Growing Up Like Christ

Growing Up Like Christ

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As we draw close to Christmas, let’s ponder more about the birth and growing up of Jesus God Incarnate. For Jesus is the most perfect man who ever lived on earth. Thus, He is our model to imitate. This Christmas, we not only should give thanks for the redemptive grace brought by Jesus, but we also should learn to live like Jesus.

In (Lk 2:40), we read that “the child (Jesus) grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.” When Jesus was 12 years old, He went with His parents to the Passover Festival in Jerusalem. But on the journey home, His parents couldn’t find Him. (Lk 2) 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

From this text, we know that Jesus grew up in a very blessed way, which provides a model for how we His followers should grow in the Lord too.

 

  1. The blessed growing up years of Jesus.

1) Jesus was filled with wisdom (v40, v52).

This was because “the grace of God was on him”, and because He was well-versed in God’s word which gives man wisdom. A person who is well-versed in spiritual truths and mysteries will surely have wisdom to handle things of this earth.

 

2) Jesus was preoccupied with His Father’s business (v49).

Jesus told His parents, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” This can also be translated to “Don’t you know I had to be concerned about my Father’s business?” Thus, Jesus is different from the rest of us, He is not concerned about worldly things. He knew He is first the Son of God, then the son of Joseph and Mary; He is first the Savior of mankind then a carpenter. He was very clear which was His main vocation and which was secondary. In fact, the Bible does not record much about the childhood of Jesus but progresses very quickly to talk about His ministry which began when He was 30 years old, all the way to His crucifixion and the finishing of His redemptive work. Because that was the very reason why Jesus came to this world. That is also why we celebrate Christmas today. If there is only Christmas but no Good Friday and Easter, then mankind have no hope at all. Thus, although Jesus lived in flesh on earth, His heart and mind was actually set on things of the heavenly kingdom.

 

3) Jesus not just won the favour of God, but also of man (v52).

He not only obeyed His Father in heaven, but He was also obedient to His earthly parents (v51). Therefore, He not only had the favour of God, but also of man (v52). This is also a goal we should move toward. Some Christians are too legalistic or mystical in their faith that it makes people around them uncomfortable (thus, not gaining their favour). On the other hand, some Christians dare not profess their faith publicly or they do not live a good Christian testimony, thus not pleasing God. Yet, for Jesus, He obeyed Father God unreservedly. At the same time, He also won the hearts of men. This is exactly what we should learn from Him and pray toward.

 

  1. So how can we grow up like Jesus?

As children of God, we should aspire to be full of wisdom, be preoccupied with God’s business, and win the favour of God and man, as Christ did. But how can we learn this?

1) “The grace of God was on him” (v40).

Today, if we believe in Lord Jesus, we can be assured that God’s grace is also upon us. Only by God’s grace can we have the hope of becoming like Christ, for we cannot depend on ourselves to overcome our sinful nature. However, God’s great power of the gospel can enable us to break free from the bondage of sin and the devil, so that we can become more Christ-like.

 

2) We must also have the “desire” to be like Christ.

Without the yearning to be Christlike, we will find it hard to work with the Holy Spirit to imitate Christ. This is same as learning any other things such as cooking or drawing. Without the heart to learn, it is difficult to succeed.

Now, if we wish to be Christlike, then we must first be attracted to God’s sweet love. Apostle Peter encouraged us: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Pe 2:2-3). Here, we see a simple principle to growth, which is, in order to grow well, we must “crave” spiritual milk. But how can we produce that heart of “craving”? It is when we “have tasted that the Lord is good”.

However, some Christians do not yearn to grow up, because they feel it is easier to be a spiritual “baby”. A baby does not need to take care of others, but simply wait to be pampered and fed by people. Furthermore, a baby need not bear any responsibility. Even if he does something wrong, he can be excused from penalty because he is still “young and ignorant”. Thus, some Christians prefer to remain as babies, because they enjoy being taken care of by others but they are not willing to serve others. They do not desire to become a spiritually mature person, because they do not want to battle with sin, but they rather live as they please, like a baby. While this may sound pleasing to our sinful self, we must not forget that a child who cannot grow up is also one who is easily deceived and bullied by the enemy the devil. Thus, Paul said that infants are “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ep 4:14). Therefore, may we all yearn to grow spiritually, so that we will not be easily shaken like infants.

 

3) We need to feed regularly on “spiritual milk”, which is God’s word.

God’s word can nourish our souls and grant us strength to keep following God. It can also point us to the right life direction and give us the wisdom to confirm God’s perfect will. Just as man needs to eat every day, believers also need to feed on God’s word daily, in order to grow well. Therefore, drawing strength from God’s word is not optional, but essential.

 

Dear friends, God has given us salvation and new life in Christ. May we not be content with just having eternal life, but also crave to enjoy the abundant and fruitful life which God has promised us in Christ. Let’s learn from Jesus and grow up like Him, in favour with God and man!

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Preacher Hui Jun
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Huijun serves as Secretary of The Blessed RUN Ministries. She is also the Preacher at The Life Church and Missions (Singapore). She graduated from Singapore Bible College and currently lives in Singapore with her husband, Chengji.

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