When God Is Your Master

Perhaps our fascination with superheroes is rooted in the belief that all of us were born with unique gifts that we bring to the world.  I believe that unless we can see ourselves for whom we were created to be, we will continue to destroy ourselves on planet earth, and in space should our adventures take us beyond earth.  I began this blog on March 4, 2019 with the blogpost entitled, “Global Warning!”  In that post I said, as I often say, “If we master ourselves, we cannot be mastered by anyone else or anything else, and if God is our master, we cannot be defeated.”  I revisit that saying today because I have placed a lot of emphasis on self-mastery and not nearly enough on God being our master. 

Self-mastery, in the sense that I use it, does not mean that I become my own master.  Rather it means that I learn to master those things about me and my world that are within my power to control.  On the other hand, having God as my master does not mean that God treats me as a slave or that I should expect God to do the things that I can do for myself.  I cannot speak as an expert in either of these areas because I am receiving day-by-day training in how to understand the difference between the two.  I am learning how to manage those areas of my life that I can manage, and how to submit and surrender to the authority of God in those areas which are beyond my ability to see, understand, or control.

I have exercised a considerable amount of self-control through exercise, diet change, fasting, etc., over the years, only to realize how easily it can be lost unless I willingly and consistently submit to the leadership and authority of God.  This takes a great deal of the burden off me, because now I can consult with God, receive wisdom, direction, insight, inspiration, and strength, from an adviser, teacher, and master twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.  What a concept?  Therefore, my success is not dependent upon my ability to control myself alone, but also in my ability to surrender to the direction and wisdom of God.