Daily Life With my Master

I am challenged at the day-to-day level of living out my faith.  Daily stuff seems well within my ability to manage, so I don’t give much thought to reliance (and therefore submission) to my Master within it.  But that lack shows in my relationships with my daughter, my wife, co-workers, and my community.  They are part of the setting of my daily life, and, in the eyes of my Master, just as vital a part of that setting as I am.

I guess that really gets at the heart of the issue with me.  When I rely on my own abilities and perspectives throughout my day, then I become master of the day-to-day.  I begin to treat people from my own store of love, grace, mercy, and gentleness… Some of you already know how “deep” those stores are.  What I really need is the fruit of my Master’s Spirit to live out those qualities in me throughout my daily routine, every day.  Those qualities are only present in me as my Master stores them up.  They aren’t my stores at all, but His; on deposit as it were.

The idea should be that I am a steward (as a knight and servant should be to his King) of the qualities my Master invests in me.  I don’t rely on my stores of mercy, gentleness, goodness, peace and so on.  And, perhaps more importantly, I don’t develop the expectation that I somehow grow my own reserves of such qualities.  Mine just aren’t the same level quality of personal quality.  I can’t live as if I practice with my Master’s stores so that I can learn to grow my own. 

If I want “the good stuff” in my life, why wouldn’t I continue to rely on His qualities?  Because I desire home-grown control.  I want to be king.  There’s no other reason I would.  And such desire for power is earthly, fleshly, born of fear, and stark rebellion against my Master.  It is also how I currently live out much of my daily life.  So, what do I do?

To an extent, I’m doing something in writing these blog entries.  But I really need more.  I need to practice reaching out to my Master throughout the day.  I need to practice invoking His name as I answer the phone or place a call.  I need to consider my Master’s perspective as I read email and type responses. 

Today, I demonstrate one product line for some of my team mates.  This is an opportunity to reach out to my Master as to encourage my co-workers up against an insurmountable challenge.  It is also an opportunity to show off.  In considering my Master’s perspective, these people are just as important element to the setting of my life as I am.  So, my focus should be on honoring His desire for them, His interest in their lives, His love and grace for them.  He may not be interested in making their lives easy (this is earth not heaven), but He is interested in their lives about Him.  Therein is peace, patience, gentleness, and goodness.  Maybe if those qualities come out through me, they will inquire about where I got them.

My day should be about my Master’s perspective on my daily routine.  There are no heroics in barracks life, but most of my time is there, not in the amazing events of life.  How I live in the barracks will make life on the battlefield better.  Discipline in my daily duties will carry over to discipline on the battlefield.  So what I do today has importance for the rest of my life.  It’s not just another day…well, actually it is, but this ordinary day is a setup for the extraordinary one around the corner.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, October 12

The Discipline of Being Loved

I once said that faith enables me to get into heaven, but love enables me to bring friends.  As I look at my life, I don’t see much of that love.  There is too much resentment and fear for love, way too much of the time.  I am improving, but I still struggle with keeping in mind how much my Master loves me.  When I’m in traffic, I am resentful of the other drivers who are in front of me, and choose to go slow.  When at work, I am resentful of customers who know me and call me for help, but spend their money with my teammates.  I have no right to resent anyone, not even my dogs.

Resentment in me stems from me, selfishness, self-centeredness, but mostly loss of focus.  Most of the time I resent, it is because I have lost focus on my Master and His voice.  When I focus on traffic, on getting to my destination as quickly as possible (within limits) I loose focus on my Master.  When I focus on making money (though yes, I am paid to focus on that) and think of my entitlement to it, I loose sight of my Master who provides even these sales.  I do not have the luxury to loose sight of, or focus on, my Master.  I don’t have the luxury to indulge in selfishness and self-centeredness either.

But when I focus on my Master, on His love for me which transcends imagination, then others in traffic, on phones, and at the end of the leash are again loveable.  They may be frustrating, I may not like what they do, but I can still love them, because I see what I do, and how my Master loves me.  This is one of the biggest reasons I start my prayers with “You love me.”  The other big reason is to work through the lie that I am not accepted.  When that lie springs up, I will tend toward resentment again.  I am already miserable at that point, resentment just puts icing on the cake (with fondant and flowers).

Focus on the love my Master has for me is a tremendous source of peace.  His Spirit then has the freedom within me to work His wonderful work and produce His fruit in me.  He brings forth evidence of His presence, and people wonder to look at me, knowing that it cannot be me.  Sure I can sound and appear intelligent, but only Jesus and His Spirit can bring out kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, peace, love, self-control, joy, and patience.  Those are not products of intelligence, but sure are more impressive.  The marvel of my Master’s work in me is the evidence those qualities provide of the truth of His presence and work.  Because if He will work in one such as me, then who would be unacceptable?  If He will take people like me, who would He exclude?  I have known Him and still rebelled.  What can be worse than having a personal relationship with the Master of the Universe, and rejecting Him as Master?  I have had all pretense and excuse removed.  I have no ground to stand on for my acceptability.  There is no reason, no excuse, no foundation for my acceptability within myself.  My acceptability is completely due to my Master choosing to accept me.  And that is love.

So who will I accept today who is unacceptable?  Will it be a cranky customer?  Will it be my manager?  Will it be my wife or daughter?  Or will it be the driver in front of me on the road who refuses to do what I clearly communicate to him telepathically?  Will I choose to accept without first requiring acceptability?  I know that when I focus on my Master, His love and acceptance of me, I can do that; I can accept someone without requiring them to earn that acceptance.  I’ve seen it happen.  I just want desperately for it to happen more.  Besides, I have a new quest, to let go of my desire to control what is not mine to control (mostly at work).  I can’t be bogged down by this issue.  I must focus on my Master, because I have some fears to work through, and I need to remember that He has my back.

Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest": May 11th.