Properly Growing

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.  K. 2:52)

    Jesus grew in four ways, physically, spiritually, socially, and of course, in wisdom.  If He grew in wisdom and in “grace” with the Father, how much more must we?  Let’s examine these four aspects of growth:

He increased in wisdom
    Could it be that the Lord had to learn the Fathers’ ways just as we do?  He grew from an infant into a man and increased daily in the Truth.  Notice that wisdom is the first mentioned “growth” even preceding stature.  He learned from an infant, and was undoubtedly born with a greater capacity to know and to understand the will of the Father.  We are never too old, nor too young to learn of the grace of God, and the ways of His leading.  Start your children out right, by creating in them a desire for the Holy, and point them to the One who knows from His youth, the will of the Father.  This would take diligent effort in the Word, daily, seriously, and reverently; it would not hurt to supply the household with good, solid Christian music too, some of the old hymns, and none of this modern day mumble-jumble.  Jesus grew mentally.

Jesus increased in stature
    Stature is one thing we have not much control over, but it may be important to know that Jesus was human enough to grow physically.  It is comforting to know that our Savior and I have a few things in common--we grow mentally, and physically without a lot of effort on our part.  Perhaps that is the limit for most of us when we compare our lives to Jesus’, but it need not be that way completely.   Disease can hinder growth, just as sin can hinder or spiritual growth.

He grew in favor with God
    Jesus grew spiritually.  He was obedient to the Father in every way, and because of this, He grew mightily in the Lord.  He grew as man grows, but because he was without sin, He grew much quicker.  Sin hinders our growth, and “all have sinned”, therefore we cannot attain to the heights that Jesus reached when on earth, but, by the grace of God, we can work toward that goal.   The closer we get, the greater our capacity to find favor with God.  One man can grow more rapidly than another, as we all know, by abiding in the Word, and way, of the Lord.  To obtain the favor and the blessing of God is the greatest accomplishment man could achieve, and ought to desire.  Our standing with the Lord will guide the rest of our lives in truth and favor if we will do right by Him.  Our testimony will reveal what we really are. 

Jesus also grew in favor with man
    Not only did He grow in favor with God, but He grew socially, in favor with man.  Of course there were those who opposed, but the real men  followed Him, and still do.   Those who are bent on evil and self seeking, will never find the hidden treasure of the favor of God, not unless they forsake their evil ways by taking Christ as their Savior.   To obtain the favor of man we must do right also.  Most of us think we have to become what they are to obtain their favor, but most men respect the man that has values and does right at all cost.  They may not always understand why we would do it, but they often respect us for it; of course, we may not realize that at the time--they do not grovel at our feet and tell us how much they admire us, but they may never forget the example they have seen in us.  How wonderful that the Lord gives us favor with men too. 

                                                                                                                               Jackson Scott

3 divine loves

There are three great loves in my life, all others are subordinate to these three:
My first love is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Nothing supersedes the Love I have for Him.   Men have jeopardized their lives for love of the Lord, because He has blessed them beyond comprehension.  Thus, the Lord God Almighty is my first and foremost love, and that only by His grace.

The second great love I have is for my wife, who the Lord has chosen for me, and me only.  I love her with all the love my Lord has given me, and there is no other mortal as wonderful as her.  There is no one, and nothing that I love on this earth more than the woman that God has given me; and He has allowed us the great privilege of spending eternity together with Him. 

My third great love is the love of my country.  Though I do not, and would not, put anything on par with my Lord, I see America’s flag as the paradigm of freedom for the world, as one sees Calvary for a Monument for men’s souls.  Yes, as Calvary represents the liberty we have in Christ, so the “Red, white, and blue” stands paramount above all other countries and banners; it represents, in the human world, what Calvary represents in the Christian realm.
    It is almost as if the Lord Himself designed our flag, and inspired the name “Old Glory”; 
The red symbolizes the blood of Christ which makes all men free;
The white represents righteousness, imparted to those who believe;
The blue shows the firmament, and God as Creator;
The stars remind me that he is the eternal God who lives beyond the stars;
And the stripes remind me that it is by His stripes that we are healed. 
Yes, “old Glory” speaks of glory, and though it is not worthy to be exalted anywhere near our Lord, freedom is worth dying for.  

Our Lord died to make us free; liberty was so important to Him that He made man a free moral agent, giving him the freedom to choose.  Many men have also died for the freedom of American people, let us never forget, and always remember to pray for the country that men gave their lives for.