LORD'S PRAYER #3

Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

(Matthew 6:10, New Heart English Bible)

Stacy Tyson has been giving such insight through his series on the Lord's Prayer. (thebesttimes.com e-version, May 2023, p.21) "God's kingdom is where truth defines reality and the lie has been rejected." Ponder that for awhile. 

Part of the kingdom coming shows a connection of Hallowing His name and His will to be done. The first coming of Jesus brought that kingdom but we still pray this prayer today for God's continued reign in the hearts of His children. His kingdom to come, His will to be done begins with each one of us. Tyson refers to that as "first taking root in us."

Stacy also shares a quote from Dallas Willard that sums up the link between "kingdom come and will be done," as God's effective will where what he prefers is actually what happens."

"In short, when we pray these lines, we are asking that all things be arranged and in line with the with the good and wise purposes of Father God. (Ibid, p.21)

Prayer warrior, JoLynn, ends most all of her prayers of petition with "if it be your will, O Lord" or "according to your good and perfect will."

That's "Thy will be done" in a nutshell.

Sabbath Snapshot : sa-TEAs-faction

If John Ortberg has a new book out, son Buddy, is gonna buy it and then I'm gonna read it. Thus, his newest, Soul Keeping, was part of my weekend read.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; Psalm 62:5, NIV

I am an Ortberg fan thus the rating of 5 stars for this short book with LOTS of valuable soul keeping ideas. Plus, Ortberg had a way of weaving in visits to "Box Canyon" to visit his mentor, Dallas Willard. Throughout the book the author honored Willard's life with many of his stories and quotes---a festschrift of sorts, as Willard died in 2013.
Tidbits that "touched" me---some all the way down to my soul...some Dotsy paraphrases and some direct quotes.

• Most important thing in life is not what you do, but who you become....that's what you take into eternity, (Dallas Willard, p. 23)
• World replaced soul with self but not the same. The more we focus (obsess) on self, the more we neglect our soul. (p.46)
• Self is a stand-alone, a do-it-yourself unit, while the soul reminds us that we were not made for ourselves. (p. 47)
• There's lots of self-talk these days. The difference between talking to self and talking to your soul, is that the soul exists in the presence of God. (p. 92)
• Soul keeping is NOT about perfection---it's about holding on to God because the soul was made to be connected to Him. (p. 104)
• The soul is seen when it reaches out in love. The Bible's word for this is blessing (p. 153)

Ortberg is a master weaver and these gleanings are but a part of a well spun tale, full of stories as well as truth. His own admissions as well as those of Willard and others.

Two ideas I continue to mull are the equation, soul freedom = embracing God's overall design &  my place in it." Similar to "Red Sea Rule" of acceptance. The other idea is the "daily" commission of idolatry.......anytime one meets his/her needs with anything that distances the soul from God. that distancing is a sin of the soul.

Though this entry sounds a tad pedantic, even to me, the book does not read this way. It's a delightful book full of wit, quips and even some personal self-deprecating Ortberg stories.