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“His grace is for when we fall short, not when we aim short.”
Barbara L. Klika, MSW, Undershepherd, Life Coach
April 2025
Written for Wisconsin Christian Newspaper
This title is a statement that I made long ago. It became even more relevant when I learned that the word for God’s standard on righteousness is based on the Hebrew word, Yareh, which literally means “to hit the mark.” This is language often used when referring to trying to hit a target at the central point. Correspondingly, the word that means to “miss the mark” “Chattah” is also translated as “sin.” Thus, my observation that His grace comes into play when He sees our desire to please Him is real and deep yet we don’t quite come up to the standard. Grace cannot be offered when someone is not even intending to “hit the mark!” Bonhoeffer used the phrase “cheap grace;” in part meaning that forgiveness cannot be extended without repentance. Cheap grace substitutes the fear of the world for the fear of the LORD. If we aren’t really trying to please Him, we are simply AIMING short.
If you are paying attention to what is happening in the world and in the heavenlies it seems more and more evident that our great God is moving with greater speed toward the end and the time of Messiah’s long awaited return! As I write, we are in the final days of preparation to come away to spend the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread week together as a community in the Presence of our Soon coming King and Bridegroom. We encourage everyone to spend time as we will be doing in considering any ways in which we have fallen short or have come under the influence of things that pull us away from our God. In fact, observing HIS Feasts, including His seventh Day Shabbat, is considered as a “wedding ring” of confirmation of being among His people. All of His Feasts are about Messiah!
It is quite hard for some people to comprehend that things are changing; that more knowledge is being revealed that is giving us greater understanding of what has happened in this world and how it affects our near future. One Bible teacher has said that if we don’t understand “pre history” we won’t understand what is coming. This correlates to our Father’s observation through Isaiah’s words that He foretells the end OUT OF the beginning.
There are so many issues with different denominations and differing translations and interpretations of His Word that it DOES become confusing as to what exactly it is that our Father is looking for from His people. I feel some urgency to get to the most basic of things that all of us, as His people, need to consider; made as pointedly straightforward as possible.
If you have been reading my articles, you know that we at Set Apart Ministries believe that the Whole Word is valid and relevant for today, just as our Elohim has said He doesn’t change. This is highly relevant for each of us being able to “hit HIS mark,” acting on His Word to please Him….NOT doing so to earn salvation, but simply as a declaration of love and honor. If we are confused as to what the mark IS, it is hard to aim for it!
May I illustrate this point with a few comparisons between OT and NT?
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deut 6:4 NKJV
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22: 37-40 NKJV
This summary of the commandments does NOT mean that the rest are “done away with.” Yeshua/Jesus confirmed more than once that He upheld His Father’s teachings, what is recorded in what Christians call “The Old Testament.” “Old” does not mean irrelevant. We find that it is NEVER out of date. There is not a set of commandments in the NT that are different…they were just written on our hearts, instead of on stone.
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8 NKJV
But the word of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:25 NKJV
Our American understanding of “hearing” is different from the Hebraic concept. And it is in the Hebraic context that our Mighty God chose to do His work. “Shema” literally means that to “hear” something is equivalent to “doing it.” To hear is to obey. It is the same in the Greek words used.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22 NKJV
And a colloquial comparison for this one:
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!
James 1:22 Message
This has not gone out of fashion: Messiah repeatedly said similar things.
But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28 NKJV
For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:50 NKJV
Reading and hearing the Word from our God means that we have the opportunity to act on what we learn. It is not only being familiar but acting on it that confirms if we really do belong to the family of God.
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 1John 2:3-5 NKJV
A Follower of our Father YHWH God and His Son, our Messiah, Yeshua/Jesus of Nazareth has a set of instructions found in the Bible. Our Father is what I call the “3 O” God.” He is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. Nothing is hidden from Him. He has also declared that:
Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ Isaiah 46:10 NKJV
I have written many times of the fact that Messiah Yeshua and our Father are one in purpose and plan. Yeshua confirmed more than once that:
Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
John 7:16 NKJV
There are three things to consider: Hear, Believe, Obey.
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
Romans 10: 9-12: NKJV
If you declare you are a Believer, yet still live exactly as you have always lived and just sort of “make room” to sometimes attend church or pray, you have not yet crossed over out of the life of the world into the life of His Kingdom. His Word says you are a liar.
Faith and works questions still hamstring people. A.W. Tozer said that the ”bird of truth has two wings.” He was referring to the balance needed: faith without works is dead. Yet works without faith is also dead. Peter did tell us that Paul’s words are sometimes difficult to understand…
as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 2 Peter 3:16 NKJV
It isn’t only people that can be untaught and twist words to mean something other than the full context would indicate. We have understood this to mean that too many people do not have adequate comprehension of the Hebraic context our Father chose. Coupled with the refusal to acknowledge the Whole Word, it is easy to see why so many people have no foundation on which to base their understanding of the New Covenant, or more accurately, the Re-newed Covenant! (NOTE: A testament often denotes someone who has died, while our Covenant keeping God is very much alive!)
The fallen angels/Nephilim/Rephaim/giants under our adversary’s leadership have also continued to be about their first business, which was to corrupt the world. They tried to prevent Messiah’s birth but were unable to do that, so their focus is on human beings. As I have recently written, it is apparent that everything in our current world-focused culture is bent on drawing people away from our God and His ways, has its roots in their agenda. Not only do they work to confound our correct understanding of His ways, they have preternatural powers beyond our limited human understanding that can work to subtly deceive us. If we don’t know this and fail to pray for discernment, we are a much easier target to draw away from our God. One major point to confirm this could likely be just how much resistance there is and has been for generations to recognize that the Whole Word remains valid and confirms His standards for our lifestyle and behaviors.
We must be alert and aware of two big dangers described in the Word: Coming out of Egypt and coming out of Babylon or “being drawn into friendship with the world and spiritual forces and then betrayed” and/or “going along to get along.” Both were founded by descendants of Ham. Both had a strong presence of the giants.
You may recall that His people were called to be a “kingdom of priests” teaching the nations how to honor our God. I am only providing a very simple outline here. There is MUCH more to understand to confirm that we are grafted into the Olive Tree of the Family of God but hopefully, this will prompt some further study and prayer to understand His will!
“Now therefore if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19: 5-6 NKJV
When we hear, believe and obey, confessing Messiah as our Savior, we are grafted in to the Family of God: Israel and His Kingdom. This calling as a priest to teach His ways remains valid today.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:9 NKJV
Our “3 O” God knew in advance that there would be confusion and division through the generations. He knew of the individual, familial, generational and institutional strongholds that would develop to confuse His people.
And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” Rev 5:10 NKJV
It is our priestly privilege to be about calling people back to His ways in repentance: to sharpen our aim. Then the love of our God will be perfected in us!!
“Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” – Acts 3:19 NKJV
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