{The Character of Our Creator}

I am a slightly inconsistent person. What I mean by that is I start many things and finish only some. I don’t really like this about my personality and often attempt to better myself in this regard. The best example I can think of is a gift I began for a friend for Christmas of 2009 that I have yet to complete! Sheesh! One of my goals for the summer is to finish the bag (right, Honey!?).

Another area I am inconsistent in is my quiet time/Bible study. I never can find a study I enjoy doing on my own so end up playing Bible roulette with no consistent theme or study. It’s a little frustrating. Well, about a month ago I came across a devotional guide given to me in 2008 that I never began. I decided to give it a shot. While it’s only been three weeks, I’m still going strong…which is kinda a big deal for me. Week one began with the creation story and at first I almost skipped it, thinking I knew the story well enough and had nothing else to learn from it. But, I decided if I’m gonna begin a new study, I’m gonna do it right. I started in Genesis 1, but decided to do the scripture reading from my new ESV Bible instead of the NIV I’ve always used. Well, as usual, God used an old passage to speak truth to me in a new way. The verses read:

“To the woman he said,

 "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
 in pain you shall bring forth children.
 Your desire shall be for your husband,
 and he shall rule over you." And to Adam he said,
 "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
 and have eaten of the tree
 of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,'
 cursed is the ground because of you;
 in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
 and you shall eat the plants of the field.
 By the sweat of your face
 you shall eat bread,
 till you return to the ground,
 for out of it you were taken;
 for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” Genesis 3:16-20 ESV

Adam and Eve did wrong. They sinned against God and were given consequences for their sin. What I never noticed before was the last verse I included, “And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” He blessed them! In the midst of their sin, He didn’t withhold His provision and love. That’s not to say they did not experience the consequences of sin, but at the same moment they were allowed to experience His blessings. How completely opposite is this from the way we discipline?! In my experience “blessing” is definitely withheld if expected behavior is not achieved. Not that I think we should reward bad behavior. I do think, however, there is something to be learned about the character of our Creator in these verses. It has taken me weeks to put this in writing because I am still mulling over it in my head. One thing I have most definitely figured out is that He is good all the time. There will be consequences for my sin, but His love for me does not change. He does not punish me as the world punishes me. I do not have to be perfect to experience His blessings and presence in my life.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious,
 slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
 He will not always chide, 
nor will he keep his anger forever.
 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
 nor repay us according to our iniquities.
 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
 so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
 as far as the east is from the west,
 so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
 As a father shows compassion to his children, 
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
 For he knows our frame; 
he remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:8-14