Prodigal to Prodigious

UV 1019-10,000 Prodigal to Prodigious Son But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: Luke 15 v22 Our Father transforms us by His compassion and love from being prodigal sons and daughters to being prodigious sons and daughters of God. The more we understand, perceive and realize how undeserving we are of His love, the quicker and greater will be our transformation from being prodigal and rebellious to being prodigious and obedient. The older son thought he was entitled to his father’s love given the fact that he stuck it out with him and slogged for him all the while the younger one left him to indulge in debauchery. The Father in heaven prefers a broken soul to a self righteous and outwardly religious or pious person who thinks he has earned whatever he has got by virtue of his character, conduct and good works. Salvation is all about returning to a right and love relationship with the Father. It is preceded by repentance and brokenness, accompanied by joy and celebration and followed by abundance of fruitfulness or divinely ordained and blessed productivity. The father hugs the returning prodigal son and calls for his servants. Similarly our Father delights in hugging and kissing us and in lavishing His love on us. He calls for His servants, the angels to give us the best robe- or the robe of His salvation. He gives us the multi-coloured coat that Jacob gave his favoured son Joseph so that we manifest or make known the glory of the Father in a variety of domains of life. It will make us the envy of the self righteous, the religious and the worldly. He gives us the signet ring of authority over disease, demons and the powers of darkness in the world- the same powers and principalities that had drawn the prodigal son away from the father’s love. He gives us shoes so that we travel places for Him and proclaim and convey His love to the world around us. The fatted calf that the father kills to provide for a feast of celebration is a symbol of the wages of the eleventh hour worker. It is a symbol of the blessings and rewards that we do not deserve but our Father in His great generosity gives it to us. Our response hereafter is to be prodigious or extraordinary and marvellous and not to be prodigal. Our life hereafter is a grace fiesta or a festival of grace. Any progeny of man can either be prodigal or prodigious. It is the acceptance of the freely available grace of God in the gospel of Christ that makes the difference. Prateep V Philip