The Conception, The Perception and The Transformation

UV 2856/10000The Conception, The Perception and The Transformation
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS
Luke 1 v 31
The birth of Jesus is the one birth, life and death that brought significance to every human who was or will ever be born, live or die on earth. Solomon’s cry that all is vanity was turned into rejoicing that all is meaningful, significant, worthy. The name “Jesus” was given by the angel to His mother even before He was conceived in her womb. It meant “He saves”. He saves us from eternal death and thereby makes our lives, our every effort meaningful, not vain.
Je-sus in French could mean “I save your souls’ (Je-SUS). He also saves us from the enemy of our souls- the thief, the robber, the killer. The thief steals subtly and quietly, the robber steals with violence and threat, the killer kills in order to steal. Jesus saves us on a daily basis from all the attempts of the enemy to steal our peace, our health, our prosperity, our well being. Jesus saves us from the need to constantly strive for the Father’s favour or approval. The moment we believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His sacrifice of blood on the cross, His resurrection, we are declared the favoured or approved of the Lord. We are saved or extracted from the ‘karmic cycle’ of “as you sow, so you reap”. We reap what we do not sow- the love and grace of the Lord, salvation and shalom or blessings of spirit, mind and body. The moment we believe in Jesus is the moment we are conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of time and space. We are re-born in the spirit. We are new creatures meant for the new Jerusalem, the Eternal City of God. We are to live in this world as citizens of that eternal city. Our perspective is no longer bound by the confines of this lifetime or this planet but it is eternal. Our focus is on the locus of the new creation- the new born King of Kings, the author, architect and pioneer of our faith. As author and pioneer, He initiates our faith. As architect, He plans and builds our lives with new experiences of His saving grace and mercy.
We are new born but not full blown. We need to grow and become like Jesus. The greatest miracle is salvation. The next greatest miracle is becoming like Him, full of grace and truth. Our hearts should be that of a child in terms of trust but our minds should be that of a mature spiritual adult, our spirit that of Jesus full of the fruit of love, joy and peace. We need to increase in our faith or trust of Jesus. We need to increase in our knowledge of His love in it various dimensions. We need to reflect or apply that love in our lives. In so doing we get a foretaste of heaven and heavenly life on earth. It whets our appetite for the real thing.
Prateep V Philip