Is God Your Master Or Your Slave?

Is God your Master or your slave? Do you recognize that God is the Creator and you are the created? Or do you demand, decree and declare that God will do such and such a work in your life? Do you proclaim that you will be highly favored in His sight because you say so?

Who do you think God is? Or rather, who do you think you are? The Lord says ask and receive and seek and you will find but is God your slave that you can order about? Is His will important to you or is your will more important than His? Do you want to march to the beat of your own drum instead of the beat of His?

The prophets of old, those who fear God and who were credited with righteousness such as Abraham and Phinehas ( See Genesis 15:6 and Psalm 106:31 respectively) approached the Lord Almighty humble and contrite hearts. When they were not certain of God's will, they approached Him tentatively and respectfully.

• Examine Moses - When the people sinned a great sin before the Lord Almighty, Moses humbly went before God and begged Him to be merciful to the people offering himself up to be blotted out from the Lord's book instead. (See Exodus 32: 30- 35)

• Consider Abraham - When the Lord told him of His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham knew that His decision was just, yet as his nephew was there, he asked the Lord in a humble and even piteous manner, if for but a few righteous the city would be spared. The Lord answered Abraham patiently because Abraham was so respectful and allowed him to know His plans because Abraham knew who was the Master and who was the servant. (See Genesis 18: 16-33)

• Ponder Gideon - The man who needed to definitely know that a thing was from God. He too, approached the Lord with reverential fear and understanding. He did not order the Lord but he asked humbly. (See Judges 6)

• Think on David - A man who knew God and who knew that God had anointed him to be king over Israel did not dare to touch the king before him because the Lord's anointing had once fallen on Saul. Even though Saul no longer had favor with God, David so respected and feared the Lord that he refused to touch a hair on Saul's head. ( See 1 and 2 Samuel)

And lest you should think that all of these come from the Old Testament :

• Remember Paul - Who though he suffered with a thorn in his side, asked the Lord to remove it twice. He never asked God to remove it again after the Lord told Him that His grace was sufficient for Paul. He accepted what was there and lived with it, happy to live in the will of the Lord, to fear Him and to work according to His purpose. He did not declare it gone. He did not decree that it was healed. He lived with it because God was his Master not the other way around. (See 2 Corinthians 12)

When asking God to act, the fact that He might answer with 'No' does not daunt the man of God but rather he accepts it knowing that God's will is final and He heeds and acts as He will.

How many times do you order God around as though He is your servant? How often do you remember to thank Him for the mercies of the day? Do you rush through your prayers, demand the latest need or want and then go off to be with the world or do you stop to listen to His words and to hear His will for the day? Do you wait patiently upon Him when you are in the wilderness and incline your ear to His will so that you will hear Him even if He speaks to you in a still, small voice? (1 Kings 19) Do you treat Him like a slave or do you honor Him as you would a master? What is He to you? If your answer is everything (as it should be) then serving Him should not be a problem.

God humbled Himself and served those who are His servants so that they could then use as an example His actions and do as He did. The servant is not above the master and if God is your God, then He is your Master. Serve as He would have you to serve and give Him in glory in all that you do. For it is through Him that all good things come.

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