“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” (Heb 11:4). It’s interesting that the first person who gets mentioned in Hebrews 11’s Hall of Faith is Abel, one of Adam and Eve’s sons . What did Abel do that caused him to be included alongside Moses and Abraham and other significant biblical heroes in Hebrews 11? As far as we know, Abel never took any major risks. But he gave an offering in faith, and that pleased God. It’s not what Abel gave; it’s how he gave it. Abel gave with an attitude of faith. God couldn’t care less about the amount you give. God doesn’t need your money; He wants your heart. In fact, if you are not giving in faith, don’t give. The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. (Heb 11: 6). There are two ways to give :
I. You can give by reason
II. You can give by revelation.
To give by reason is to sit down look at the numbers, and figure out reasonably what you think it makes sense to give. But that approach doesn’t require any faith at all. When you give by revelation, on the other hand, you let God reveal to you what He wants you to give in faith. You stop and take time to pray, asking, “God, how much do you want me to trust you for this time?” Then you do whatever He tells you to do. This is the kind of giving that stretches your faith because it’s not necessarily reasonable; it’s giving based on revelation.
