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. Hebrews 11:4 HCSB
Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Abel was a rancher and took care of animals while Cain was a farmer and cultivated crops. Abel offered an animal sacrifice to God while Cain offered an offering from his crops. God was pleased with Abel’s offering, while Cain’s offering was considered to be unacceptable. Some Bible scholars suggest that Abel’s offering was more acceptable because it was an animal and required shedding of blood. More importantly, Abel came to God with the correct attitude and brought his best, while Cain came with the wrong attitude and with crops that were not his best.
This verse in Hebrews records that Abel’s offering was more acceptable because of his faith. He is listed along with two others who are known for their abundance of faith. This is an indicator that God is more interested in the heart of a person rather than the actual sacrifice. He desires for someone to come to Him with a humble and repentant heart. He also desires someone who has faith in God and is willing to trust Him. Evidently Abel had more faith and trust than Cain. Another indication that Cain did not have the proper attitude is that he deceived his brother and killed him out of jealousy. You can read more about Cain and Abel in Genesis 5-7.
Challenge: Do you have the proper attitude toward God? Do you have faith and trust God? Obviously, Abel is a model of faith. Who has been a model of faith for you? How are you demonstrating faith to others?