"Give an Offering to God"

"Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts." (Psalms 96:8)
As I was praying about this verse, I could not help but think about Cain's offering, and the reason why his offering was not acceptable to God. I am sure that you are familiar with the more popular version, that Cain was giving an offering of his works or labor; which I agree is part of it, as if he was giving back a portion of what God had given. But isn't that what we are instructed to do when we give an offering of our tithes? No, because tithes are not an offering, they are required as a token of appreciation for what God has blessed us with. An offering is something special, more of a gift than it is an obligation or tithe; an offering is a tribute or a sacrifice offered to honor the name or the divinity of God. It has nothing to do with what we have been blessed with, it blesses God for who He is and how awesome it is to be able to enter into His courts! Cain's offering was empty; sure, he had pilled up some of the labor from the garden, but it fell short of meeting the requirement to enter into the presence of God. No, we are needy and lacking what it takes to enter into His courts; we don't even stand a chance to get out alive, let alone to be allowed in His presence. Cain's offering was empty because it lacked the one thing required to enter into God courts, the blood sacrifice the was given by Able. One was an offering of being on par with God, as if to say, "Here you are," while the other was an offering of needing to be made right with God, as if to say, "Here I am." That's all the God really wanted of Cain, for Cain to admit how much he needed to be made right with Him. Even after he killed his brother, there was still no desire to be made right with God, only the complaint for the punishment that he had been given. There is truly a difference for feeling sorry for your sins, or for knowing that your sin was against God and you need it to be forgiven. But there is more to that than just needing to be forgiven, we need to want to be in His presence...
"And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices the please God. As the Scriptures say, "I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, "The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone." And, "He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they do not obey God's word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:5-9) NLT