I want to jump straight into this blog and present this scripture:

Luke 2:50-52 (NIV) “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.”

One would think that Jesus would have left heaven and come to earth fully equipped to do His Father’s work. He would have had all the skills and abilities, power, fullness of the spirit, and exuding wisdom and knowledge from day one. However, this was not the case. Even Jesus—yes, even Jesus—had to GROW! What did He grow in? He grew in Wisdom, Stature (maturity), and favor with God and man.

Look back on your Christian life for the past 3, 5, 7, or 10 years, and tell me what have you growing into, or have you grown at all? What have you become? Who have you become? Go look into the mirror. Can God say you have grown in favor with Him? Can your peers, spouse, or friends say they favor you more because of the transformations that have taken place in your life? Or is it the same you they see when compared to three years ago? You might even answer the question and say it is the same you or has little or no growth occurred. Either way, some hard questions must be asked to stop the stagnation and kickstart growth.

From this juncture, we can branch out into many different directions, such as how to stop being stagnated or how to implement a growth plan. However, I would like to focus only on this area: “What does Growth Look Like?”

I believe that the answers to this question can be found in the following scripture:

2 Peter 1:5 -11 – 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This passage speaks to me of growth. It says, “You get one thing, then look to see what other Godly character or trait should be added next,” and continue doing this. If this is not growth, I don’t know what is. As the passage itself says, “in increasing measure.” We must always deliberately look to increase our measure of Godly attributes.

Many times, I have heard Christians say things like, “I want to do more for the Lord,” “I want to take a more active role in ministry,” or “They question their calling in the body of Christ.” In essence, what we Christians are saying when we ask this question is this, “How can I be more effective or productive when it comes to serving God?”

For many, the answer to this question is to join a church ministry group. We join the choir, men’s group, ushering ministry, and so on. Joining a ministry is good, but that is not the ultimate solution. In a group, you can only primarily influence others in their presence. But with the knowledge of God abounding inside you, you can influence and impact wherever you go. You can be on a plane, in a taxi, in your work lunchroom, at the gym, wherever you may be, and still make an impact because the virtues of God reside within.

The ultimate solution is to grow in your knowledge of God, and in this knowledge, you will become effective and productive. Not only this, but you will also confirm your calling and election. You get two for the price of one.

Today’s blog was meant to make us reflect on our journey over the last few years. It is about pausing and asking ourselves if we are doing it right. It’s time to correct our course by using a new spiritual compass. It is about opening our eyes to what God really expects of us and understanding the great responsibility we have to serve Him with all our minds, hearts, and souls, and in this way, we will grow in favor with God and man. When we are in favor with God, and man, effective changes can take place in our lives and the lives of others to save their souls.

PS: Dane Miller was last seen at the bottom of a mountain with a compass in his hand. Before taking the first step, he whispered, “All growth involves a climb.”

Your Brother in the Lord,

Dane Miller – “God is the Author, I am the Pen”

Authored Book – What is the Woman Saying – Lessons from Biblical Women.

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