Attributes - Part 8 (last one!)

The attribute of God that everyone knows and appreciates most is love. God is love. The Hebrew word for love (chesed) means “goodness” and “loving-kindness”. The Greek word (agape) means “sacrificial” or a “selfless love”. So it would seem that to say, “God is love” and “God is good” are very close to the same thing. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” I John 4:10 states, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

And last but definitely not least, God is Sovereign. This is one that I personally have struggled with. In many religious circles today, the Sovereignty of God has been completely denied. There are many reasons for this. The word sovereign can act as a verb, an adjective or a noun. In Webster’s 1828 dictionary good old Noah Webster wrote, “SOVEREIGN, adj. 1. Supreme in power: possessing supreme dominion… God is the sovereign ruler of the universe.” 2. Supreme; superior to all others; chief.  God is the sovereign good of all who love and obey Him.” And then, “SOVEREIGN, n. A supreme lord or ruler; one who possesses the highest authority without control. Some earthly princes, kings and emperors are sovereigns in their dominions.” God is in control, folks. We like to think we are the masters of our own destinies, and I’m not saying that we can’t mess things up pretty good sometimes, but ultimately it is God who is sovereign. 

I have to admit that upon reading and reasoning through some of what I learned I about the attributes of God, I became angry. I don’t think that I was angry with God, but I was very angry that God was not exactly who I thought He was. I had a picture of God as He related to me, and in all actuality had Him existing for me, not me for Him. I knew I was to serve Him, but in so doing, I thought I was really doing Him a great favor and that He needed me somehow to carry out His will. In Luke 19:37-40 Jesus was coming down the Mount of Olives  and “the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, ‘I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” God will receive glory and honor and praise from His creation and His will certainly shall be done. I can be an instrument in His hand and be fully blessed, or I can step out of the way.