We are constantly urged to take control of our lives. Many times we feel, like the lines in the old poem,”I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” (Invictus by William Ernest Henley).Yet Jesus stressed that he came not as master, but servant. (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45)

How freeing to be a servant – to stop strategizing and learn obedience! We don’t have to predict outcomes or worry about results when we trust the one we serve and do as we are asked. We can live moment by moment, fully present and attuned.

The enemy hates this! He despises our contentment and peace. He  wants desperately for us to feel as he did, that everyone must be his own master. He offers immediate rewards, knowing that if we nibble on control he can awaken a craving for it.

As he did with Adam and Eve in the garden, he wants us to bite on the “master bait” rather than wait for the “servant plate.” The master bait is anything we do to manage life apart from God. Master bait gives us satisfaction without any dependance on others. The servant plate – trusting dependance – is not as enticing, but infinitely more fulfilling.

The servant’s plate is our provision. It includes what God puts on our plate to do each day and what He gives us as daily bread – physical and spiritual sustenance. The servant’s plate is just right. And even if we feel we have too much on our plate, He helps us not bite off more than we can chew as we look to Him for direction.

Satan’s saw fit to exalt himself to become his own God. He chose his own will over God’s. And though it worked out badly for him, he is hell bent on getting the rest of us to bite on the notion that we should be like God in every way. (Misery loves company.)

It is true we are made in God’s image, and God provides us the opportunity to try life on our own terms. But when we do, we move from a servant’s heart to a master mind. And trying to make it all happen on our own is a recipe for disaster. All of us have the chance to learn that freedom comes when our capacity for judgment and control is surrendered to Him.

Living from our heads rather than from our hearts blocks the kinds of connections that we need. Loving, giving and receiving demand vulnerability and risk. The master mind urges toward self-protection and certainty.

Biting on the temptation to control puts us on the hook of shame and condemnation. When we take matters into our own hands, we judge God as unworthy of our trust and we disconnect from Him. Sadly, judgment falls back upon us. Mercy is only available through  connection, and we can never master mind the world on our own.

Ironically, even when we yield in trust, none of us does a great job of doing all we ought. We are unworthy servants. (Luke 17:10) The good news is that we can give up trying to earn our keep! Our gracious Master loves us and provides what we need as we wait on Him.

                Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He is gracious to us.                                                               Psalm 123:2 NASB