Matthew 5:48
" Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Ephesians 5:26-27(NKJV)
"26 that Jesus might [a]sanctify and cleanse the church with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."
To be a 'Better You' in all aspects is already hard, to become the 'Perfect You' is impossible with men. Striving to be a 'Better You' and NOT to be better than others is already pleasing to God and should be everyone’s goal. But GOD has the highest standard. Jesus required us in Matthew 5:48, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect." Thus, our goal now is to be perfect!
But to start to be a ‘Better You’ is not just merely improving everything you know that is bad of you. Many tried to change but hey can’t. Why? Because Jesus said in John 15:5, “... apart from me you can do nothing!” It will be a tiring process to change on our own, we cannot do it! Because at the end, the only possible way is through Jesus Christ. GOD gave us Jesus to be our righteousness and holiness (1 Corinthians 1:30). To be certain to become the 'Perfect You' is; to accept Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit to work in you.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new.”
Let’s ponder why Christmas is always celebrated in the last week of the last month of the year. It is because Christmas has something to do to face the New Year. New Year is not only writing the year changing that one last (usually) digit number. The most important is changing that One Number which is You, from your old self to become a ‘Better You’. St. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:16, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we no longer know him in that way.”
'No longer human point of view' means, Christmas is not only the celebration of Christ being born in a manger but should be a celebration of Christ being born in our hearts, by accepting all His teaching and obeying His commands.
Think again. If we had celebrated Christmas the same way in a human point of view every year, if it is only about decorations, gifts, parties, foods, gathering of family and friends, then no changes from within will be expected from us. If there’s no rejoicing like; mentioning how blessed we are, that our Savior Jesus Christ was born to us, and no thanksgiving and praising being uttered by our lips to glorify GOD…, or how grateful we are, that HE sent His begotten Son to redeem us…, and made us new creations…, then those decoration banners of ‘Love, Peace, Hope, and Joy’ that you see everywhere around us, even the Christmas cards we sent, are still void at all.
The birth of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ in your hearts is the start of the Change Process; to being a 'Better You', and then towards becoming the 'Perfect You'. If we failed to give importance to Jesus' Teachings at Christmas, then this start as a 'Better You' is surely impossible to take place..
Jesus Christ is The Good News of Great Joy for all people. He can only be born in our hearts, if we hear His words and let these words grow in us through our actions.
Luke 29-11 narrates;
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them (the shepherds), and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
The narration tells about how GOD sent the angel bringing the Good News of great joy for all people. The celebration of the multitude of heavenly hosts was done by praising and glorifying GOD. At the end, again, glorifying and praising continued through the shepherds (and then to us) who found the Good News to be true. That is a Spiritual Christmas celebration!
Pondering the Good News of Christmas will not come to an end. This is the purpose of Christmas. Jesus Christ was born more than two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, in a manger. But every Christmas, we got the chance to reconcile with the Gift of GOD to us. Human as we are, we tend to forget that we are the recipients of the Good News of Salvation. Thanks be to GOD, we have Christmas every year to remember that GOD is giving us always the chance of reconciling with HIM through Jesus Christ, the chance to become ‘Perfect You’! Through that chance of reconciliation, GOD would recreate us again in His image allowing us to have that fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23), the Perfect Us.
Being a 'Better You’ happens only at Spiritual Christmas. But Spiritual Christmas happens everyday; whenever we let Jesus Christ bear fruit in our hearts. St Paul revealed that GOD our Father, will transform us to the image of HIs Son Jesus. Romans 8:28-29 says, "28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."
When GOD called us to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus, HE knew His work to be done to us is to make us perfect. The only thing we should do, is to surrender our sinful self to Him, trust Him, and make a constant fellowship with Him through the Gospel so that we will become His finished work.
Following St Paul letter in Philippians 1:5-6, " 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"
Constant fellowship is to remain in the word of GOD. Jesus said in John 15:4-7, "4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
So brothers and sisters, let the Lord Jesus Christ remain in you with His words. And surely the ‘Perfect You’ will come out of you, recreated by GOD. as the recipient of Eternal life. AMEN.
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