Our
future is determined by how we manage our present life. It is essential
that we establish our priorities. We must create the desire to grow like Jesus
did, not just in one area, but in all areas of life. This will make us successful
people. We will then have a positive influence on our environment - family,
social, work (school) and ministry.
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and men." Luke 2:52
This
verse shows Jesus as our perfect example and shows the way by which we are to
walk, following in His footsteps. It is important to see how Jesus did not
conform to the world when faced with challenges and adversity. He did not
become stagnant in life, but every day stirred Himself to do His best.
The
word "growth" is a translation of the Greek word
"prokopto". This means to drive forward, opening up the
pathway, to progress as the Lord did in the four basic areas -
intellectual, spiritual, physical and social.
I.
Intellectual
The Word says: "And Jesus increased in wisdom..."
Wisdom refers to
the intellectual aspect of our lives. It is the developing of the intellect, or
creating opportunities that make you wiser, more able in study or work in a
profession.
You can become wise
in every area of life. For example, in your home you can set the goal to be a
better son, father, mother, husband or wife.
God knows that only
those who forsake negligence and laziness can achieve their goals successfully.
They will mature and become better people. It is not enough to dream and
desire something. To obtain it you have to act with diligence,
consistency and discipline.
“The soul of a lazy man desires, and has
nothing,
but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” Proverbs 13:4
Lazy people always
tries to justify their behavior, but as time goes by they do not manage to
progress.
People in that state become filled with
frustration and feelings of incompetence.
Proverbs 26:16 says,
"The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than
seven men that can render a reason".
God does not want
us to be frustrated and think that we are good for nothing. He is our example
of how to grow in wisdom in all areas. A good way to avoid being entrapped by
laziness is to establish clear and concrete goals. This will help us give
priority to what is truly important, and not get entangled with what appears to
be urgent. Important things will lead us closer to our goals but urgent and
unexpected things will lead us away.
We need to
establish specific goals that will take us closer to our objectives. For
example, deciding to read a book every month or week, taking basic courses to
master computer skills or to learn another language. We need to take on
the challenge to be the head and not the tail, to be the first and not the last
in whatever we are involved in whether this be at school, university, or in our
career.
Consider your
dreams and establish at least three goals and a specific time limit to achieve
them in. That may be three months, six months, one year or whatever
length of time you feel is best. It is important that you define a time
limit to your goal, otherwise they will just be good intentions.
II. Physical
And Jesus grew in... stature" (Luke 2:52).
"Stature"
refers to the physical aspect of our lives. This encompasses our
lifestyle, eating habits, nutrition and recreation. These things influence our
self image, as well as how others see us.
A man of God by the
name of Dick Iverson gave my husband and I some advice. He recommended
three practical things to care for our physical condition: watch what we eat,
play a sport, and don't allow stress to dominate us.
I believe this man
is right. It is smart to be balanced in everything. That is why we should
establish habits in our lives that prolong our life and not shorten it because
of bad health. Some think it is not necessary to care for our bodies. They
abuse their bodies in youth and fall into excesses. The consequences of this
only appear later.
Excessive eating is
when one consumes an unbalanced measure of sweets, salt, fizzy drinks and
chocolates. We need to establish new habits, checking to see if what we are
eating is healthy and make the necessary changes. You could start by making
small decisions to cut down on chocolate, stop drinking fizzy drinks for a week
or not putting so much salt on your meals and so on.
Your rest should
include activities like sport or exercise. They relieve stress, as well as
making you healthier. It is shocking to find young people whose only sport is
spending all day in front of the TV. Their physical condition is so bad
they cannot do the simplest exercise. They get sick if they try.
Get involved in some sport, but don't fall into extremes. Many people
turn their sport into their god and forget about the Lord.
Our appearance
reflects who we are and the God whom we serve. Jesus Though He was born in a
poor stable, He excelled and dressed Himself with the high quality clothes of
His time. He used tunics that were seamless, which were the best available.
They were so good that the soldiers cast lots over one rather than divide
it up. (John 19:23-24)
In our physical
life we need to follow our Master and excel in the way we live, dress, and eat
without making these things a god. We need to be a living testimony of what the
Lord does for those who are faithful to Him.
III. Spiritual
"And Jesus increased...
in favor with God..."
One of the things that brings great
blessing is growth in the knowledge of God. Matthew 6:33 affirms:
"But
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and
all these things shall be added to you."
This growth
is manifested in constantly seeking God, knowing Him better and pleasing Him.
Seeking God first brings rich blessings into the material, physical, emotional
and spiritual aspects of our life. The Apostle Peter counsels us to
establish spiritual goals, so that we always bear fruit. He
encourages us to attain diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, self control,
patience, piety, brotherly affection and finally love. We must lift our
spiritual life to new levels each day, then it will reflect in the way that we
live. That is how we fulfill
2 Peter 1 :8,10 :
"For
if these things are yours and abound,
you
will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
Then Peter adds:
"...for if you do these things you will never fall.”
If the search to
become better moves into further levels, it is easy to forget the sacrifice of
Christ on the cross, and the price He paid for our sins. That is why the best
thing we can do to maintain spiritual growth is holding steadfast to God. He
will show us the areas in which we are giving ground to the enemy and show us
how to come out victorious. Then, once again, we will be challenged to be better.
Jesus grew in favor
by the power of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He was a
success and multitudes of people were transformed, healed, freed and restored
through His ministry.
This same Jesus now
lives in us and as we grow in His knowledge and grace He will have the liberty
to work through us making us a channel of blessing.
Our spiritual life
will advance if we set goals and challenges. We should not be spectators in the
work of God but become involved as active members. When we assume challenges we
create a greater level of demand on the spiritual realm. For example,
before teaching others, we must first prepare ourselves; we should review what
we have learned and ask God for His empowerment.
The spiritual gifts
flow when we create a need for them. God gives them to us in order to serve His
people, not for us to boast about. As we get involved, in the work of the Lord
He will lift us up and pour these gifts into our lives.
The Apostle Paul
tells us a great truth in 1 Corinthians 15:58:
"Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
The text motivates
us to be firm, to not be moved from our position we have in Christ. In other
words to constantly do more than what we are asked to do, showing initiative
and therefore continually improving.
Paul teaches that
our work for the lord is not in vain. Be assured of this and believe, even if
you currently don't see the fruit. God alone knows what we have achieved and He
gives us our reward. Plan specific spiritual goals so as to avoid becoming
stagnant. Don't just attend the different church services, become an integral
part of the ministry. You can do this in the cells, School of leaders and
encounters.
IV. Social
"And Jesus grew...in
favor with... man."
To have a balanced
life means not going to extremes, and giving each aspect of life its proper
place. The lord knew how important people are. He spent time getting to know
them and supplying their individual needs. It gave Him favor in front of the
people. They wanted to share with Him, listen to Him, be with Him and follow
Him.
We should grow in
our relationships with those around us. We should be seen as people worth
following and imitating. What we do speak louder than what we say. People
should observe us and find in us sincerity, love, human warmth and an honest
life. If they see these things they will open the door to their hearts and
desire to be a member of the family of God.
When the prophet
Samuel was young, he did not follow the bad example of his contemporaries -
even those living in the same house with him. He decided to become a man
of integrity, and gained acceptance before God and the men of his time.
“And
the child Samuel grew in stature, and
in
favor both with the Lord and men.” I Samuel 2:26
One of the places
we should be careful with our testimony is in our home. That will strengthen
our relationships with our family members. Changes have a powerful effect in
the home because our family knows us and can fully appreciate our progress. We
need to plan sincere and achievable goals for ourselves. For example, if we
react with a bad temper when something goes wrong or we are offended, let's
change that to the end. There must be real improvement in how we deal with
others, in communication, in unity, in understanding and in fellowship.
We cannot allow our
goals in other areas of life to steal the time we spend with our loved ones.
This can damage family relationships, create rifts and rob us of time for
family fellowship. A young lady carried great sorrow in her heart.
Each time her father had needed her for something she didn't have time.
There was always something else to do. She didn't give him time, and when
she finally wanted to it was too late, her father had died. She was left
with great sadness and remorse because she could not go back and repair the
damage. God wants there to be a balance in our family lives. He
wants us to dedicate time and attention to our families, in order to win and
nurture them for the Lord. Our testimony also touches those outside our
immediate family. Paul teaches Timothy:
“Moreover
he must have a good testimony among
those
who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the
snare
of the devil.” I Timothy 3:7
A lifestyle of
integrity can have a great impact on how positively people respond to us as
integrity breeds confidence. They know we don't want to take advantage of them
but want to influence their lives for good.
There is nothing
worse than losing credibility with people, as it closes the doors into their
lives. We should not make small compromises in our moral, ethical and biblical
principles. Even the smallest compromise will stain our testimony.
Someone said,
"People were made to be loved and things were made to be used".
When we love people instead of using them, we build solid relationships
that reflect the integrity of our lives as believers.
If we follow Jesus'
example, and grow intellectually, physically, spiritually and socially, we will
have a successful life. Our life will be filled with personal
satisfaction and blessings, not only for us, but also for our families and
those around us. Let us show people that they can have a better life when they
l follow the Lord.
Our lives can give
them an opportunity to turn to God and enjoy the blessing of living under His
guidance.
“Let
no one despise your youth, but be an example
to
the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit,
in
faith, in purity.” I Timothy 4:12
BALANCED
GROWTH NOT ONLY BRINGS SUCCESS AND PERSONAL SATISFACTION BUT GREAT
BLESSINGS
FOR US AND THOSE AROUND US.
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