Growing in All Areas

Text: Luke 2: 40
More Lessons: Psa.18:32-34
Bible Reading in One Y ear: Philippians 1-4

Jesus grew into the greatness we see in Him today. There is no sin in being small or being a child; the only crime is choosing to remain a child. Some believers are always complaining about people and the church not giving them enough attention and care, so they move from one church congregation to another. Everybody needs attention but there is a degree of attention that a man looks for and you know that he is still a child. If you are a new convert in Christ, there is nothing wrong with always needing people to visit you, buy a Bible, books and devotionals for you. But a time should come for you to grow and start doing those things for somebody else. If you always need to be followed up and encouraged before you attend church services, you need to grow. It is a child that always looks for attention and wants to be carried; an adult gives attention and carries others.

The major defining point in growth is assuming more responsibility and less dependence. When you start taking responsibility, then you become mature. It is a sign that you have refused to grow up when you don't stop complaining of not being taken care of by people. An evidence of growth is that you learn to handle some things for yourself and have a personal vision and target for your life physically, financially and spiritually.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man: Luke 2:52. Jesus grew and waxed strong in spirit. Growth and advancement must be all round. Any man who grows in one direction and doesn't grow in others is not growing. If you see a human being with one part of his body growing while the others remain the same, such a person is obviously sick. Kwashiorkor is a medical problem in children in whom you could see just the belly growing big while other parts of the body are emaciated. If you concentrate only on making money and doing well in your career but your spiritual life is going down, that is not growth. At the same time, if you are growing spiritually and there is no growth in other physical aspects of your life then something is wrong.

Remember the Bible says” Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth: III John 1:2. So as you prosper in spiritual things, there must be corresponding growth in physical and material things. Advancement is growing physically and spiritually, and may this begin to find expression in your life from today, in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to train your hands to battle so that you can break the bow of steel
* T ell God that you surrender to all His will and plans to make you grow.
* Pray that you will grow and increase in all areas like Jesus did.
* Resist every anti-growth agent in and around you.

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