Cross Training - Doctrines of Faith

I love the word "character."  I have a specific reason as to why, but let me get to that in a moment, because growing up the word "character" had a different connotation as it related to me.  I was once talking with a woman whom I had met for the very first time, and it was funny what she said to me, "you're a character."  I asked her why she said that and what made her think I was.  She said that she could see it "in my eyes."  Really?  I didn't know that was possible, but they always say the eyes are the window to the soul.  

The word "character" holds another meaning to me and connects well with the topic of the character of God, namely, his freedom.  God's freedom has been a debatable subject for centuries.  When you study God's character or His attributes, you will find that part of his character is His freedom to do as He pleases with His creation within the bounds of His holiness and love.  This topic becomes debatable because people for years have questioned God's activities as loving, especially as they relate to personal catastrophe.  

A.W. Tozer stated it this way - “To discuss the authority of Almighty God seems a bit meaningless, and to question it would be absurd. Can we imagine the Lord God of Hosts having to request permission of anyone or to apply for anything to a higher body? To whom would God go for permission? Who is higher than the Highest? Who is mightier than the Almighty? Whose position antedates that of the Eternal? At whose throne would God kneel? Where is the greater one to whom he must appeal?” 

When the Lord spoke to Job, after Job's somewhat whiny discourse, the Lord reminded both Job, and those of us who get to read about this event years later, He has the right to freely do with His creation as He pleases.  

2 “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? 3 Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. 5 Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? 6 What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone 7 as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?
Job 38:2-7 (NLT)

The freedom that God has with His creation is a hard concept to put our minds around, and yet, it's one we have to grapple with, because His freedom has His creation as a priority.  Everything God does within the realm of His creation has you and I at the center, we just can't see the whole picture as it unfolds, whereas, He can.  The holiness and love of our Creator are what keep His freedom from going outside His own boundaries.  Therefore, the events of our own lives are seen as lambs being gently cared for, instead of looking as if we were a newborn puppy in the hands of a 3-year old child. 

Love to hear from you.

Randy