Growing is Essential
Luke 2:40 (KJV)
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him. – Luke 2:40 (KJV)
The book of Luke gives an account of the birth of Jesus, His infancy, and His childhood. Jesus grew physically and spiritually. The account goes on to relate how he was left behind, not deliberately, when his parents were returning home from the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. He was twelve years old. The crowd was large, and for an entire day, his parents looked for him in the crowd. They eventually had to retrace their steps only to find him, after three days, in the temple, sitting with the elders and teachers, both listening to them and asking questions. The Bible records that they (the elders and teachers) were astonished at His understanding.
Under the right conditions, growth occurs for all living things. Nourishment provides for physical growth while spiritual growth comes from spending time with God and His Word. We grow in Christ as we dedicate time daily to reading and meditating on the Word and praying. As we grow, we increasingly experience God’s presence, His power and His love. Our faith grows accordingly.
Conversely, when we starve the Spirit by neglecting to pray or read and meditate on the Word, the flesh begins to dominate. And we know that the works of the flesh are evident, which are these; adultery, uncleanness, strife, hatred, envying, etc. (Galatians 5:19-21).
Jesus is the Son of God but His short time on earth was spent in prayer and fasting when he was not teaching and working miracles. He did not indulge in idleness but would often go off into a quiet place to spend time with His Father.
Growing in Christ means we must be sacrificing time and resources including physical comforts just to be in the presence of God either alone or with others, as we seek to strengthen the spirit and build ourselves up – (Jude1:20).
Prayer:
God, help us to discipline our body and bring it under subjection to Your Word that we may grow in Christ. Help us to grow in Christ daily as we feed the Spirit and mortify the deeds of the flesh, in Jesus’s name. Amen
Read: Galatians 5:19-23; Jude 1: 20
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 61; John 8:31-59; Judges 20; Judges 21
