Tsat's Blog

“…thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Satan’s issue with YHWH is now wanting to fulfill His will. The greatest issue between Christians is the lack of unity, which is caused by differences in the perception of or willingness to do the will of YHWH.

I look at mjyself and see areas of my life that must become conformed to YHWH’s will. It must be a daily reminder. I’ve heard from so many people that they can’t wait to get to heaven and be done with this life here. But if one doesn’t wholly desire to understand and do YHWH’s will now, heaven might not be as comfortable a place to be as we think. His will IS done in heaven. For that reason loving and grateful obedience is the norm and unity prevails.
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I don’t remember reading where Christ focused primarily on getting to heaven but instead on doing his Father’s will and completing the work that YHWH had assigned him. If he did that, heaven would ba blessed reward. There never has or will be division in heaven, even along denominational lines. The only denominator for YHWH, Christ, and the Holy Spirit is I AM. Christ’s prayer was that his disciples would all be one just as he and the Father are one (John 17:21). If the will of I AM is searched for with all the heart, one must find YHWH and His will (Jer. 29:13). There is no tradition more important, no beliefs more foundational, no goal more desireable, than the will of I AM. If that is realized in our lifetime, YHWH’s will must be done on earth just like it is in heaven. Only then will the world believe in Christ, the One that sent him, and those claiming to follow I AM because they will see the characteristics of heaven in their lives.

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Just as I was expecting the next topic to study, my attention was redirected to the “filling”. What’s in the middle of this spiritual sandwich that makes it so good? The words that are between the slices of praise and profession, “hallowed be thy name” and “for thine is the kingdom”, have been on my mind for days. Here is a list of the spiritual ingredients.

1. “Thy kingdom come,…”
2. “…thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
3. “Give us this day our daily bread.”
4. “And forgive us our debts…”
5. “…as we forgive our debtors.”
6. “And lead us not into temptation…”
7. “…but deliver us from evil.”

Feel free to comment on any of these items at any time. When cooking, it helps me to appreciate each individual ingredient to understand it’s contribution to the final product. It’s certainly no less important here. We need to appreciate the “filling” and the “slices” it’s between, which will be examined last.

First ingredient. “Thy kingdom come” — “May your dominion and rule come”, is what the passage literally means. That’s why Christ said, “nor shall they say, Lo, here; or lo, there; for lo, the reign of God is within you.’ Lu 17:21, Young’s Literal Translation. This is what the scribes, Pharisees, and Saducees of Christ’s day weren’t getting. Having been underthe political thumb of various super-powers of their time, they were eager for the Messiah to come and establish the pride of Israel as the pinacle and envy of the world. But the Messiah didn’t come with their expected news.

I’ve heard lots of takes on this verse, but there is no kingdom without subjects. There are no subjects until they submit to the Sovereign’s rule. Lip service and legalism doesn’t count. The kingdom comes through those that submit IN HOLISTIC REALITY to YHWH. One clear sign of the kingdom is the resulting unity in Truth that ushers it in.

There have been so many attempts at unity since the Reformation. But unity obtained through politics and/or compromise is never both lasting and spiritually complete. I’m discovering that this very prayer answers the need by giving us a pattern of what we need: to have real lasting unity in YHWH through Christ, his son and the brother and savior of those that truly and wholly believe. The goal must be to know the will of YHWH with certainty and to experience it through grace. Then, and only then, will his kingdom come.

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In the past few years, I’ve been privileged to work on some projects that stretched my creativity and experience. Being able to apply one’s skill set is indeed a great opportunity and a chance for increased learning. But somehow, it seems that there are far too many who don’t take their work seriously. We are advised give our best effort to whatever we put our hands to.

I had the honor of being asked to work on a national historic site which was the stop for the Underground Railroad in Chicago prior to the Civil War. How many people escaped slavery in the South and were sheltered and aided by the daring and bold actions of those that took the risk to help. This was the chance to not only honor their work but to restore the most ornate and functional building built and paid for by African Americans in that area to this day. The project was supposed to take three years to complete, but after four years, it is only near the 50% mark, and greatly due to tradesmen who call themselves “Christians”. And far too much of the work was performed inferiorly. Hello… it’s a National Historic site. The powers that be will be watching. The government paid for a completes physical and photographic assesment of the building before it was registered. It must appear as it was before the work began to be approved for further funding. And the general contractor at the time failed inspections seven times in a six month period due to shoddy workmanship, holding up others time and money wise.

It’s disheartening to have to resign from such a project because of the personal impact of delays and mismanagement. Yes, it is part of my heritage and I take pride in that. We found some very important artifacts during the project.

I remember as a young person driving by still-occupied shanties that used to be slave quarters. I even remember seeing “colored only” signs as a kid. How do so many people that have been given the opportunity to restore a monument to the godly efforts of our ancestors, lose the appreciation and sense of reinvestment in their struggle? I’m baffled, but moving on.

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This past Monday morning was unexpectedly busy. The night before I was informed of a 7:30 a.m. meeting that I hadn’t planned for. After that I ran over something and had to make a stop by the tire shop. The day was getting away and planned things hadn’t been attended to. After the tire shop, I was rushing to the next stop when along a residential secondary street I ran up on “Miss Daisy”. She’s driving her 2002 Oldsmobile Cutlass like it’s a limousine with the President in tow. Because of the design of the stree and the occasional driver turning right, I had to follow her for an entire mile at less than the posted speed limit. All the while, the cars in front of her were getting further away.

Upon approaching the next intersection where the street widens to two lanes per direction, there was a crunching sound ahead of us. The last car ahead of Miss Daisy had become involved in a head-on collision with a delivery van that was too eager to make a left turn (from behind the car that was supposed to turn before it). Our entire side of the street was now blocked and with rush hour traffic, we had to pass through the parking lot of the corner plaza to get around the accident. I had to admit that if I could have passed her, that might have been me.

Okay, Lord, you win again. Thank-you for and through Miss Daisy.

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My Grandmother (Mi Abuela from a song’s lyrics comes to mind…) I have many fond memories of my paternal grandmother because it really seemed that she lived what she believed to the best of her ability. But what was more spectacular and awesome (yes, that overrated word applies) was her testimony in her final years. As with many people in their 90′s and 100′s, she had begun to succomb to transparency and difficulties of dimentia. Some believe that people change with the onset and advance of the disease. It seems to be both “yes” and “no” simultaneously. While current facts and figures may slip through their fingers, so does the veneer of public presentation. You come to see them where they are at the moment.

When visiting her she would ask basic questions and statements at least every 3-4 minutes. “How old am I?” “Hom many children I have?” “When are you going to come see me again?” “Can I come to visit you?” But her real love was for the children and YHWH. My youngest would only go to one of four people as a baby without fussing and she was one of the four. There was something about her spirit that was undeniably sound, unaffected by the wear of many years. There were occasions when she would ask her routine questions and suddenly begin to give sound spiritual, biblically based encouragement and/or guidance and then return to her norm.

I came to understand that in spite of our bodies increasing inabilities, our spirits retain their degrees of growth or demise. While others were angry or lonely, her favorite repeated testimony underscored her views even then: “God is so good to us. You see, I can still dress and feed myself. And I can still fight (she would say jokingly with a laugh).”

We are told that the things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned (1Cor. 2:14). I thank YHWH for the discernment to see the results of her spirit having been impressed by His for so many years that even mental decay couldn’t diminish its influence. And for that reason I remember her more for the spirit that she housed than for any other. Thank you, Granny. I pray that my life’s testimony is at least that good.

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“Give us this day our daily bread.”

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Jesus, the Christ, gave this summary answer to a lawyer that goes far beyond the question presented to him at the time, also addressing this portion of the prayer. Matt. 22:35-40. “Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Love for YHWH and our fellow man is the basis of this request in prayer.

When we fall away from loving “the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”, we tread upon “what is” and sin is the unavoidable result. But that’s not the end of the issue. “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” When we fall away from loving our neighbor as ourselves, we tread upon “what is” and, again, sin is the unavoidable result. How so? If we make an overview of the law that defines sin, the first three statutes have to do with YHWH, the next involves us and YHWH, and the last six cover our relationships to other people. Looking at both cases, the best way to keep from having spiritual debt is to not create it in the first place. But until through grace we gain victory over various tendencies to sin (iniquities) spiritual debt will happen. And just like we want YHWH to forgive us when we slip up, we should just as readily forgive others when they slip regarding us.

2Tim. 2:15. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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There are biblcal concepts on one hand, and on the other hand, there’s the experience of learning how to live those concepts. I’m learning to live this interworking of law versus grace as I learn about it. So it must be more important for me to hear the conclusion of this matter and continue learning to live it now than after I return (which I pray is very, very soon). I’m coming to greatly appreciate the way YHWH intervenes to help keep us moving ahead, going in the right way.

Simply put, righteousness is right-doing. 1John3:4 literally states that whoever commits to wandering from the path of right-doing also wanders away from the law, because wandering from the path of right-doing is wandering away from the law. Then James 4:17 literally says, so the one that knows to do good and doesn’t, is wandering from the path of right-doing.

Eve and then Adam both deviated from what they had been told, and in doing so wandered from the path of right doing. They had known what to do; they just didn’t do it because they marveled and then listened to directions that were opposed to what YHWH had told them. It worked then; it’s working even better now. Today, Satan is still getting people to marvel and then listen to what is opposed to what YHWH has told us. In fact most of us grow up marveling while watching the older folks marvel and then, if we hear that “still small voice”, grace enables us to overcome years of habitual marveling and following perverse instructions to begin increasingly right-doing.

But, wait a minute. If we increasingly do the REAL “right thing”, then what’s the result? Holistic right-doing, which most teach as being impossible this side of heaven. Hold on another minute. Christ is our example, right? An example is something or someone that we pattern after. If He demonstrated holistic right-doing and we can’t, then His ministry and claims were a sham. But I’ve discovered that it’s true. If there are things that we’ve gained victory over that we NEVER could have without grace, is there some kind of limit to what grace can accomplish when we give our all to work along with it? I don’t believe so. Victory through grace depends on our faith in YHWH to enable us to be victorious.

I personally believe that Christ was victorious throughout His ministry not because of Who HE was, but because He had faith in His Father to aid in His success IN SPITE OF Who He was. Christ was a duality. He was qualitatively every bit a God as is His Father is a God (Let US make man…, before Abraham was, I AM, et.al.). And yet this God was incarnated with the same human frailties that we have. HE COULD HAVE FAILED, but He didn’t because He demonstrated what could be accomplished in right-doing by using the very same advantage of grace through faith that we have. That’s why He was tempted in all points as we are, and yet didn’t wander from the path of right-doing. Grace through faith enables us to begin and continue right-doing. There is no habitual or inherent wandering from the path of right-doing that cannot be corrected by grace combined with unwavering faith. No matter how fierce and twisted the battle seems, the same support system that worked for the Master will work for us. And angels are just as willing and ready to aid us, knowing that we are far weaker than He was. As He had to keep from wandering, we must rise above each single wandering and stay there. Never, ever, ever give up. Live towards holistic victory, continually rising until our journey here is finished.

Grace must eventually accomplish its full expression of holistic right-doing before Christ returns for Him to be able to present “to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:27) This is the church to become a part of. 1Peter2:21-25 (AKJV) “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

I know what most of us have been told for all of our listening years and this statement doesn’t support it. I know it doesn’t support what I’ve seen all those years. We need to ask hard and firm questions. Our spiritual wellness depends on it. Is Christ really our example and what does that mean to us. Three days and nights doesn’t add up to the time period from sunset Friday to sunset Sunday morning. And that’s just the beginning of the list. Why do so many claiming to be Christ hate the law? Why do others who claim to hold to the law, deny by their actions the impossibility of keeping it without the holistic transformation of grace? I don’t just don’t get it. Maybe it’s not meant to be understood. But I see what the word says.

Stevie wonder penned a song that has a line that rings in my mind from time to time and hits home especially when I’m studying. It goes something like this: “when you believe in things you don’t understand, you suffer. Superstition ain’t the way.” We can’t afford to live in superstition on either side of the argument of grace versus law. There should be no argument according to the exemplary life of our Savior. Is this lack of fulfilling 1Peter2:21-25 by those who claim to be His children, a reason for so many looking for the God in places other than where He is? In many ways, there should be a holistic and united indication that we have learned to follow the master, in spirit and in truth. This is my quest and goal, I pray that it’s yours as well.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing inconveniences that help us to stop, look, listen, and learn.

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Gal. 3:6-9. “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.”

Here’s what Paul was reminding the church of Galatia regarding its spiritual heritage of being among the children of Abraham through their faith. Just as Abraham believed YHWH and it was credited to him for doing what the God approved, so it was with them. And isn’t that what most children want from their parents? Involvement and approval? YHWH interacted, Abraham “believed”, YHWH approved. From the Greek usage, Abraham “placed himself into YHWH’s trust”: he pledged himself to following the God (“the God” is used intentially. Another discussion topic).

What moved and encouraged Abraham wasn’t a law. In fact, much of what the “schoolmaster” taught was foreign to Abraham, because it hadn’t been written in his day. But much like the journey of the Galatians from their prior spiritual convictions, the record states similarly concerning Abraham. Heb. 11:8-10. “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

First Abraham leaves the familiar setting of his early adult life and follows Terah, his father, towards Canaan, also bringing along Sarah and Lot, Abraham’s nephew and their extended households. After traveling as far as Haran and settling there, Terah dies. Abraham was timid in nature, as the record states, and Terah set a needed example of not having fear of change.

YHWH had further directions of change for Abraham. He was told to move again, and this time without his father’s household and relatives. Seems he was journeying further away from what was physically familiar and becoming increasingly endeared to WHOM he was to become spiritually committed for the remainder of his life. To become a good leader, Abraham was learning, over time, to reliably and fearlessly follow. Abraham wasn’t just learning to physically follow directions, Abraham was being taught how to spiritually entrust himself to YHWH. That required following without reserve. The record shows how Abraham grew in faith and trust in YHWH. Abraham transitioned from being afraid of Pharoah and his household regarding Sarah to having faith in YHWH to guide him in recovering Lot’s family and goods, and the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah from Chedorlaomer, whom Abraham routed with his own trained and armed servants.

YHWH had made great promises to Abraham, stating, (Gen. 12:3) “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Through Abraham YHWH has blessed the entire world. Gen. 13:14-17. And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.”

How was this to happen without a son, and Sarah were past the age of childbearing? Regardless, Abraham entrusted and acted accordingly demonstrating faith through grace. The miracles of YHWH’s providence revealed, then and now.

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Mat. 6:9-13. “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Such a simple, but significant and encompassing prayer using pointed and unpretentious language.

“After this manner therefore pray ye:…” Most of earth’s population had been praying for thousands of years. Why give a model for prayer at that time? Maybe because man still knew he needed to pray but had lost sight of how to and whom to pray to. Contrary to YHWH’s instructions to protect them, the children of Israel gradually accepted more of the customs and religious practices of their neighboring cultures. This, influence combined with the rise of the Pharisees and Saducees, which further divided the people, the purpose and focus of prayer had become distorted and needed to be restated in no uncertain terms. Jesus, the Christ, was redirecting His followers to kingdom-focused prayer.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” Relation first: there can be no relationship without it. YHWH was not to be seen as some far off, marginally and/or preferentially involved celestial ruler/creator. He is the Father of all that are being spiritually restored. He created man perfect, and has been restoring and guiding an appreciative mankind to eventual perfection, spirit first. There is no better father figure than our Father.

In the best of relationships, which one of us speaks to our natural father in fancy and elevated terms? In the most loving relationships, we may use Dad, Daddy, or Father, depending on language and culture. But isn’t our Father in Heaven worthy of even more closeness? If we were praising Him before others, that’s another thing. But to speak to Him (and He does want to hear what we have to say) we need only to be reverent, loving, and clear-minded. He’s more impressed about what we say to Him than how we sound to others while we’re speaking.

A name can have great importance. The word translated as “name” in the Matthew 6 passage above has this definition in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: “the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.” Remembering as much as we can about YHWH, the God that has been and will forever be for His children, should certainly make His name hallowed, or holy and consecrated in our minds. John 14:26. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” The more that we are aware of what YHWH has done for us (individually and collectively) through His Spirit, angels, and human instruments, the more we have to remember. The more we remember, the more special and sacred He and His name be become to us.

“Thy kingdom come.” Man was created with the kingdom or reign of YHWH within Him. “Let us make man in our own image, after out likeness” (more on that in another discussion). Christ came to help us get it back, among other needs. Luke 17:20-21. “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” The kingdom, the reign of YHWH, is within everyone that allows Him to reign within them. Man was created with an understanding of who he was and where he ranked in YHWH’s creation. He was visited by the Father on a regular basis, and had open conversation with Him. Having YHWH reigning within man resulted in a closeness that bonded him with his Creator. Christ came to demonstrate that YHWH desires to restore that quality of relationship with us, and what that restored relationship will give us. Yes! May Your kingdom come through your reigning within everyone who desires it.

“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This request is the goal of grace. Doing YHWH’s will is holistic righteousness. That’s some request and one over-ambitious undertaking without grace. The great purpose of the “schoolmaster” was to show us Christ, and what him ministry brought us. Grace both enables and sustains us spiritually. Through grace, we work with YHWH’s Spirit in overcoming while our spirits are cleansed and restored. As we overcome various tendencies to sin and we can resist the devil with the aid of the YHWH’s Spirit. Grace through faith.

Man and heaven have been more or less estranged because of sin. When we transgress (act treacherously or unfaithfully) against“what is” and His will, we distance ourselves from YHWH. It doesn’t result in His loving us any less, but it places us further away from YHWH, making it more difficult for us.

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The “schoolmaster”: interesting name. We need to be certain of the purpose and time period for this law with this kind of identification. Galatians 3 gives an overview of this law in relation to faith, grace, and “what is”. I like Paul’s frankness in writing to the Galatians. He literally starts verse two like this, paraphrased: “Just tell me one thing. Did you receive the Spirit by performing the law or by hearing through faith?” He continued. “Are you that foolish? You started in the Spirit, but suddenly you’ve become perfect through the flesh? Did you go through all these things for nothing, if it really is for nothing? The one that introduced the Spirit to you and worked miracles among you, did he do it by performing the law or by hearing through faith?” Biting words.

The early church was heavily Jewish influenced. It was fairly easy to move between Christians and Jewish gatherings because they had so much in common. And besides, the early church was almost entirely composed of Jewish converts. Old habits die hard with some folk. Many spent most of their lives “working” to regain sonship with YHWH, when all along He was trying to show them that His Son was their only means of restoration. Some forgot how He witnessed “what is” through His life and ministry. He was, lived, and taught the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. Samuel’s words to Saul were just as fitting as Paul’s to the Galatians, because they were prompted by the same Spirit. 1Sam. 15:22 “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”

The Messiah came to make us aware of the dysfunctional relationship that most had developed with YHWH due to our damaged spirits and defective spiritual education. He then went on to demonstrate to all that would see and hear, the magnificent quality of life that results from spiritual reformation and restoration. But where does this “schoolmaster” fit into the scenario? There were some who recognized that he was a teacher, some even recognized that he was a prophet, but it was through understanding the lessons of the “schoolmaster”, where His pedigree was outlined, that he was understood to be the Messiah. For example, John the Baptist declared, “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.” Christ especially understood the references in the “schoolmaster” of himself as he so demonstrated to the gathering of his disciples, “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Christ, the child, was instructed under the “schoolmaster”, which he graduated from to perform his ministry of reconciling man to YHWH, still maintaining its requirements while preparing his followers for the dispensation of grace, which was soon to follow. After the death and resurrection of Messiah, the disciples had to demonstrate that they had likewise graduated from under the “schoolmaster” as did Christ. It was through understanding and following His example that all truly graduate. It’s not enough just to make it through a few courses. Christ instructed his disciples, regarding the broken bread, “Take, eat; this is my body”, followed by “you drink all of it” concerning the grape juice in the cup. Why? Because it represented his upcoming sacrifice and “the life of the flesh is in the blood”, which is another discussion in itself. But for sure, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” Which means for us, regarding the symbolism of Christ’s blood, “if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Truly, then, the life of the “new creation” is its renewed spirit, and the life of that renewed spirit is symbolized by the cup, of which we must drink “all”. The spiritual “life force” of Christ, the man, our example, must be completely received to truly become our spiritual “life force”. This is where grace enters the picture. Grace empowers us to work along with YHWH’S efforts to transform our spirits, so that we can suitable hosts to receive Christ to spiritually dine and commune with us (Rev. 3:20).

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