Today was a beautiful fall morning. The air was crisp and new with just a hint of wind stirring the tree tops. The warmth from the bright sun was like a blanket over our bodies. The silence of the country was hypnotizing as the acorns one after another dropped to the ground each time the breeze gently whispered. Birds joyfully chirped as they flew back and forth among the trees. My family and I inhaled the beauty and awesomeness of God as we gathered outside for a morning devotional. We like to take a break ever so often and show our children that you can worship God anywhere and one of our favorite spots is out in the wide open. We discussed with our children the necessity of knowing God and walking with Him in a conscious relationship.
A story that illustrates the importance of following God is the familiar story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4). A story of two men who came from the same parents, lived in the same environment, and experienced the same teaching. However, Cain chose to ignore God and went about things his own way. He did not appreciate what God had given him nor did he seek a relationship with God. This resulted in descendants that lived outside of God. Abel, on the other hand chose to trust God and follow His ways. Although Abel did not leave any descendants, God gave Adam and Eve another son, named Seth, whose descendants counted as Abel's seed (Genesis 4:25). It was through this line of descendants that Jesus Christ was born.
As we shared with our children, the nearness of the Lord was ever so present and overwhelming in everything that surrounded us. I have grown on this ranch as a wife and momma that loves the Lord more today than I did as a new bride. The beauty and peacefulness have allowed me to walk with God and cultivate my relationship with Him to the point that I feel His presence each time I seek him. The ranch has been in my husband’s family for three generations. His grandfather was a good man, hard worker, but he chose to live outside of God’s presence. Unfortunately, all his descendants have followed in his footsteps. My husband, by the grace of God, was the first descendant to break the line and follow God.
As we concluded our family devotion, I told my family that I wanted to go down to the pond and recommit my life to God. Before God and our children, my husband took my confession and baptized me. Yes, I believe Jesus Christ is the son of God, that he died on the cross and rescued me from Satan, and when Jesus arose from the dead, He crushed Satan. I now, because of my belief and confession of sins, belong to God’s new humanity in Christ.
My husband and his grandfather dug the 17 acre pond over 30 years ago. It took them five years to complete it. Over 30 years ago, I gave my life to Christ and was baptized. My recommitment to the Lord marked the first baptism in that pond. It is my prayer that many more will enter the water in that pond purely because of their desire to walk with Him.
Two lines of humanity begin with Cain and Abel, and you are part of either one or the other.
Carla Henson
Tuscola, Texas
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