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  THE MISSIONARY'S MASTER AND TEACHER
  by Oswald Chambers
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Summary: Having a master and teacher means having a relationship of love
and trust with God, where we are easily obedient and have no conscious
awareness of being mastered.

Topics: "Christian Obedience", "Divine Mastery"
Scripture References: Matthew 23:8, Luke 6:46, John 13:13, John 14:15, Romans 6:16, Philippians 2:8, Hebrews 5:8, James 1:22, 1 John 5:3

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DESCRIPTION
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Oswald Chambers emphasizes the distinction between having a master and
teacher versus being mastered and taught. He delves into the depth of
having Christ as our Teacher, who knows us intimately, satisfies the
deepest longings of our hearts, and has resolved all our doubts and
uncertainties. Chambers reflects on the reluctance to be controlled by
God's mastery, highlighting the importance of understanding obedience in
the context of a loving relationship, as seen in the example of Jesus'
obedience to the Father.

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CONTENT
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To have a master and teacher is not the same thing as being mastered and
taught. Having a master and teacher means that there is someone who
knows me better than I know myself, who is closer than a friend, and who
understands the remotest depths of my heart and is able to satisfy them
fully. It means having someone who has made me secure in the knowledge
that he has met and solved all the doubts, uncertainties, and problems
in my mind. To have a master and teacher is this and nothing less--
"...for One is your Teacher, the Christ..." (Matthew 23:8).

Our Lord never takes measures to make me do what He wants. Sometimes I
wish God would master and control me to make me do what He wants, but He
will not. And at other times I wish He would leave me alone, and He does
not.

"You call Me Teacher and Lord..."-- but is He? Teacher, Master, and Lord
have little place in our vocabulary. We prefer the words Savior,
Sanctifier, and Healer. The only word that truly describes the
experience of being mastered is love, and we know little about love as
God reveals it in His Word. The way we use the word obey is proof of
this. In the Bible, obedience is based on a relationship between equals;
for example, that of a son with his father. Our Lord was not simply
God's servant-- He was His Son. "...though He was a Son, yet He learned
obedience..." (Hebrews 5:8). If we are consciously aware that we are
being mastered, that idea itself is proof that we have no master. If
that is our attitude toward Jesus, we are far away from having the
relationship He wants with us. He wants us in a relationship where He is
so easily our Master and Teacher that we have no conscious awareness of
it-- a relationship where all we know is that we are His to obey.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/oswald-chambers/the-missionarys-master-and-teacher/
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