“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” Luke 2:52
Not much is known about the early life of Jesus, but Luke chapter two gives us just a little peek. One of the things we see is that Jesus had a hunger for the things of His Father, so much so that on a family trip to Jerusalem, unbeknown to Joseph and Mary, Jesus stayed behind at the Temple. After three days of frantic searching, they found him sitting there “among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions.”As a result of his hunger for the things of the Father, we see that Jesus experienced great “increase” in His life. Luke 2:52 in the Amplified version says, “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men.”
We all want to experience that kind of increase in our lives, the kind of increase that leads to favor with God and man. So how is it possible for the everyday believer, like you and me, to experience this kind of increase? Peter gives us the key in 2 Peter 1:2 where he says, “May God give you more and more grace (favor) and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” Right here, Peter makes it as simple as it can be by connecting our increase in grace and favor with us growing in the knowledge of Him. Just like Jesus, the more we know, the more we grow.
Reading our Bibles, going to church, and Bible study and spending time with the Lord in prayer are way more than obligations to religious duty. Instead, they are pathways to growing in our knowledge and relationship with Him, which will lead to guaranteed increase in our lives.
Today, make some time to get to know Him more and watch as His favor on your life increases.