4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
Even after death our lives can speak, and do speak a message to future generations. Just what that message becomes is determined to a great degree by the way we live our lives. In one sense, we get to write that history now by the way we live. Each day is another opportunity to write what will be remembered. Many people tell the train wreck story of their childhood years. Violence and neglect, harsh words and missed hugs. Now those memories continue to guide and direct lives. Often the pattern gets repeated through the generations. This story of Abel rings through history. He did what was best and his brother killed him for it. We do know that others through history have done the right thing and been killed for it. So Abel became the first victim of extreme jealousy and premeditated murder. It also changed the course of history. Abel’s line was cut short. Cain’s line became exiles from his family, which was the rest of humanity. His life was one of hardship. It didn’t have to be that way. He could have chosen another means of dealing with his jealousy and disobedience. But he took the ‘easy’ way out. There is no easy way. Every way has its costs. Some costs happen immediately. Some happen over time. But there are always costs to our actions. Obedience might have a greater short term cost, but always pays the best dividends in the long run. The negatives are often front loaded with obedience. It is hard to do the right thing at first. Then with each successive act of obedience the way to obedience gets easier. Disobedience has the opposite cycle. Each act of disobedience carries a greater and greater cost associated with it. Each lie must be followed by another lie. But the truth stands by itself.
The Arnold Journey 