"Toowayhon." Oh yeah, well toowayhon to you too, buddy! Wait, what's a toowayhon and why should I want it?
Toowayhon is Aramaic (the spoken language in the time of Jesus, in Israel) and in English it is translated to blessings, to be blessed, but the Aramaic conveys so much more.
Toowayhon is the first word in each of the Beatitudes (Blessed are the...) which make up part of the Sermon on the Mount, the messianic Torah, meaning the law or teaching, about the Kingdom of God. It's like the Constitution of God's Kingdom. The Passion Translation footnotes states that this sermon teaches "all that God expects and provides for those who yield to Him.
Jesus gives us more than laws; He gives us the promises of power to fulfill all that He asks of us." Let that sink in. He says He will give us the power we need to accomplish, do, fulfill all that He asks of us.
Do you remember when I have talked to you about just saying "yes" to God?
We get so concerned about being able to do what He might ask (our fears about what He might want us to do reveal our heart, reveal what we value above God, by the way) that we don't bother to say yes, until we think we have the power to fulfill that yes.
This is good news: He not only asks us to do that which is going to allow us to fulfill our purpose in life (see Psalm 139:16 ) but then He gives us the ability, resources, and power to do it!
And this has what to do with toowayhon? Is that kumbaya's brother? No, why would you ask that? Nevermind.
Matthew 5:3 in the NKJV reads Blessed (toowayhon) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The Passion Translations reads What happiness comes to you when you feel your spiritual poverty [dependent on God for everything]! For yours is the realm of heaven's kingdom.
When we get to the point where we realize we are, and welcome being, dependent on God for everything - we receive the blessings, the toowayhon! We have to get it - to know from whom our blessings come (and it isn't the universe - it's the One who created the universe.)
We are used to the word "blessed," but toowayhon goes beyond "blessed" to refer to being "enriched, happy, fortunate, delighted, blissful, content.
It means great happiness, prosperity (yes, I said it, face it, God prospers those who love and follow in His ways, take a breath, it's o.k.) abundant goodness, and delight! It's bliss.
What it's saying is that toowayhon means to have the capacity to enjoy union and communion with God.
Enjoy our lives? God wants us to enjoy our lives? I thought we were supposed to take on His suffering... Child, that is a whole 'nother teaching about accepting His sacrifice as applying to our sin but anyhoo
Here's 98 Bible verses that describe God's desire that we have enjoyment in our lives.
Do you want to have the capacity, the ability, the willingness to enjoy your relationship with God? I do, I say yes. Read Matthew 5-7.
I find The Passion Translation (from the Aramaic and Hebrew) particularly meaningful to me, and you might enjoy the Amplified Version (closer to the Greek meaning which like the Hebrew/Aramaic are richer, more poetic languages than English so gives a better understanding of what was intended). A more literal word for word version is the International Standard but remember, literal does not convey context and historical meaning. The version that I first fell in love with was the good old New King James Version, it's familiar to me.
If you have no idea what I am talking about, read the book of John. It's a good "start here." Follow that with Ephesians, it's a good "how to" or Romans.
I recommend the Passion Translation if you want to experience it emotionally or the Amplified version if you want to have more knowledge or explanation. Always read the footnotes, they are "the rest of the story."
Need more help? Visit me at Renewing Your Mind Transformational Christian Counseling and Coaching. Sometimes we need to change our minds, literally rewire our brains, and get rid of the lies we've believed about God, so we can develop the capacity to enjoy our relationship with God.
Till then, God toowayhon you... you know what I mean.
