Pastor’s Pen Jan 8

Jesus grew in wisdom; and so can we; Luke 2:39-52

Do you know how the 12yo boy Jesus grew in wisdom? After His parents went up to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast Jesus went to the Temple. He sat in the Temple courts listening to the teachers and asking them questions, for three days. Jesus was teachable. People who believe they don’t need the Scriptures taught through preaching are deceiving themselves. Preaching is right through the Bible, designed to build the Body of Christ to maturity. Listening to biblical preaching gives us space to grapple with what we believe or do not believe. Building an understanding of God’s will, we grow in wisdom.

Jesus also grew in wisdom through believing, teaching, protective parents. Rembrandt painted a picture in 1654 entitled “The return of Christ and His parents from the Temple.” In the painting Joseph’s hand is firmly over Christ’s. He and Mary had been completely stressed out when they found that Jesus was not with the caravan of people returning to Nazareth and had been searching for Him for three days. Jesus wasn’t trying to be disobedient. He just had to be in His Father’s house. Nevertheless, Scripture tells us that Jesus went back with his parents for His growing up years and was obedient to them.

Some of us have had the richness of growing in wisdom through being raised in a Christian home with Christian values, prayers, activities, and lifestyle. For those of us who have not had this luxury, we have another chance of growing in wisdom, through the fellowship of our church family. Here we find all the gifts of the Spirit as we mix with young and old, male and female, and various cultures.

Today we will be looking at numerous ways we can grow in wisdom. “For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her,” Proverbs 8:11.