One of the aspects to my life with my Master that I still don't really understand is how much of what goes into my day is supposed to be my decision. And that may seem silly, but what I refer to are the decisions that go into every day that determine what I do, what I say, when I do or say whatever I say and do, and so on. Again, it may sound silly, but since I am not entirely clear on obedience and I do know I haven't been obedient to a large degree (how can an addict be obedient?), this is all new to me. I don't trust my own thoughts and decision-making skills. My best reasoning is what got me into this addiction.
What I do know is that my Master wants me to do my job. He wants me to do it well and not be irresponsible in it. He wants me to be kind and respectful of others. A lot of what I do in my job makes up the playing field of the Sermon on the Mount, with the notable exception that I'm not persecuted for my faith. I know that my Master wants me to treat my family well, love them and care for them. So there is much I do know, but when the work day is over, and I then make decisions about what I do, where I go, and so on, what part of that is my decision to make and what part is waiting obediently for my Master to decide?
Chambers uses Luke 18:31 where Jesus once again warns His disciples about what will happen when He gets to Jerusalem. Chambers makes the point that the purpose of the Father ruled the life of Jesus, and nothing deterred Him. So his application of that point is that the Father has a purpose we may not see, but compels us onward toward. From what Chambers says what service I may be involved in is mere "scaffolding" compared to the end purpose of my Master.
So, in the daily decisions, I usually just live and respond to my day with the hope that, as I draw closer to my Master, His Spirit lives out His purpose through me. That is a large hope, and stands frighteningly close to the paradigm of living my life hoping my Master follows and blesses what I do. If I submit my day and then regularly my minutes to my Master I should see my hope fulfilled. But I admit that events, small events, of my day begin and I am off running through the serpentine path of tasks without looking back or up. So how sure can I be that my hope that my Master influences me will be fulfilled?
Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation now for those in Christ Jesus. It uses a logical inference from 7:24 and 25 where the question is "Who will set me free from this body of sin and death?" And the answer is, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord." And these thanks are present even as Paul describes his situation thus far in his letter as, "With my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." That is the logical jumping-off point for there being now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. The bridge for such a leap is a new law introduced, the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus which has set me free from the law of sin and death.
This forms the connective tissue for me to hope that, in my life, the activities I do, as I submit myself to the person of the Spirit of my Master, I please Him. My hope is founded upon the belief that what I cannot do, He does in me, whether I am conscious of it or not. I hope that the fruit I bear is His because I am His. I can't, at any point in my day be pleasing to my Master because He cares little for the good I might accomplish. He wants my connection to Him. He wants me to rely and submit to Him, and let that be the source of any good I do. Since that is what He wants, I hope that as I write this He is the underlying impetus for whatever I do today. For I want whatever credit for my day to go to Him. Perhaps I should begin writing these in the evenings so I can recount my day, to see how I did. That would be scary, and probably very convicting for me.
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