceptably. Protocol dictated that Cain bring his offering to Abel in order for God to accept it.

Remember in my last post we saw that God told Cain, “If you do what is right, you will be accepted.” It wasn’t what Cain offered that was wrong; it was how he offered it.

This was going to require humility on Cain’s part. That’s always the catch, even for us. We offer a lot of things to God – Worship, praise, tithes, offerings, prayers, etc. In all of this we must humble ourselves before God.

I must realize that what I give isn’t acceptable simply because I’m bringing it. I’m only accepted because I’m in Christ. He’s our great High Priest.

We can’t boast in what we offer. It’s not about us. It’s about the One who makes us acceptable to God.

Question: How do you show your humility before God?

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 23, 2026 in Prayer, Worship

 

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Offering and Relationship

20 Feb
Offering and Relationship

As we go through the book of Jude, I’m looking at the life of Cain and how he speaks to our modern worship of God.

Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain…
Jude 11a

In my last post we saw that he loved God and brought Him an offering. Unfortunately, God didn’t accept the offering.

…but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Genesis 4:5

As a result, Cain’s emotions were stirred up and he became upset. But do we really understand him or what he was going through?

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 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 master it.”
Genesis 4:6-7

I believe that these verses are the key to understanding Cain. I see some things that are happening here that sometimes get overlooked because we’re so familiar with the story.

First, I see that God loved Cain. The Lord wanted the best for him. I see it by the way God talks to Cain. God speaks to him as a father would speak to a son.

I also see that Cain had a great deal of respect for God. He didn’t have an angry outburst or talk back to Him. I think that speaks volumes especially since some of the Old Testament prophets – Moses and Elijah, just to name a couple – talked back to God in their anger.

The fact is that in all our dealings with God, He knows what’s in our hearts. There’s no way around that. It was the same in this encounter with Cain. God spoke to the real issue.

God told Cain that if you do right, you’ll be accepted – which literally means promoted or exalted. So what was Cain really looking for? He wanted acceptance from God.

That surprised me more than anything. Cain’s goal was a relationship with God.

Even more than that – Cain talked with God, and God talked with him. They had conversations together. Think about it. Wouldn’t you want a relationship like this with God?

I came to the conclusion that Cain was a great guy! If he showed up at our church, we would love him. He would worship and sing right along with us. He would look and act no different than anyone else attending our service. And that’s what concerns me.

It’s also why Cain was so upset. He wanted to show his love to God through an offering, yet it wasn’t accepted. In effect God was saying, “I love you, Cain, but I cannot accept your offering.”

But, God’s statement implies something else. Cain knew the right way to bring an acceptable offering to God. Because if there’s an offering God doesn’t accept – then there must be one that He does accept.

In my next post I’ll talk about exactly why Cain’s offering wasn’t accepted. We’ll need to understand that if we’re going to keep off of his path.

Question: Have you ever been upset at God for something?

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 20, 2026 in Faith, Prayer, Sonship, Worship

 

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