“The boy Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and among men.” – Lk 2:52

One of the only verses we have about Jesus’ childhood tells us he grew in amazing ways. We’re not told that he grew to six feet tall because he drank his milk. We’re not told he grew into a buff guy from doing this.

He got wiser. His standing became more prominent. And he was more loved and favored. It’s one thing to think about growing in these areas among men, but we get the mind blowing message that Jesus grew in the eyes of His Father. If He was born as perfection, born of a Virgin and sent from Heaven without blemish (as Luke tells us), then how does perfection grow?

How does Jesus become more favored by His father?

The even more haunting question for you and me is: If Jesus grew, shouldn’t we too?

“If Jesus grew, shouldn’t we too?”

How are you stretching to reach for a new level? Are you settling into what life has dealt you? God wants you to reach for more. He created the world with a natural propensity for moving forward (called inertia), but we often reverse that and have a propensity for sitting still.

Take a minute and look for a plan for growing in the next month or so. I’d suggest my friend Kerry’s resource, the “new classic” my friend Tim Keller has written, or perhaps another small book written a long time ago.

I’d love to hear what you’re doing to grow. Share your ideas with me.

Jesus grew. Shouldn’t you?