September 8

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Master, carest thou not that we perish? Mark 4:38, KJV

Why troublest thou the Master any further? Mark 5:35, KJV

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🔊 Who is your master? The master of the disciples in the midst of the storm was their fear of death. Often we find ourselves controlled and driven by another master than the One we confess with our lips. The truth is that Jesus wishes to master our lives in every way and to displace every other power and influence over them. The mastering element in any life is that aspect of our character that paralyses us and causes us to fall in surrender to the dread influence. The indecisive person will make a decision and then be mastered by the fear of making a mistake. The pessimist will be driven by the dread of the worst that can befall them. The depressive person will be under a cloud no matter how bright their circumstances. The unbelieving person will never cease to question the evidence that stares them in the face. In every case, our reaction is to turn back to our old master and acknowledge him to be greater than Jesus. But fear, indecision, depression and unbelief are hard masters, and they have no reward or joy to share with us. When you are tempted to panic and despair, pause and remember that Jesus is never the author of such things. We must not be prisoners of our own personalities, nor must we bow to any influence other than Jesus. Face the worst, and then bow down before Jesus, and there discover the truth that He is Master, not just of your soul, but of the storm, of life and death, of everything that could ever come across your path. Confess Him as Lord, and Lord alone, for there is no other. Every knee will one day bow to Him, so get it over with now, and bow. His mastery is joy unspeakable, and will fill you with a sense of hope in the most impossible circumstances.