The first account of worship being offered to God that is recorded in Scripture is the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4.

We read: "Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering" (Gen. 4:2-5).

One very important lesson that we learn from this Bible passage is that it matters how we worship God. The LORD does not "respect" and receive every kind of worship man may offer to Him. But why did God respect Abel's offering and not respect Cain's offering? Was God simply showing favoritism? No (Rom. 2:11).

Hebrews 11:4 gives us the answer. "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."

Abel's offering was "by faith" while Cain's was not. What does "by faith" mean? Does that mean that Abel merely believed in God while Cain did not? No, both of these men believed in God (Gen. 4:2-15). The answer lies in understanding the source of faith. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17).

In other words, Abel's offering to God was "by faith" in that he obeyed God's instructions while Cain did not obey God. The text bears out that Cain knew and understood what God required, and could have easily complied, but choose to offer to God what he desired instead (Gen. 4:5-7).

To "worship like Abel" means to worship God "by faith" (Heb. 11:4), as He has instructed us to in His Word (Rom. 10:17). If we choose to worship God as we desire, then He will not respect our worship either and we will be rejected by Him. Our worship will be "in vain" (worthless and empty) if our worship is based on the commandments of men rather than the commandments of God (Matt. 15:8-9; 1 John 5:3).

Don't just assume your worship is "respected" by God because you like it and enjoy it. Make sure that you are a true worshiper of God (John 4:23), that you worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24), by comparing it to the worship revealed in the New Testament (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; 16:1-2; Col. 3:16-17).

You may respect the way you worship God, but does He respect it? Worship is not about doing what pleases ourselves, but what pleases God (1 Thess. 2:4). So, worship like Abel!