Not by Might, but by the Spirit--by Linden Malki

God is generous with His gifts, but demanding of our use of them. Look at the story of very first response we know of: first, God asked for a share of what He had provided for them. Abel brought a suitable sacrifice: the best parts of the finest lamb of his flock. Cain brought something unacceptable; we don't know exactly why it was not what he had been asked for, but possibly the poorest fruits of his field. In any case, God blessed Abel  and offered Cain a chance to repent and try again. What was Cain's response? To take his failure out on his brother. Cain was allowed to flee, with God's protection, and he became a patriarch of a powerful clan. We aren't told much about them other than some of their inventions, as well as judgments on their society.

Cain put the stinginess of his offering ahead of obedience to God,
and a lie and an excuse as an answer to God.
This is a risk that God takes; He is aware of how much power we each have for good and for evil. He is also aware that we are more likely to put ourselves, our time, our efforts, and strength first. God has given His people talents and abilities to be used as an offering in His service, but what can happen? It is easy to use great ability for our own benefit, for the adulation  of the crowd, for the favor of those in power, and put these things ahead of the service of God. It is easy to think that you deserve all the goodies--that you are being rewarded with stuff for being such a talented and faithful person.

I am reminded of an early "Peanuts" cartoon: Lucy is saying that she doesn't want "ups and downs" in life, she wants "ups and ups". One problem is that "downs" happen; and it can mess you up. You can try to avoid failure by trying even harder, taking more shortcuts. stabbing more backs. You can also avoid failure by choosing to avoid risk. Sometimes this may be a wise choice, but it can also be an excuse for failure. You can blame God, bad luck, people with grudges, karma, where you are, where you're not, on and on, everything except your own shortcomings, stupidity, and reality. The question can be how much you learn (if anything)by recognizing alternatives and keeping your feet out of bear traps.

This is not to say that we are not blessed; there are things that happen that we cannot predict nor explain, both bad and good. There are blessings that we can recognize by their unexpectedness and their appropriateness. There are times that we can be puzzling over Doors #1, 2, & 3 -- and Door #4 suddenly opens. Very often, if we are willing to give our talents and efforts to God, He will lead us to amazing challenges. These can be things that are better, more solid, more loving, more satisfying that anything we can imagine.