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Last Sunday, my pastor said something that really, really struck me. And it happened to fit exactly in with one of the names of God I’ve been studying.
Coincidence? I think not.
He referred to the passage in Luke when Jesus said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ [Adonai] and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46)
Adonai essentially means Master. As in, we’re God’s servants, and He’s master over us.
And yet, how often do we not do what our master tells us? How often do we beg for Him to change His mind and give us a different command? How often do we kick and scream and cry, telling Him He doesn’t know what He’s doing? That He’s mean for commanding a certain something? That He’s heartless and cruel?
Yeah, I’m thinking that if most servants acted like that in Biblical times, their masters would either have thrown them in jail or worse. In modern-day times, they’d be fired at the very least, left destitute and without provision.
But even though our God is master, He is also merciful. Something we soooo don’t deserve, but something I’m soooo thankful for.
So instead of wasting time complaining that our Master doesn’t know what He’s doing, we should wait and listen to His counsel. Because here’s what happens for those who do:
“As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” (Luke 6:47-49)
Don’t you want to be like the man with a firm foundation? If we really consider God our Master, then let’s listen to what He says. That way, when the floods come—and they WILL come—we will be ready.
Your Turn: In your mind, what does it mean to serve and to follow the Good Master? What are some ways we can do that today?
**The winner of last week’s giveaway of author Jessica Nelson’s Love on the Range is Keli Gwyn! Keli, I’ll contact you about shipping info today.
You know allowing Jesus Savior of our lives is easy, letting Him be Master is a tough daily experience.
I think the best way is to wholly trust Him, to trust means you'll be willing to obey but you can't trust someone you don't know well. So I'd say the key is getting to know Him. Through conversation i.e. prayer, and His word i.e Bible. Great post, Linds!
Love your thoughts on this! It's kind of like when my parents asked me to do stuff I didn't really want to do…but because I knew they loved me and really wanted the best for me, it was easier to do what they asked.
Love this Lindsay! I absolutely love praying the names of God.
Some of my faves are..
El Roi – the God who sees me
Yahweh Jireh – the God who provides
and of course…Immanuel – God with us
Adonai is such a great reminder this morning.
I love all of those names! El Roi…ah. Good stuff.
Obedience…doing things like forgiving even when it feels difficult to do so.
~ Wendy
Forgiving…that can be such a hard lesson. I'm going through that right now.
Oooh, good question. I think putting others above ourselves…it's hard though.
Soooo hard. But great insight, Jessica!
Awesome post, Linz. I loved Jess's comment above – that allowing Jesus to be our Savior can be easy, but letting him be master of our day-to-day lives, not so much.
I think what I need sometimes is to just slow down…and actually think about what I'm thinking about. When my mental focus is on Christ, I'll see Him leading the way and will be a better Master-follower. 🙂
Slowing down…something I need to work on too for sure! If we're going so fast, it's hard to hear His commands.
My Master! So many wonderful names of God. Thank you for reminding us all of the character and beauty of our God.
He does have so many wonderful names, doesn't He?
The older I get (and I'm getting up there =), the more I realize how little I know and how much I need to heed the Lord's guidance. I was more apt to "play God" when I was young than I am now. One reason is that I've seen Him at work in countless situations and have come to realize He knows how to run the show a lot better than I do. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm a model of obedience these days. Just that I'm a little better than I used to be.
There is definitely wisdom that comes with experience, isn't there?
Oh how funny you wrote those verses. Just today on our way home from preschool, my son was singing the song about the wise and foolish man and he asked me what the word "firm" means (since the house on the rock stood firm.) We spent the whole ride home naming things that are firm. I'd say God goes right to the top of the list. 🙂
I LOVE it when God uses various things throughout the day to confirm a Truth for me. So cool!
A beautiful post and a reminder of the many names of our all-knowing God. Thanks for sharing, Lindsay!
Thanks, Joanne! I love that he's all-knowing. It can be scary going through life alone, but with Him as Master, we AREN'T alone.
Great reminder! Having Jesus as our Lord and Savior means we understand his Sovereignty.
This makes it easier to submit to Him knowing He already knows everything that will happen!
Thank the Lord He is a benevolent Master!
Lately I've been feeling a lot more peace about this whole writing journey, because if He wants me to be agented and published, I will. I still have to work hard, but I also need to listen to His leading.
Beautiful words, Lindsay. I remember being a child and worrying that God was going to send me to a far off land to be a missionary, because I understood that serving Him means going where He leads. As an adult I realize that He places desires in our heart for the things He wants us to accomplish on Earth – and that's how He usually leads you. If He didn't place the desire in my heart to be a missionary in Africa, than He probably doesn't plan to send me there. Knowing God's voice is critical to obeying His commands. But that doesn't mean that we will love everything He's called us to do. God isn't demanding things of us because He likes to see us suffer – He's after our hearts and He'll use whatever means He needs to get us to a place of obedience and trust. And, you never know, He may place a desire in my heart to be a missionary someday…
Love these thoughts, Gabrielle! I totally agree that He gives us certain passions and desires. One of my favorite quotes goes something like this: “Don't ask what the world needs; ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who've come alive.” I think God placed those desires on our hearts that make us come alive.
Great post, Lindsay. I think of serving & living for the Lord as doing our normal stuff, but looking at everything through the eyes of Jesus. We all have jobs and chores to do, but what's our greater mission? Serving others and noticing the needs around us. Even something little, like being kind and gracious with the grocery store cashier.
I think Jesus had a sparkle in His eye and I want to sparkle for Him on earth.
Blessings from VA!
I totally agree, Susan! God has placed each of us where we are for a reason, and we should use the talents He's given us to live for Him and reach others around us. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I had a dream years ago where someone asked me who was my God, and I replied, "Adonai." I didn't know or at least recall ever hearing that name, so I asked a pastor what Adonai meant, and he said it was another name for God. It's great because with the lousy memory I have, I so often think how little I know about God the Individual, coming up with "I dunno" which helps me to remember the similar sounding Adonai, my God's Name according to my dream and confirmed in the Bible. It at least means a lot to me.